| Author | Message | ||
| benson_murrensun
Senior Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 654 Registered: 5-2007 |
I have tried them on my Tribute and on a Strat. They seem to be a bit "snappier" and maybe a tad louder, but my hearing is damaged and it's hard to tell. I would love to hear opinions from this group, especially with regard to 6-string guitar. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 6327 Registered: 7-2004 |
Cobalt strings? Never heard of them. I'll have to do a little research. Bill, tgo | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1789 Registered: 2-2011 |
I have them on my Europa now & don't really care for them. They are thin sounding to me. I prefer Kalium or D Adario Pro Steels. | ||
| benson_murrensun
Senior Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 655 Registered: 5-2007 |
Thanks, rusty. I have never heard of Kalium, so it's time for a google search. | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1791 Registered: 2-2011 |
They also go by Circle K. They are the most consistent sounding & playing strings I have found for my 5 string. You can start a run on the B string & you can't tell a difference in tone going from the B to the E or A strings. A lot of string sets sound dead on the B string, but not Kalium. The website is confusing though, they don't sell traditional sets, they base their sets on the small string rather than the large string like everyone else, & the gauges are not traditional at all. It is better to buy individual strings, so you pick your gauges, which gives you more flexibility in individual string sizes. http://store.kaliumstrings.com/ | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 2547 Registered: 9-2002 |
Maybe I'm just dense today, but every time I go to the Circle K website, it's the most aggravating and confusing layout I've ever seen. I couldn't buy any if I wanted to. Joey | ||
| xlrogue6
Advanced Member Username: xlrogue6 Post Number: 316 Registered: 8-2002 |
You are so right about that site, Joey--it appears to have been written in some strange, possibly dead language then run through Google Translate a couple of times. Good luck with all of that, as they say... | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1792 Registered: 2-2011 |
I agree Joey! I actually spoke to the owner about how confusing his site was & why he didn't list standard sets that were labeled by the small string instead of the big string & he basically told me that he didn't want to be like everyone else & that many of his customers played piccolo & non traditional basses so they use the smaller guitar gauge strings. His string sets are useless but if you order individual strings & pick your gauge to build your own custom set, the website remembers your previous order so you only have to build a set once, then just reorder. | ||
| xlrogue6
Advanced Member Username: xlrogue6 Post Number: 317 Registered: 8-2002 |
Proof that rugged individualism is not always a good thing. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 6334 Registered: 7-2004 |
Never heard of Kalium strings. Apparently they are steel and nickel, not all that unusual. The site is a trip, though. I find it a bit odd that they offer 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 string sets for guitar, but no 12 string sets? Maybe I should have passed on my 12 string Series I and waited for one of those Alembic 9 or 11 string guitars. Of course I might still be waiting - perhaps this is the exception that proves Paul, tbo's rule that "there will always be another". Bill, tgo | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 2548 Registered: 9-2002 |
Rusty, I'm glad he's decided to run a charity, as it's a damn poor excuse for running a business. OK, so his inner child explained his zeitgeist, but even if I could figure out what the hell they were, he lists long scale strings as 39", nuts ! I just enjoy how boring GHS is, where I can find anything with very good explanations of their 11 or 12 different bass types. I guess they're the 'everyone else'. Joey | ||
| rustyg61
Senior Member Username: rustyg61 Post Number: 1793 Registered: 2-2011 |
Joey, he does have kind of an elitist attitude & would sell many more stings if he would make normal sets & make the website more user friendly. You have to scroll through several pages just to find the individual gauge you are looking for. I guess he just depends on return customers who like me, were either frustrated with their sound or with buzzing B strings & were willing to endure the hardship of navigating his website to find the string set I wanted. I can say that they are worth the effort. I use a .124 B string with Circle K & it resonates as good as my A sting & has no buzz. His non traditional gauges are good too when you want to experiment with your sound & playability. Bill, you can build a 12 string set by buying individual strings. These are not commercially produced strings, he caters to the custom market. He doesn't even package them in traditional packages, they are kept straight in a long plastic bag & the strings are threaded through a card on the ball end with the string gauge hand written in the card next to each string. They arrive in a large padded mailer envelope with the strings coiled up in about a 12" radius VS 5" or 6" like traditional packaging. The pricing is competitive with other strings. My 5 string set is $31 | ||
| smokinbear
Advanced Member Username: smokinbear Post Number: 206 Registered: 11-2008 |
Love Cobalts on my p-basses. Wished they were avail in short scale for my Guilds. Great feel in the 45-100 set and the 105 sets, balanced overall good strings. Some say they might be hard on frets but no prob yet for me after a few years. | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 2549 Registered: 9-2002 |
Rusty, Thanks! for walking me through it, but to me, it's a problem that doesn't need fixing: B-strings quit keeping me up nights a long time ago, and I'm just fine with GHS. Over the years, I think I've tried everything out there, and so far, no one has re-invented the wheel, string-wise, for me. Joey | ||
| benson_murrensun
Senior Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 660 Registered: 5-2007 |
Fascinating turns this thread has taken! Sooooo, nobody else has tried Cobalts on a 6-string guitar?? | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 55 Registered: 6-2012 |
Haven't tried Cobalts, but recently tried the new D'Addario NYXL's (carbon steel) on two of my non-Alembic electric guitars. Normally, I use regular old D'Addario 10's or 11's on all my non-jazz electric guitars. Compared to those, the NYXL's do seem to retain their tone and intonation properties a little longer and your comment re: "snappier" and maybe a tad louder would apply as well - that's what made me think they might be similar. Can't comment on their resistance to string breakage, 'cuz I seldom break strings, but they do seem to be a little more robust than a typical nickel string. Downside = they cost about twice as much as regular guitar strings. | ||
| benson_murrensun
Senior Member Username: benson_murrensun Post Number: 662 Registered: 5-2007 |
Hmmm, maybe I ought to give those a try, too. The Cobalts cost over twice as much as the regular Slinkys. I like them on my Strat with Duncan Five-Two pickups. | ||
| 5a_quilt_top
Member Username: 5a_quilt_top Post Number: 65 Registered: 6-2012 |
Follow-up: Just loaded a Collings Statesman (like a thinner version of a Gretsch 6120) with the NYXL 10's. Holy **** - what a good match. Nice focused tone with punch, sustain and jangle for days. Next, I think I'm going to try them on my Skylark as soon as it needs new strings... |
