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briant
Intermediate Member
Username: briant

Post Number: 110
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Friday, February 15, 2008 - 9:15 pm:   Edit Post

So what do we all use? I would think that there are long threads about this somewhere but lets bring it to the top and start anew.

I've been using DR Bootzillas for years now because they last a long time for me and sound fantastic the whole time. I really fancy the sound of Rotosounds and a few other string makers but they tend to go dead and sound lifeless after even as much as one 3 hour gig.

Thoughts? This is very general... there are obviously no right or wrong answers here. Discuss.
82daion
Intermediate Member
Username: 82daion

Post Number: 130
Registered: 5-2005
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 3:36 am:   Edit Post

I've been using DR Hi-Beams and Lo-Riders for the past six months or so and love them for the same reasons you do. The tone is excellent, they last for a very long time, and they're reasonably affordable.

Their customer service is great, too-I bought a pack with a dead D string straight out of the envelope, and they sent me a replacement free of charge.

I intend to try some Alembic strings in the future, for the sake of experimentation.
5stringho
Advanced Member
Username: 5stringho

Post Number: 251
Registered: 11-2006
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 4:53 am:   Edit Post

I agree with Chris. I've been using Hi-Beams for several years. They're durable, sound wonderful, are reasonable, and the thing I like the most, they're fairly low-tension. Very comfortable to play. I'm happy to hear they have great customer service, too, but I buy them by the box and have never had a problem with them! Matter-o-fact, I just sent Mica a set to install on my new Bass. Have 'em on there from the start! I used Lo-Riders on a coupla instruments for a while, but I still prefer the stainless Hi-Beams. Just a Quality package overall, IMHO.

Have fun, Mike, tho =]
81distillate
Junior
Username: 81distillate

Post Number: 25
Registered: 1-2008
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 9:18 am:   Edit Post

DAddario Pro Steel 180 set with a .040 G string instead of the .035.
I like DAddarios better under my fingers and the tone lasts just as long as the DR's.
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 407
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 11:38 am:   Edit Post

I've just ordered 2 sets of Pro Steel 180's, but with the 35 G
I'll give my opinions shortly

G
glocke
Advanced Member
Username: glocke

Post Number: 325
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 1:03 pm:   Edit Post

I used to use Kem smith strings, they sound great, and feel great, but didnt last very long. A few years back a restrung all my basses with TI Jazz flats, than switched back to Alembic rounds wounds. They sound pretty good, but I really like the sound of the TI jazz flats, probably go back to those next string change.
keurosix
Advanced Member
Username: keurosix

Post Number: 242
Registered: 10-2005
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 6:33 pm:   Edit Post

I have a set of the DR Lo-Rider Stst roundwounds on my Modulus Graphit 5 string, and they sound great for a rock 5 string bass with frets. They have no silk wraps on the ends. I sortof miss that cuz all my other strings had them, but maybe there's something extra to the sound without wraps. More harmonic content? I have the stock Alembic sets (pressure round nickels) on my Europa fretted 6 and Epic fretless 5. I would like to try the TI Jazz flats on the fretless, and the TI powerbass set on the Europa. Anyone have any experience with the powerbass set?
Kris
keurosix
Advanced Member
Username: keurosix

Post Number: 243
Registered: 10-2005
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 7:25 pm:   Edit Post

Also, I did use Ken Smith Rock Masters stst round wound sets with the taper wound B string for years on my Modulus 5. While I liked the sound of these strings, the taper wound B string does not sit at the same height over the bridge saddle in relation to the other strings. To set it up without buzzing on an Alembic, the bass side of the bridge had to be raised too high for the E and A string, and it even felt lower to my right plucking hand. In fact, when I bought the Europa from G-Guitars, they put a set on for me, but I took them off within a week. They just didn't feel right with the Europa. I put on the stock Alembic CX-3 "elliptical wrap" set which sounded and felt much better. The Alembic set is really a smooth even sounding string, not too bright, not too dull, and they tend to stay lively for a really long time. It's a round wound string with a non-round wrap similar to a pressure wound string. They're really a good match to the Alembic electronics. I think they would record really well, too (Haven't tried that yet).
Kris
davehouck
Moderator
Username: davehouck

Post Number: 6231
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 8:56 pm:   Edit Post

TI Jazz Rounds.
mike13
New
Username: mike13

Post Number: 10
Registered: 11-2007
Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 - 11:22 pm:   Edit Post

Roto Flats
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1644
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 4:06 am:   Edit Post

I've been using DR's colour coated sets for quite some time on my Rogue and Epic and I've just got round to changing the MK to Black Beauties too...
heads

Not only do the colours contrast perfectly with the woods, the strings feel superb - just the right tension for me - and sound excellent.
Aside from the original Alembic strings, I also tried DRs Marcus Miller Fat Beams which were also excellent, and I tried some rotosound Jazz flats on the fretless rogue but the tension was so great they felt like cheesewire. I have Labella deep talkin flats on my fretless kelly dragonfly and they give a nice 'almost upright' thump.

Graeme
briant
Intermediate Member
Username: briant

Post Number: 113
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 11:05 am:   Edit Post

I typically have those DR colour coated strings on my Stingray 5 - black strings on a black bass looks great. :-)
811952
Senior Member
Username: 811952

Post Number: 1334
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 11:56 am:   Edit Post

Interestingly, I, being a hardcore Roto and Blue Steels user, have really been digging Fender flatwounds on my SI of late.

I'm using the 45-95 set, and they give me everything I need/want for Rock to Blues to Jazz. I don't pop with them, though, as they just don't sound good doing that, but really for everything else, I'm sold.

Also, I've been playing bass from the soundboard quite a bit lately, and the flats make it much easier to fit the instrument into the mix without having to EQ-out all my definition..

My bridge filter stays put in about the 1/3 open position, volume full. Neck filter is about half-open, volume 3/4. I mostly am getting my tone changes from the bridge Q-switch and tiny tweaks to that filter.

And they're cheap strings, which means something to me these days!

John
malthumb
Senior Member
Username: malthumb

Post Number: 421
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 2:19 pm:   Edit Post

I currently use Ken Smith Rock Masters on my two Alembic basses, DR Black Beauties on my Roscoe fretless, and DR Fat Beams on my Marchlewski 5 and modded Fender Jazz.

I may go to the Black Beauties on my Alembics. They sound so good on my Roscoe that I just have to give 'em a spin on my 'bics. The black strings also look great on an ebony board. My Roscoe is unlined ebony and from a distance looks like it is stringless as well as fretless.

Peace,

James
jazzyvee
Senior Member
Username: jazzyvee

Post Number: 1099
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 4:42 pm:   Edit Post

I'm curious about the colour coated strings Jacko. Is the coating hardwearing and last the life of the string?

I've always used the Alembic strings on my SC but on the Elan I have think I have Fodera strings on. I think I'd like to try a lighter gauge on the SC so that I get a better feel of the strings higher up the neck.

How light could I go on a short scale base without losing the meat on the bottom end and some of the string tension?
Jazzyvee
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1648
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 1:09 am:   Edit Post

Jazzy. Depends how hard you hit them. I tend to dig in a bit so the colour starts to come off between the bridge and the neck but DR claim this has no effect on the sound or longevity of the strings. Mike Pisanek has a really light touch and his strings don't lose their colour at all. BTW, I'm not talking about huge areas of colour flaking off - more like little specks. I'll try to take a picture. The length along the fingerboard doesn't get 'damaged' at all.

In fact while I was typing this I remembered some pics I took of the blues on my epic. The D string is about as bad as they get - still not that noticeable. You can tell from the top left of the picture how hard i'm hitting the B string sometimes although this is the old style sating finish that was much less hard wearing than the current high gloss.
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1649
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 1:10 am:   Edit Post

oops, forgot the pic..

blues

Graeme
jhamill
Junior
Username: jhamill

Post Number: 11
Registered: 9-2005
Posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - 12:16 pm:   Edit Post

LaBella Slappers SN31 Custom Gauge
30-45-65-85

Bright, durable, reasonably priced and sound good.
rockbassist
Intermediate Member
Username: rockbassist

Post Number: 125
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Friday, February 29, 2008 - 2:12 pm:   Edit Post

I used to us DR but I switched to Curt Mangan Strings several years ago. They last as long as anything else I've used and sound just as good. If you become a sponsored artist, as I did, you can buy set of strings direct for around $10 to $15 Free shipping if you spend $20
juggernaught
Intermediate Member
Username: juggernaught

Post Number: 110
Registered: 3-2007
Posted on Monday, March 03, 2008 - 8:18 am:   Edit Post

Right now for me, the best sounding strings I'm tried for my Distillate are the Alembic's, though the only other ones I've tried were Rotosounds and DRs. Overall very good strings, pick up a wide range of the frequencies very well. On my fretless Essence I've tried a bunch of different flatwounds, but by far I like the TI's the best. A bit pricey though....
alembickoa
Member
Username: alembickoa

Post Number: 61
Registered: 5-2002
Posted on Monday, March 03, 2008 - 6:10 pm:   Edit Post

D'Addario XL's...kept using other stuff but always seem to go back to the XL. It has always been, for my style of playing and the variety of gigs I played, a wonderful "all around" set. They last, also.

Regards...
Steve
thomas
New
Username: thomas

Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2008
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 9:27 am:   Edit Post

DR high beams all the way
jacko
Senior Member
Username: jacko

Post Number: 1704
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 3:11 pm:   Edit Post

Looking good Thomas. Step back nearly 40 years and I see Randy meisner.

graeme
dadabass2001
Senior Member
Username: dadabass2001

Post Number: 865
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 4:10 pm:   Edit Post

TI Jazz flats on my Fretless Epic and my Distillate, DR high Beams on my fretted Epic.

Hello Thomas,
nice band site with good tunage as well

Mike
bsee
Senior Member
Username: bsee

Post Number: 1917
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 6:09 pm:   Edit Post

I like the Alembic CX strings, but find them a little aggressive for my needs. I also really liked the DR Marcus Miller Fat Beams signature set.

I just threw out a set of LaBella medium flats for being just too dead almost from the start. I had them on about six months and wasn't really noticing it so much as a problem until I tried to get a tone to record. I couldn't get anything useful out of them.

I installed a set of medium scale chromes (45-100) and they fit perfectly on an SSB. Length-wise, they'd be really close to too short on a 32" scale. The tone is perfect and the recordings are coming out very well. We'll see how they hold up.
eligilam
Member
Username: eligilam

Post Number: 93
Registered: 2-2006
Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 8:04 pm:   Edit Post

Rotosound Funkmasters: For Now. Forever.
tinus
New
Username: tinus

Post Number: 4
Registered: 12-2006
Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 - 11:25 am:   Edit Post

GHS Bass Boomers, 45-105.

Heard they were similar to the original Alembic strings on my Orion Fretless (my shop didn't have those). I do think there's a difference though...

I used to play DR Hi-Beams on my fretted bass (Spoiler). I've also tried the Marcus Miller signatures. I may return to those.
jackbass
New
Username: jackbass

Post Number: 2
Registered: 4-2008
Posted on Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - 10:11 am:   Edit Post

No one else uses Elixir? I really like the Elixir Polywebs. They're bright and last a really long time. Unfortunately, they're hard to find, and usually they need to be special ordered since the nanowebs seem to be more popular.
ulf
New
Username: ulf

Post Number: 1
Registered: 5-2008
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 10:20 am:   Edit Post

are the original Alembic Strings not good enough?
Sorry for these stupid question, but I ordered a SJ and my local dealer says, the strings are the best for this bass
bassjigga
Advanced Member
Username: bassjigga

Post Number: 326
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 11:01 am:   Edit Post

I use DR Nickel Lowriders on my fretted Essence and Sunbeams on my freltess Europa. I just ordered a set of the Hellborg signature strings to try out on the Essence. They're suppose to have a stronger fundamental. We'll see...
keurosix
Advanced Member
Username: keurosix

Post Number: 303
Registered: 10-2005
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 1:07 pm:   Edit Post

Hi Ulf,
Welcome to the club!
Everyone has a favorite string & there are so many to choose from. It really is a personal preference, yet some strings DO sound better on an Alembic. The original Alembic strings are really good and Alembic sets up their guitars to perform best with them. Being a pressure wound string, it is a balance between a round and flat wound string. Hard to describe, but my fingers like the feel, and my ears like the sound. However, if you are ordering a new Alembic from the factory, you can specify your favorite string, and they will set it up with that set. Contact your dealer for more info about this.
What type of music do you play, and what type of string typically have you used in the past? Also, what brand of bass did you use before Alembic? All these things will play in how you want your Alembic to sound, and should help you narrow down the selection. There may not be a perfect string either, nor will you be able to try them all. Happy hunting!
Kris
flaxattack
Senior Member
Username: flaxattack

Post Number: 1972
Registered: 4-2004
Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - 2:06 pm:   Edit Post

i like the chromes a lot and agree with bob that for rock these strings are the bomb. The tension is higher than ti's and the are not quite as smooth. but! they are 40 bucks for 5 strings and they do last quite a long time. i tried the alembics and they weren't bad at all except for my preference for flat wounds. i just bought a set of ti flats since i havent tried them on scarlet yet
fyi- www.stringsandbeyond.com seems to have the best price on these and shipping is free over $35 in orders.
again its a personal preference for everyone and i respect your likes and dislikes
wideload
Intermediate Member
Username: wideload

Post Number: 125
Registered: 6-2003
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 - 11:01 am:   Edit Post

I currently have the blue DRs on my bass (because they look so cool!), but the B is light enough that I notice the difference the few times in a song that i reach low for emphasis. I have not found anything that gets me what I want more than the Alembic strings, and I'll be changing back in a few months.
georgie_boy
Senior Member
Username: georgie_boy

Post Number: 477
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008 - 11:08 am:   Edit Post

The D'Addario Pro steel on my Series sound great!!
I use them also on my Cort Curbow 4 string, and they are just the bizz.
For my fretless Curbow, I use The D'addario Chromes. Killer strings in my opimion. I'll see how long they last !
For the buck though, I'll stick with them at the moment until something shows up.

George
alembic6
New
Username: alembic6

Post Number: 2
Registered: 8-2003
Posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - 6:49 pm:   Edit Post

I started with ghs super steels then went to the Ken Smith 6 string set for my Europa 6. John at Bass Emporium said the Smith's are ghs but to ken smith specs. I tried La Bella's hard rockin steel and fell in love with them. I still really like the smith strings though.

Dan
thumbsup
Junior
Username: thumbsup

Post Number: 28
Registered: 7-2008
Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 7:50 am:   Edit Post

I always loved the sound of round wounds! I played flats when I started to many years ago and after the first set of roto sounds its been round every since. Although you will pay the price playing exclusively rounds by fret wear! While roto have the best sound(in my opinion) they simply die to soon and I to have recieved some dead out of the box.I have been using DR high beams as my best second choice.Great sound and last fairly long! In realality I beleive all strings should be changed regularly afer bout 30 hours to maintain that freshness quality. Although I do not practice what I preach!
willie
Member
Username: willie

Post Number: 86
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 9:50 am:   Edit Post

I like the DR Black Beauties and Red Devils. They're coated strings but they don't feel like they were dipped in wax like the Elixir's. And they still sound bright and clear like High Beams but they last longer. The Black Beauties look great on an Ebony fingerboard, they almost disappear.
Willie
dannobasso
Senior Member
Username: dannobasso

Post Number: 809
Registered: 3-2004
Posted on Saturday, July 26, 2008 - 11:58 am:   Edit Post

Big fan of DR lowriders. Goinmg out today to get sum mo'.

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