"New, improved" Rotosounds?

[Oldworldman]

Well, this explains my dead E string problem. When you have a good set they sound awesome but I guess now its a **** shoot. No pun intended.

I have not tried the new packaged Rotos yet. This topic raises a concern for me. Like said earlier if you got them for free and could change them every gig then I guess it would be practical.

[miguelbass]

I have the same experience as you have. When I decide to go and make a video I know I have to be fast because the Rotos start losing most of its brightness in a matter of hours. It has happened to record various takes in one day and the last takes were very dull sounding. This means I have to practice with old strings before recording and then use the new ones, which isn't optimal also because of the time it takes the strings to stabilize their tuning. Other times I just boil a used pair right before recording... No wonder Chris had a fresh set each gig...

Oh, I still haven't got the new packaging.

Miguel

[Oldworldman]

I think Geddy Lee of all people said he used to boil his strings in the old days to save money. I bet he is a tight wad even today when it comes to things.

[pag]

Ok.
I finally ran out of new Rotosound strings in the old cardboard packets.
I used the first set of RS66LDs in the new wrapper today having bought several sets to use on the next run of gigs.

Having used Rotosound roundwounds since 1972 I feel that I can say without fear of contradiction that RS66LD strings
remain as good if not better than they were back in the 70s.
The one and only minus is that if you are a hoarder like me then the new plastic bags dont pack as easily as the old cardboard packets
when you take the old strings off.
Having said that I noticed that the 70s/80s plastic wrappers take less room up in the old VCRboxes...so maybe we now use a BluRay box
for our old strings eh?

All I can say is tone is king so buy with confidence ands if you are disappointed blame me.

[Oldworldman]

This is good to know because I have on standby four sets to string up my new Fenders that are coming in in the next few months. I am going to put them to the test for sure.

Thanks for the research and info.

[songdog]

Is it bad taste to quote myself and awaken my own zombie thread?

I decided to try the Dunlops first, finally got a chance to put them on today... They are good enough that I'll keep them on for a while and see how long they last and how they change as they age.

Well the Dunlop Super Bright Stainless Steel (45/65/85/105) were okay. I played them for about 3 months, they had lost a lot of their initial zing by then. I guess they would have been okay for a few more gigs, and if I had them on a P-bass I probably would use them a lot longer than that. But on my 4001, I'm definitely looking for something more in the Chris Squire, Mike Rutherford, Jon Camp range of sounds so...

The next set I tried were GHS Super Steels (ML-5000, 44/63/80/102). I put them on because I wanted fresh strings for some recording, but I ended up disappointed and frustrated. While they were fairly bright, something about them was just a little off. Their harmonics didn't seem quite in tune, playing a single open string there was a little bit of a beat note. Fretted notes on the E string were especially bad, the bass sounded out of tune no matter what I did. My tuner said that when the open string was in tune, the harmonic (not fretted note) at the 12th fret was a couple cents flat. They didn't stay on long.

Next choice from my assortment: DR Lo-Rider 45-105. They seem to be highly thought of here, and I undestand why. Plenty of zing, and also a very powerful fundamental. Anyone who ever says a 4001 is all treble and no low end should try a set of these! These strings sound in tune with themselves. I'll see how they hold up, especially as far as retaining the bright edge.

[geofio]

Disappointing the Rotosounds , i used nothing else for decades , but too many dud E strings, the new foil pack is even worse, i was sent replacements from Rotosound they were dud also, i stick with my Dean Markley's now , they sound great every single time, i get mine from Germany at a good price.

[RickyBubba]

George - thanks for the info on the Markley Helix strings. Just nabbed a set at a very good BIN price on e-bay. They will replace a set of less than impressive Rotos on one of my classic Yamahas.

[JackTheRipper]

George - thanks for the info on the Markley Helix strings. Just nabbed a set at a very good BIN price on e-bay. They will replace a set of less than impressive Rotos on one of my classic Yamahas.

I put a set of the Dean Markley Helix SS on my 4003 MID in early September and they're still great. Really liking these strings.

--jack

[turlu]

To all,

After trying all kinds of strings over the years on many of my basses, including Rickenbacker, I just found what I believe to be the best ones for someone who likes a bright and punchy tone with tons of deep end, while being smooth and super easy to play.... Dunlop Super Bright !!!! I really love those !!!!

I have an extra brand set of Rickenbacker .45-.105 strings if someone wants them. I never use them so if someone wants them, I will ship them for 20$ altogether.

Let me know !