NYXL strings ?

[dmccombe7]

3 minutes ago, Misdee said:

I remember when the Bass Center were the UK distributor for Warwick. I never realized they supplied the strings for their basses in those days, but it makes sense.

Oddly enough i bought my Warwick from Sound Control in Glasgow and when it developed a fault with the electronics module when you went from active to passive there was a very loud speaker damaging pop sound the bass was initially sent to Moon Guitars in Galsgow who couldn't do anything as the electronics were silicone encapulated modules. It was then sent to Bass Centre who were main distributors for Warwick who also couldn't sort it and finally returned to Warwick who replaced the module. It took about a month if i remember right to be returned to me but Sound Control gave me the pick of the shop while mine was away so i picked the other bass i was looking at a Warwick Streamer with gold fittings. Was very nice and better balanced than the Thumb but didnt have the tone i wanted.

I got a really nice apologetic letter from Germany in broken English plus a lot of goodies thrown in incl sweatshirt, 3 sets of Elite strings, several advertising posters, pens and some other bits and bobs.

Bass was great up until a few yrs back when same fault appeared and Warwick no longer sell the encapsulated modules so i had to have a MEC pre-amp fitted. Not sure the bass sounds just as good so i might put it back in and get the EMG pre-amp fitted.

The Thumb bass has some sentimental value as my new girlfriend (now my wife) went with me when i went into Glasgow to try as many basses as i could and she also liked the look of the Thumb and thought it sounded best. Maybe she was just being nice and supportive, a YES DEAR kind of support 

Dave

[acidbass]

Just fitted a set of NYXL 45-105 nickels to my trusty Jazz Bass. I've been stringing it with DR Lo Rider nickels (same gauge) for 5 or so years, interested to see how these compare. Tension wise they feel quite similar - have two gigs this coming week where I'll be using the bass, will report back!

Edited May 9, 2022 by acidbass

[Microbass]

On 09/05/2022 at 15:35, dmccombe7 said:

Oddly enough i bought my Warwick from Sound Control in Glasgow and when it developed a fault with the electronics module when you went from active to passive there was a very loud speaker damaging pop sound the bass was initially sent to Moon Guitars in Galsgow who couldn't do anything as the electronics were silicone encapulated modules. It was then sent to Bass Centre who were main distributors for Warwick who also couldn't sort it and finally returned to Warwick who replaced the module. It took about a month if i remember right to be returned to me but Sound Control gave me the pick of the shop while mine was away so i picked the other bass i was looking at a Warwick Streamer with gold fittings. Was very nice and better balanced than the Thumb but didnt have the tone i wanted.

I got a really nice apologetic letter from Germany in broken English plus a lot of goodies thrown in incl sweatshirt, 3 sets of Elite strings, several advertising posters, pens and some other bits and bobs.

Bass was great up until a few yrs back when same fault appeared and Warwick no longer sell the encapsulated modules so i had to have a MEC pre-amp fitted. Not sure the bass sounds just as good so i might put it back in and get the EMG pre-amp fitted.

The Thumb bass has some sentimental value as my new girlfriend (now my wife) went with me when i went into Glasgow to try as many basses as i could and she also liked the look of the Thumb and thought it sounded best. Maybe she was just being nice and supportive, a YES DEAR kind of support 

Dave

man I miss sound control! Did my work experience in there. Got to spend a few days playing every bass in there through a multitude of great rigs. I still lust after a M/B M2000 and the RoadReady 4x10’s… 

[dmccombe7]

10 minutes ago, Microbass said:

man I miss sound control! Did my work experience in there. Got to spend a few days playing every bass in there through a multitude of great rigs. I still lust after a M/B M2000 and the RoadReady 4x10’s… 

I'm guessing i've met you as it was a shop i used a lot from 80's till it closed. Bought my Thumb NT in 89. Was an amazing bass collection sadly long gone.

Dave

[Microbass]

Just now, dmccombe7 said:

I'm guessing i've met you as it was a shop i used a lot from 80's till it closed. Bought my Thumb NT in 89. Was an amazing bass collection sadly long gone.

Dave

Possibly! Spent a lot of time in there as a teen in the early ‘00s until they closed. Heart breaking. Glad to see GuitarGuitar opened up and really the only place with a great bass selection in Scotland. Kenny’s is now in the old SC. I think that was the acoustic guy from SC who’s running that and I think GG may have been 1-2 guys from SC. 
 

I also remember they had a Trace V8 in there. Wish I’d got to try that monster out!

[acidbass]

On 10/05/2022 at 00:48, acidbass said:

Just fitted a set of NYXL 45-105 nickels to my trusty Jazz Bass. I've been stringing it with DR Lo Rider nickels (same gauge) for 5 or so years, interested to see how these compare. Tension wise they feel quite similar - have two gigs this coming week where I'll be using the bass, will report back!

Two gigs done - I like these strings! They feel nice to play. Too early yet to decide if they will replace the Lo Rider as my round of choice but over the next few weeks I'll have a better idea.

[acidbass]

On 16/05/2022 at 14:09, acidbass said:

Two gigs done - I like these strings! They feel nice to play. Too early yet to decide if they will replace the Lo Rider as my round of choice but over the next few weeks I'll have a better idea.

A quick update - I think the NYXLs are now my round of choice!  Fantastic tone and feel!

[dmccombe7]

Just put them on my MarloweDK bass and they feel great in the house. First gig on Sat with the punk band and will report back on how they feel.

Smoother on the fingers so far and i have noticed they definitely stay in tune a lot better than EXL190's i normally use.

 

Did use my Sandberg VM4 at rehearsals yesterday which is fitted with the Markbass Longevo nickel strings and they sounded far better on that bass than the MarloweDK. Maybe the active circuit helps.

 

Dave 

[GrowlyBassDude]

I like the D'Addario XT series strings, which are the long-life coated ones. I use the same series for guitar too, and prefer them over the NYXLs. 

[Dood]

15 hours ago, GrowlyBassDude said:

I like the D'Addario XT series strings, which are the long-life coated ones. I use the same series for guitar too, and prefer them over the NYXLs. 

 

I've recently switched to XT's on my Strat as well as over-hauling the electronics and the whole guitar is better in every way. Those strings have definitely been a positive move. 

[dmccombe7]

That's a couple of you guys that like the XT strings. Might give them a try next.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

21 hours ago, GrowlyBassDude said:

I like the D'Addario XT series strings, which are the long-life coated ones. I use the same series for guitar too, and prefer them over the NYXLs. 

what is it that you prefer over the NYXL's. Just curious ?

Dave

[shoulderpet]

I was quite excited about the NYXLs initially as they sounded quite bright and growly when new but I am really not a fan of there broken in tone, there is something in the high mids that I just can't dial out.

 

They also went dead within a month which is fine for a £20 set of Rotos but I kind of expect more from a £35 set of strings

Edited May 24, 2022 by shoulderpet

[dmccombe7]

12 minutes ago, shoulderpet said:

I was quite excited about the NYXLs initially as they sounded quite bright and growly when new but I am really not a fan of there broken in tone, there is something in the high mids that I just can't dial out.

 

They also went dead within a month which is fine for a £20 set of Rotos but I kind of expect more from a £35 set of strings

Was that within a month of you playing regular gigs ?

Dave

[shoulderpet]

20 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Was that within a month of you playing regular gigs ?

Dave

No, since covid gigging has been a lot more infrequent, this is a month of regular practice but no gigs

[BreadBin]

There's definitely a right string for every bass - I have NYXL on my Allen Eden Jazz and it sings. My Yamaha 5-string sounded kind of lifeless with them but Regular Slinkies made it come alive!

[dmccombe7]

9 hours ago, shoulderpet said:

No, since covid gigging has been a lot more infrequent, this is a month of regular practice but no gigs

That's not good. Do yu sweat a lot hen practicing at home, I'm guessing no. Gig sweating i can understand and is usually harder on strings.

Think Scot's bass lessons guy has an issue where his hands sweat and kill his strings very quickly hence the gloves he wears. 

Dave

Edited May 25, 2022 by dmccombe7

[shoulderpet]

2 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

That's not good. Do yu sweat a lot hen practicing at home, I'm guessing no. Gig sweating i can understand and is usually harder on strings.

Think Scot's bass lessons guy has an issue where his hands sweat and kill his strings very quickly hence the gloves he wears. 

Dave

No I dont sweat a lot practicing at home, gigging is a different story and I have had a few gigs where the venue has been stupidly hot

[Guest gazzatriumph]

I used EXL 170 for years I tried the NYXL nickel and they were better, nicer feel, sound and lasted very well.  Ive gone to short scale now and didnt like the EXL170S using La Bellas flats which for me are ideal for short scales. I'd definately try the NYXL's though.

[dmccombe7]

Tried the NYXL's at their first gig on Saturday night.

Have to say i was fair impressed with them. Nice clarity and a lot easier on the fingers too which was decidedly noticeable for me.

Will see how they last before a final decision on whether or not they are keepers.

Dave

[dmccombe7]

I gave up on the NYXL's after a few gigs as they seemed to die pretty quick. Certainly didn't last as long as i had hoped.

Might give the XT's a shot.

Curious how they compare on tension to standard EXL nickels.

Also curious how they compare to Elixir strings. I found the Elixir a bit more tension than my EXL190's.

Dave

 

[Mike Brooks]

On 28/04/2022 at 10:47, Misdee said:

 The Ultramag Rotos are a different proposition to the RS66 of yesteryear. I too used Swing Bass back in the 1980s and they sounded great but went dull too quickly, from what I remember.

 

 

If this is of any use to you, happy to be of service... so far, upto 15 gigs with plenty of life left in them.

 

[chris_b]

I put my current NYXL's on before the first Lockdown. My Jazz wasn't played much in 2020, but I've gigged it a lot in the last year or so and the strings still have a lot of life left in them.

Edited October 7, 2022 by chris_b

[asingardenof]

I recently had a set of D'Addario XT strings, which I believe are just the NYXL strings but coated. They sounded great and lasted ages, but I think I'd struggle to justifying buying them again as I can get two sets of my usual EXL165s for less than the price of one set of NYXLs/XTs, and I'm not sure that any tone improvement is that noticeable.

[dmccombe7]

My EXL190's are £24 the XT's are £33 at the moment in Strings Direct.

If the XT's last 6 mths or more they will be far better value for money for me.

Dave