Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Randy: SIT makes a fine product at a very good at a fair price. Thanks for the report.

Thanks Peter,
The SIT,s are fine strings and I've never had a problem with the sound quality or their durability. I had heard so many good things about the Rotos that I thought I would try them. At first they sounded great for a while, then went very dead sounding. Even new sets had dead D and G strings. They were strangling the life out of my 4003 and V63. That convinced me to go back to the SIT strings. I won't be so quick to switch again. BTW, the set guage I use is .45-.100. The moral of this is: if you have something that works like you want it to,stick with it.

I have also recently tried D'Addario Chromes flats on my 4003 and I have had them on for a little while now, and they are great. They keep a good lively sound more than any flat I have used to date. The SIT's are good strings as well. I have pretty well settled on these for my Ricks.

I have been using TI flats and Chromes (40-55-75-95) on my three Ricks and they are both great sounding strings. In the end however I think I prefer the Chromes. Very smooth feel to them and they keep the growl for a long time.

All you have to do with TI's is raise your action, at some point they will feel like any other string, and they are higher output than most so you will if anything get more volume rather than less. I have a bass with Fender flats which have got to be the highest tension string I have ever used, when I switch to the bass with the TI's on it, it's not such an adjustment with the higher action, and it plays great like the Fenders do at a much lower action.
The Fenders have a much more growly midrange sound to them, similiar to Pyramids, which are also a great string. The TI's are a very clear sounding string with a pronounced trebly click which I like.
I bought two sets of Rot flats and the g string was DOA in both sets.

I like the Chromes the best. They keep sounding fresh longer than anything I have used to date. They have good volume as well as a nice smooth feel to them. The SIT's are a bit more thumpy sounding on the bottom end but have a nice top end and are durable too. But I find the Chromes work the best on my Ricks.

Here's a little tip for anyone who'd like to try Chromes, or uses them now. For those of you who haven't ever used them, D'addario must not clean them after production, a lot of people complain of them being very greasy and making you fingers gray when you play them, at first.

Try this, when you first get them, take a string out of the package, you might want to do this outside on the concrete. Soak it with WD 40, after the soaking take paper towels and wipe firmly from end to end. You might have to do this a couple of times. WD 40's penetrating oil and will soak down to the core and get the excess machine oil and metal particles floated to the surface.

Just make sure that you wipe your strings at a slight angle to the string to bend the outer wraps apart enough to let the excess contaminates back out of the string.

It seems to me that if this really is a problem that a little bit of naptha in a bowl might do a better quick rinse than WD40. Certainly much cheaper and no ongoing oiliness.

The old Maxima strings made your fingers black. (Pyramids don't do this.) It didn't matter how clean or how old the strings were either. Oddly enough, nothing would come off on the packaging paper, only your hands, suggesting some kind of reaction to the oil or heat of your fingers.

Naphtha is a good idea too John, I have used alcohol before too, but it left the strings very dry. I did start using the WD40 to leave a very light coat of lubricant on the strings. I like your thinking there though; I might even try your suggestion in the future too.

I've used the Chromes for months now and I've never had that problem at all.

I have been pleased with GHS compression wound on a 4001V63. They are between ground wound and round wound in brightness. Nice punch and a smooth feel.