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Post subject: Nickels or Stainless Rounds
Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:53 pm
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Hey guys which do you prefer better? nickel or stainless.. just curious.. well most artists go with Stainless on the fretted basses but errr... don't they damage the frets?

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Post subject: It's a matter of personal preference
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 2:59 am
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I have used both nickel and stainless steel roundwounds; the latter especially can supposedly lead to fret-wear over time but i imagine you would have to play the bass A LOT (eg semi-pro) for this to be a recurring problem.

I tend to favour stainless steel roundwounds because their tone is the brightest and - in my experience - they last as long as nickel roundwounds.

D'Addario Pro Steel are very bright roundwounds (too bright for me) so i now use Rotosound Swingbass 40-60-80-100 gauge. Great consistency, sound and - if you are in the UK at least - very good value.

I guess if we polled on the forum how many listers actually have to have had their basses re-fretted over the years, the number responding "Yes" would be remarkably low relative to the amount of time spent discussing the dangers of using roundwound strings / 'why flatwounds are better for your bass" etc!


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Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 1:20 pm
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I use DR hi-beams, which are stainless round. However, they are also pressurewound, which makes them low tension and easy on the frets (and the fingers). You have to be careful with stainless steal: some can get very clangy in the high end. The hi-beams in my opinion are musically bright: plenty of high mids and high end, but not too zingy.

Also, many stainless strings die faster than nickels. Hi-beams however last FAR longer than nickels. I've been playing my set for 6 months, and they are not radically different than when I first got them. I hear of a lot of people playing them for about a year. When they do die (around 6-9 months) they are not completely dead like nickels. They still have a lot of character left.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:13 pm
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in comparison are nickels easier on the frets than stainless?

I'd like the sound of stainless to especially on the slapping but, I'd like nickels on the fingerstyle playing..

the prosteels are way bright.. I like the nickelwounds on D'addarios better or maybe halfrounds.. and Rotosound are great but.. not available here :cry:

lately I'm changing to Ernie Ball Nickel Slinkies 40-95, since its only one available here..

anyways how are stock fenders compared to other medium strings? like Ernie Ball Hybrid? or D'addario EXL165?

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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 6:22 pm
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Rotosound steels have always been my favorite. I use the 105-45 gauge. They make my Rick sound more like a Rick, and they add a rich range of harmonics to my MIM Jazz. Besides, I like the way they feel on my fingers -- almost like they grab you back. I like the heavier gauges too because I feel like I have more control -- like I know where the string's gonna be when I'm playing those 16th notes.

I've also got a unique situation. I have a nickel allergy. My nickel strings were going dead and breaking every week when I was playing pro. So I tried the stainless, and they lasted so much longer & stayed brighter longer. I had no idea this was due in part to my skin chemistry.

Here's how I figured it out. When I wear wire rim glasses, most of which contain nickel, not only do I get a burning rash where the wire touches my skin, but the metal in the frame also corrodes rapidly. I was in my early 30's when my eye doc told me I had a nickel allergy, and that I should stick to plastic or titanium. She said it was actually fairly common.

That's what got me thinking about why my nickel strings were such a mess. Somehow, my nickel allergy releases something or other in my sweat that corrodes the stuff rapidly. Therefore my strings only last a week or so with heavy playing, and the brightness is gone by day two.

I'll string my 5, 6, 8, double-neck, & fretless with nickel because I so rarely play them and steel gets expensive. But my Jazz & Rick get the Rotosound steel.


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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 4:13 am
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Rotos sounds great I like their FM66 30-90... sounds good when you pop that thin string..
I'm not really a fan of mediums but I'm gonna try one sooner or later..

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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 10:52 pm
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I only use stainless...Anubis is correct, DR Hi beam last forever, even when dead still sounds good. I used Fender 7350 (IIRC) they last about 4-6 mos, but I have 3 basses that I rotate, so they last a little longer. I'm going back to Blue Steels, got a great deal on 'em from a friend of mine. I like the brightness of stainless and it fits the music I play ;)

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 10:08 pm
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stainless does play well even for a long term.. i love their played in dead sound..

anyways how long does it take to have the bass refretted when using rounds?

anu & powerjazzbass

what gauges of DRs do you guys use?

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:53 pm
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eyecandy wrote:
stainless does play well even for a long term.. i love their played in dead sound..

anyways how long does it take to have the bass refretted when using rounds?

anu & powerjazzbass

what gauges of DRs do you guys use?


Someone had mentioned, if we poll, how many people actually got fret work done...I agree, gotta be very few...

I use .45 - 105, I like the open E sound on .105s stainless :D

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 3:31 pm
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so it does take a long time for frets to wear out??
and in anyways stainless does give a loud squeaking noise... when you record it, how can you eliminate the noise it make??

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:28 pm
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eyecandy wrote:
so it does take a long time for frets to wear out??
and in anyways stainless does give a loud squeaking noise... when you record it, how can you eliminate the noise it make??


I can't speak to the squeaking noise on stainless strings. I guess I never really noticed a difference in that regard. I try to control the noise with my playing style. Not eliminate, but control. It can help with punctuating the notes if used judiciously. I also use more compression than most bassists would.

For the frets, I have never needed a fret job, stainless or otherwise. I played 5 nights a week for 2 years from 88-90, and lighter pro schedules (2-3/wk) from 94-97 & 03-06, and semi-pro since with the same Rickenbacker 4003, and it's never needed a fret job. I played stainless (Blue Steel or Rotosound BS66 110 - 43) most of that time. I played my '93 Mexi Jazz as a 2nd bass (~1/3 as often), & it held up quite well with no fret probs (nut had issues though) until I lost it at the pawn shop 1.5 years ago. :o( (Just bought another '93 or '94 Mexi Jazz at a different pawn shop last week for only $225!)


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:33 pm
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one thing i noticed.. not much noise when rolling the treble down or the tone knob.. but can't be helped when playing rounds eh?

as for the fretwear i haven't experienced any bad frets since the old bass that i borrowed was like 20 years old... slightly warped but playable...

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