Will Roto Swing Bass 66 strings really destroy frets?

[lumgimfong]

These are really inexpensive. If they work out they would be very affordable. I hear rave reviews about their sound sprinkled with statements that they're bad for frets. Are they really that bad?
Or really nothing to worry about? I have a new 4003 abd dont want to have to refret anytime soon.

[jps]

They can be rough on your frets, but some of that has to do with your own personal playing style/techniques.

And, they can, and do, die quickly, and I have read of many that were dead out of the package (usually, the E string, IIRC).

[Gilmourisgod]

They sound great, but not for long. I like D'Addario nickel rounds, not quite as bright, but they last longer, and don't chew up the frets as quick. My 79' Jetglo needed a fret dress and level after 3 years of Rotos, that was some soft fretwire. They changed to a harder alloy a long time ago, don know what year. Stainless rounds last longest in my experience, but its like a file on the frets. In fact you can use old stainless roundwounds as low budget nut slot files.

[lumgimfong]

That would be interesting to use a new set of stainless rounds as nut files to get the perfect size slot!

[woodyng]

The last few times i've used them (because they came on a bass i bought) i couldn't believe how rough feeling they were to my fingers. So i am certain they grind away at fretwire just as well. They're cheap for a reason.
Otoh,i've had a set of Kalium strings on my Fg laredo for 5-6 years now. They still sound great,and are almost flatwound-smooth. DR Pure Blues are also a great sounding rw string.

[cheyenne]

Dunlop nickle Super Brights are a pretty good string,

D'Addario XL-170's have been my go to strings for years.

[Benjamin]

I am loving DR Lo-Riders as replacements for Roto Swing 66s on my 4003. So far they have lasted nearly 6 months of fortnightly 3 hour practice sessions. Last three weeks we have been going weekly. They lost the initial bite after about two months but have remained very usable since. A couple more weeks and they will be done, or needing a boil. That said, by "done" I mean just not quite having enough treble and losing a bit of clarity.

[antipodean]

They can be rough on your frets, but some of that has to do with your own personal playing style/techniques.

And, they can, and do, die quickly, and I have read of many that were dead out of the package (usually, the E string, IIRC).

Yep. I used these for 9 months back in the '80s when I played with a monster attack, and they destroyed the frets on my P-bass. I changed to GHS Boomers and/or D''Addario XL nickel wounds (depending on availability) and have never needed to have a bass refretted since. The difference in tone was negligible relative to the difference in fret wear for my playing style at the time. If you have a light touch, you may well avoid rapid fret erosion, but they will always wear frets more than nickel-wounds due to the combination of stainless steel composition and an abrasive wrap profile.

[chefothefuture]

You'll also destroy the finish on the fingerboard.

[Gilmourisgod]

Because the fingerboards are laquered right over the frets during finishing, Ric frets are not "crowned" in the traditional sense, where the fret top is leveled and then rounded to a hairline thin edge that actually contacts the strings. The laquer "ramps" up onto the fret either side, so it just gets scraped off the frets during the leveling process, leaving a flat fret top. They use relatively narrow frets, so the wider fret top doesn't have any audible effect on intonation, but it does present more surface area for wear. Another good reason to use nickel rounds. Squire was known to change his Rotos for every show, wonder how many fret jobs he went through over the years? I suppose if you were determined to use Roto 66 you could install stainless frets installed when they wear out, but you'd get a lot of string "clank".

[henry5]

Rotos are my strings of choice. I've been using them almost exclusively on my Fireglo 72 since 1993 and although the frets are probably now getting to the stage where there's not enough left for another fretstone (bear in mind it was 21 years old already when I bought it), that's still a heck of a lot of playing time I've put in as I play it pretty much every day and gig plenty. I do both pluck and fret very lightly though. My Azure 72, which was bought in 2011, wears them too and the only fretstone it's had is the one it needed when I bought it. To be honest, any issues seem to be as much that historically Ric frets were relatively soft as the fault of Rotos.

Speaking personally, I haven't come across any other strings I like the sound of anywhere near as much as Rotos, although they can die quickly. Almost all my favourite players have used them too, from Squire and Entwistle (at least until he went to the Golds) to Geddy Lee, Phil Lynott, Stanley Clarke, JJ Burnel and Leigh Gorman. Jaco swore by them too. And you can call me weird, but I love the rough feel of them, they're the only strings that feel "right" to me. I really don't like smooth feeling strings, for instance all flats (and most nickels) feel horrible to me.

[geofio]

Stopped using these Strings a long time ago , too may duds in a packet, and they don't last long at all !!! best strings i have found for the 4003 are from Dean Markley Blue steels and the Helix SS strings sound awesome and last for a good while, much longer than Roto sound swing 66 Strings.