Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: briant on February 15, 2008, 09:15:25 PM
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So what do we all use? I would think that there are long threads about this somewhere but lets bring it to the top and start anew.
I've been using DR Bootzillas for years now because they last a long time for me and sound fantastic the whole time. I really fancy the sound of Rotosounds and a few other string makers but they tend to go dead and sound lifeless after even as much as one 3 hour gig.
Thoughts? This is very general... there are obviously no right or wrong answers here. Discuss.
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I've been using DR Hi-Beams and Lo-Riders for the past six months or so and love them for the same reasons you do. The tone is excellent, they last for a very long time, and they're reasonably affordable.
Their customer service is great, too-I bought a pack with a dead D string straight out of the envelope, and they sent me a replacement free of charge.
I intend to try some Alembic strings in the future, for the sake of experimentation.
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I agree with Chris. I've been using Hi-Beams for several years. They're durable, sound wonderful, are reasonable, and the thing I like the most, they're fairly low-tension. Very comfortable to play. I'm happy to hear they have great customer service, too, but I buy them by the box and have never had a problem with them! Matter-o-fact, I just sent Mica a set to install on my new Bass. Have 'em on there from the start! I used Lo-Riders on a coupla instruments for a while, but I still prefer the stainless Hi-Beams. Just a Quality package overall, IMHO.
Have fun, Mike, tho =]
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DAddario Pro Steel 180 set with a .040 G string instead of the .035.
I like DAddarios better under my fingers and the tone lasts just as long as the DR's.
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I've just ordered 2 sets of Pro Steel 180's, but with the 35 G
I'll give my opinions shortly
G
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I used to use Kem smith strings, they sound great, and feel great, but didnt last very long. A few years back a restrung all my basses with TI Jazz flats, than switched back to Alembic rounds wounds. They sound pretty good, but I really like the sound of the TI jazz flats, probably go back to those next string change.
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I have a set of the DR Lo-Rider Stst roundwounds on my Modulus Graphit 5 string, and they sound great for a rock 5 string bass with frets. They have no silk wraps on the ends. I sortof miss that cuz all my other strings had them, but maybe there's something extra to the sound without wraps. More harmonic content? I have the stock Alembic sets (pressure round nickels) on my Europa fretted 6 and Epic fretless 5. I would like to try the TI Jazz flats on the fretless, and the TI powerbass set on the Europa. Anyone have any experience with the powerbass set?
Kris
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Also, I did use Ken Smith Rock Masters stst round wound sets with the taper wound B string for years on my Modulus 5. While I liked the sound of these strings, the taper wound B string does not sit at the same height over the bridge saddle in relation to the other strings. To set it up without buzzing on an Alembic, the bass side of the bridge had to be raised too high for the E and A string, and it even felt lower to my right plucking hand. In fact, when I bought the Europa from G-Guitars, they put a set on for me, but I took them off within a week. They just didn't feel right with the Europa. I put on the stock Alembic CX-3 elliptical wrap set which sounded and felt much better. The Alembic set is really a smooth even sounding string, not too bright, not too dull, and they tend to stay lively for a really long time. It's a round wound string with a non-round wrap similar to a pressure wound string. They're really a good match to the Alembic electronics. I think they would record really well, too (Haven't tried that yet).
Kris
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TI Jazz Rounds.
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Roto Flats
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I've been using DR's colour coated sets for quite some time on my Rogue and Epic and I've just got round to changing the MK to Black Beauties too...
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/48721.jpg)
Not only do the colours contrast perfectly with the woods, the strings feel superb - just the right tension for me - and sound excellent.
Aside from the original Alembic strings, I also tried DRs Marcus Miller Fat Beams which were also excellent, and I tried some rotosound Jazz flats on the fretless rogue but the tension was so great they felt like cheesewire. I have Labella deep talkin flats on my fretless kelly dragonfly and they give a nice 'almost upright' thump.
Graeme
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I typically have those DR colour coated strings on my Stingray 5 - black strings on a black bass looks great. :-)
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Interestingly, I, being a hardcore Roto and Blue Steels user, have really been digging Fender flatwounds on my SI of late.
I'm using the 45-95 set, and they give me everything I need/want for Rock to Blues to Jazz. I don't pop with them, though, as they just don't sound good doing that, but really for everything else, I'm sold.
Also, I've been playing bass from the soundboard quite a bit lately, and the flats make it much easier to fit the instrument into the mix without having to EQ-out all my definition..
My bridge filter stays put in about the 1/3 open position, volume full. Neck filter is about half-open, volume 3/4. I mostly am getting my tone changes from the bridge Q-switch and tiny tweaks to that filter.
And they're cheap strings, which means something to me these days!
John
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I currently use Ken Smith Rock Masters on my two Alembic basses, DR Black Beauties on my Roscoe fretless, and DR Fat Beams on my Marchlewski 5 and modded Fender Jazz.
I may go to the Black Beauties on my Alembics. They sound so good on my Roscoe that I just have to give 'em a spin on my 'bics. The black strings also look great on an ebony board. My Roscoe is unlined ebony and from a distance looks like it is stringless as well as fretless.
Peace,
James
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I'm curious about the colour coated strings Jacko. Is the coating hardwearing and last the life of the string?
I've always used the Alembic strings on my SC but on the Elan I have think I have Fodera strings on. I think I'd like to try a lighter gauge on the SC so that I get a better feel of the strings higher up the neck.
How light could I go on a short scale base without losing the meat on the bottom end and some of the string tension?
Jazzyvee
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Jazzy. Depends how hard you hit them. I tend to dig in a bit so the colour starts to come off between the bridge and the neck but DR claim this has no effect on the sound or longevity of the strings. Mike Pisanek has a really light touch and his strings don't lose their colour at all. BTW, I'm not talking about huge areas of colour flaking off - more like little specks. I'll try to take a picture. The length along the fingerboard doesn't get 'damaged' at all.
In fact while I was typing this I remembered some pics I took of the blues on my epic. The D string is about as bad as they get - still not that noticeable. You can tell from the top left of the picture how hard i'm hitting the B string sometimes although this is the old style sating finish that was much less hard wearing than the current high gloss.
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oops, forgot the pic..
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/48735.jpg)
Graeme
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LaBella Slappers SN31 Custom Gauge
30-45-65-85
Bright, durable, reasonably priced and sound good.
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I used to us DR but I switched to Curt Mangan Strings several years ago. They last as long as anything else I've used and sound just as good. If you become a sponsored artist, as I did, you can buy set of strings direct for around $10 to $15 Free shipping if you spend $20
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Right now for me, the best sounding strings I'm tried for my Distillate are the Alembic's, though the only other ones I've tried were Rotosounds and DRs. Overall very good strings, pick up a wide range of the frequencies very well. On my fretless Essence I've tried a bunch of different flatwounds, but by far I like the TI's the best. A bit pricey though....
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D'Addario XL's...kept using other stuff but always seem to go back to the XL. It has always been, for my style of playing and the variety of gigs I played, a wonderful all around set. They last, also.
Regards...
Steve
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DR high beams all the way(http://club.alembic.com/Images/393/49819.jpg)
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Looking good Thomas. Step back nearly 40 years and I see Randy meisner.
graeme
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TI Jazz flats on my Fretless Epic and my Distillate, DR high Beams on my fretted Epic.
Hello Thomas,
nice band site with good tunage as well
Mike
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I like the Alembic CX strings, but find them a little aggressive for my needs. I also really liked the DR Marcus Miller Fat Beams signature set.
I just threw out a set of LaBella medium flats for being just too dead almost from the start. I had them on about six months and wasn't really noticing it so much as a problem until I tried to get a tone to record. I couldn't get anything useful out of them.
I installed a set of medium scale chromes (45-100) and they fit perfectly on an SSB. Length-wise, they'd be really close to too short on a 32 scale. The tone is perfect and the recordings are coming out very well. We'll see how they hold up.
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Rotosound Funkmasters: For Now. Forever.
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GHS Bass Boomers, 45-105.
Heard they were similar to the original Alembic strings on my Orion Fretless (my shop didn't have those). I do think there's a difference though...
I used to play DR Hi-Beams on my fretted bass (Spoiler). I've also tried the Marcus Miller signatures. I may return to those.
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No one else uses Elixir? I really like the Elixir Polywebs. They're bright and last a really long time. Unfortunately, they're hard to find, and usually they need to be special ordered since the nanowebs seem to be more popular.
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are the original Alembic Strings not good enough?
Sorry for these stupid question, but I ordered a SJ and my local dealer says, the strings are the best for this bass
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I use DR Nickel Lowriders on my fretted Essence and Sunbeams on my freltess Europa. I just ordered a set of the Hellborg signature strings to try out on the Essence. They're suppose to have a stronger fundamental. We'll see...
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Hi Ulf,
Welcome to the club!
Everyone has a favorite string & there are so many to choose from. It really is a personal preference, yet some strings DO sound better on an Alembic. The original Alembic strings are really good and Alembic sets up their guitars to perform best with them. Being a pressure wound string, it is a balance between a round and flat wound string. Hard to describe, but my fingers like the feel, and my ears like the sound. However, if you are ordering a new Alembic from the factory, you can specify your favorite string, and they will set it up with that set. Contact your dealer for more info about this.
What type of music do you play, and what type of string typically have you used in the past? Also, what brand of bass did you use before Alembic? All these things will play in how you want your Alembic to sound, and should help you narrow down the selection. There may not be a perfect string either, nor will you be able to try them all. Happy hunting!
Kris
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i like the chromes a lot and agree with bob that for rock these strings are the bomb. The tension is higher than ti's and the are not quite as smooth. but! they are 40 bucks for 5 strings and they do last quite a long time. i tried the alembics and they weren't bad at all except for my preference for flat wounds. i just bought a set of ti flats since i havent tried them on scarlet yet
fyi- www.stringsandbeyond.com (http://www.stringsandbeyond.com) seems to have the best price on these and shipping is free over $35 in orders.
again its a personal preference for everyone and i respect your likes and dislikes
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I currently have the blue DRs on my bass (because they look so cool!), but the B is light enough that I notice the difference the few times in a song that i reach low for emphasis. I have not found anything that gets me what I want more than the Alembic strings, and I'll be changing back in a few months.
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The D'Addario Pro steel on my Series sound great!!
I use them also on my Cort Curbow 4 string, and they are just the bizz.
For my fretless Curbow, I use The D'addario Chromes. Killer strings in my opimion. I'll see how long they last !
For the buck though, I'll stick with them at the moment until something shows up.
George
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I started with ghs super steels then went to the Ken Smith 6 string set for my Europa 6. John at Bass Emporium said the Smith's are ghs but to ken smith specs. I tried La Bella's hard rockin steel and fell in love with them. I still really like the smith strings though.
Dan
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I always loved the sound of round wounds! I played flats when I started to many years ago and after the first set of roto sounds its been round every since. Although you will pay the price playing exclusively rounds by fret wear! While roto have the best sound(in my opinion) they simply die to soon and I to have recieved some dead out of the box.I have been using DR high beams as my best second choice.Great sound and last fairly long! In realality I beleive all strings should be changed regularly afer bout 30 hours to maintain that freshness quality. Although I do not practice what I preach!
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I like the DR Black Beauties and Red Devils. They're coated strings but they don't feel like they were dipped in wax like the Elixir's. And they still sound bright and clear like High Beams but they last longer. The Black Beauties look great on an Ebony fingerboard, they almost disappear.
Willie
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Big fan of DR lowriders. Goinmg out today to get sum mo'.