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Post subject: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 11:22 pm
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I've used Rotos almost exclusively for nearly 40 years and they finally came up with a deal where they are putting a free guitar strap in a package with a set of strings. Nice -- I buy them a Bentley and I get a guitar strap! I don't see any other string companies giving anything away though. At least I've got a strap going for me.
I still love Rotos. I think they are the best sounding string to put on any Fender bass. Speaking of Fender basses- My 74 P bass that I haven't used for 18 years is up and running and sounding killer in the new band. I mean WOW- you should hear it live !!! Total Honk and just ringing tone. :D


Your favorite strings? Why? Just curious. Is it the sound or they last long or they don't hurt your fingers or what? :D


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 12:41 am
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LaBella Deep Talkin .109 set flats.
Great tone
Look great.
Feel great on the fingers.
No metal slivers get into my fingertips.
Only 28 bucks a set at imperial guitar.


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 1:19 am
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Location: Tombstone Territory
Roto-Sound RS66 set on my Jazz Bass -- I like the woody organic tone.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:08 am
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I have no comment at this time. (D'Addario ETB92 Nylons)

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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 10:30 am
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:arrow: I used Rotosound Swing Bass 66's in the 70's as did most all the prog rock bassists. They were hard to get, and expensive. GHS came out with their "Bass Boomers" which were to my ears simply reverse engineered Rotosounds that were far easier to get being made in USA vs Great Britain and affordable at roughly half the price.

In the mid 1980's Dean Markley came out with their "Cryogenic Activated" Blue Steels. I loved these strings and they made me realize just how much Rotosounds sucked.

Rotosounds suck because when brand new they have a horrendous tinny top end that is very unmusical ringy-zingy and clanky-wanky. Fortunately this goes away in a weeks time as they play in. The winding is very rough as it is obviously quickly & cheaply done. This makes Rotosounds the most screechist roundwound string on the planet. The course winding will also tear chunks of meat out of your fingers. The Rotosound 'bite' being notorious. For the second week of play they do sound great! Then they die off quickly to be dead & buried at the end of a months time.

Bass strings have made some truely stellar advances in the last 10 years or so. The entire DR line being excellent, and their coated Neons are wildly popular with good reason.

The notion of 'balanced tension' stringsets is gaining popular momentum. I like D'Addario's EXL170BT stringset quite a lot. Hex core with a nicely fine nickel plated stainless winding. Great tone & feel that are very evenly balanced in volume. Easy playability that is not too screechy. I've had them on a month and they are still going strong. I hate the sound of a dead round, so I ditch the roadkill quickly.

GHS has just come out with new "Big Core Bass" stringset. Interesting concept.

So there is a whole lot of good stuff out there and the competition is hot.

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One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 2:12 pm
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L inn --- I understand what you're saying about the "sounds" I don't think it's all that worse though. I have never lost meat from my fingers. I think the meat thing is why a lot of players use flatwounds. Okay that's okay too .

(A little pain never hurt any bass player.)

BTW I surveyed the guys in the band and they said roundwounds for Rock bass. They wouldn't put flats on their basses if they had one. They don't- well one guy does cause he owns a music store but that's a different sub culture.
I may have to do the research on some of them sets-o-strings you're talking about. I do have an open mind but it's encased in bone. :shock: Hey wait.... that doesn't mean I'm a bone head does it?


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 3:44 pm
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I used to have to send away for Rotosounds to Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center (it's still there!) I think they were like $25 a set taxed & mailed. A set of Boomers were about 15 bucks.

$25 in 1972 (I earned $1.15/hr then) would buy you an easy 80 gallons of regular gasoline. Today 80 gallons will run you north of $240! :o Damned expensive strings those Rotosounds! :twisted:

Rotos or Boomers can now both be had for about $19 shipped from Sweetwater! Would you work 19 hours for a set of strings?

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2018 Rumble Studio 40 Combo
2016 Rumble 200 Combo
One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 10:11 pm
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Rotos were very expensive back then. I get them for $22 now.


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 11:04 pm
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Players are going to use what they are going to use. Use what you want. I'll use what I want.

I use 4 different string sets and none are Rotos. I use 3 flat sets and 1 round set. These 4 sets are the only string sets that I am likely to ever use. I'm perfectly happy and have no need to change or experiment because I know what sounds good and I'm not one to mess with success. Besides changing string sets means changing the setup. Not doing that again if I can help it.

I remember when you actually went to the local music store and bought bass strings because the only computer in your life was on "Star Trek" on TV. So you were stuck picking from what they had in stock that day. They always charged retail and they were outrageously expensive. They often lasted about 3 weeks tops. One time I went to the store and all they had were Gibson Nylons, so I bought 'em. They were OK. It wasn't just Rotos, all strings were pricey in the 60's and 70's! Yeah the Boomers were cheaper but went dead fast. Still they charged RETAIL for them at the store. LOL. Eventually about 1972 I went to Labella 760M's because they lasted a great while. I think they were $45 retail. Remember that I was paying for them in 1972 dollars. In 1972 $45 US Dollars was equal to $251 in 2013 US Dollars. Yeah. Pricey.


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:16 am
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I go between Ernie Ball, GHS and Roto's. Last string changes saw Roto's on my Fretless, GHS on my Precision and other Jazz.

And the winner!


Rotosounds by a mile. They just feel and sound good.


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:26 am
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For pure top end zing & brightness, stainless steel wrap on a round core is the ticket. You guys are going to have to have a 'zing-off' between Rotos and Brother Dave's beloved T-I's. :twisted: We'll meet up at Gruhn's in Nashville.

What I want out of a roundwound string is: solid taut bottom, super growl in the low-mids, real beef throughout the intire mid-range, a nasty snarl in the high-mids, and a top end that barks aggressively and has bite.

What I've found is nickel plated stainless wrap on a hex core to be the key to obtaining that tone. DR Lo-Riders are excellent; as are the balanced tension D'Addarios I have on now. The original Fender 8250M nickel plated taperwound stringset that came on my jazz was quite a good sounding string that lasted about 90 days of daily play.

For pure longevity with some pretty decent tone too, todays coated rounds are unbeatable. If you have a bunch of basses this is the good sounding and ecomonical ticket to less restringing. Perfect for fretless too as there is no steel-to-wood contact. Doesn't rust or tarnish in long term storage. The future of bass strings appears to be coated. 8)

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2017 Lefty American Professional Precision
2018 Rumble Studio 40 Combo
2016 Rumble 200 Combo
One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Thu Dec 19, 2013 8:34 am
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oxfan wrote:
I go between Ernie Ball, GHS and Roto's. Last string changes saw Roto's on my Fretless, GHS on my Precision and other Jazz.

And the winner!


Rotosounds by a mile. They just feel and sound good.


I have the Rotos on my fretless. I can see faint roundwound lines on the fretboard when I look in the light at the right angle. I'm not changing them though. I don't care bout' no stinking lines. It's not an expensive bass. I'm not sure I'd care if it was expensive.
Not to jump to a different thing or anything but I ran my fretless thru my black bean and got some neat sounds. The black bean is better for bass than the kidney bean is for guitar.
AND Oxyman- how are you taking to the fretless? I got out some Jazz notations and went over them. Fretless seems to need more attention but I think I'm falling into it. How about you?


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 12:07 am
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linnin wrote:
For pure top end zing & brightness, stainless steel wrap on a round core is the ticket. You guys are going to have to have a 'zing-off' between Rotos and Brother Dave's beloved T-I's. :twisted: We'll meet up at Gruhn's in Nashville.

What I want out of a roundwound string is: solid taut bottom, super growl in the low-mids, real beef throughout the intire mid-range, a nasty snarl in the high-mids, and a top end that barks aggressively and has bite.

What I've found is nickel plated stainless wrap on a hex core to be the key to obtaining that tone. DR Lo-Riders are excellent; as are the balanced tension D'Addarios I have on now. The original Fender 8250M nickel plated taperwound stringset that came on my jazz was quite a good sounding string that lasted about 90 days of daily play.

For pure longevity with some pretty decent tone too, todays coated rounds are unbeatable. If you have a bunch of basses this is the good sounding and ecomonical ticket to less restringing. Perfect for fretless too as there is no steel-to-wood contact. Doesn't rust or tarnish in long term storage. The future of bass strings appears to be coated. 8)


Yeah I'll do the shootout thing at George's on a passive P-Bass, the catch is that the Rotos have to be the same age. Another catch is getting out of that place with your credit card limits intact.


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:01 am
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brotherdave wrote:
linnin wrote:
For pure top end zing & brightness, stainless steel wrap on a round core is the ticket. You guys are going to have to have a 'zing-off' between Rotos and Brother Dave's beloved T-I's. :twisted: We'll meet up at Gruhn's in Nashville.


Yeah I'll do the shootout thing at George's on a passive P-Bass, the catch is that the Rotos have to be the same age. Another catch is getting out of that place with your credit card limits intact.


Fresh strings straight out of unopened packs installed on matching brand new American Standard Precisions played wide open through identical Fender Rumble 350 combos set flat w/horns ON

Let The Zing Off Begin!

Oh! Who said we were leaving? :wink:

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2012 Lefty American Standard Jazz
2017 Lefty American Professional Precision
2018 Rumble Studio 40 Combo
2016 Rumble 200 Combo
One day they shall name a GREAT city after me, and they shall call it LINNINGRAD


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Post subject: Re: Rotosound and what do you use and why?
Posted: Sat Dec 21, 2013 11:19 am
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I always used Rotosounds back in the day. I just started playing bass again and decided to try Ernie Balls instead.


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