Author Topic: Cobalt Strings - Any Love? (Read 630 times)

benson_murrensun · « **on:** January 25, 2016, 08:25:15 AM »

I have tried them on my Tribute and on a Strat. They seem to be a bit snappier and maybe a tad louder, but my hearing is damaged and it's hard to tell. I would love to hear opinions from this group, especially with regard to 6-string guitar.

lbpesq · « **Reply #1 on:** January 26, 2016, 07:25:48 AM »

Cobalt strings? Never heard of them. I'll have to do a little research.

Bill, tgo

rustyg61 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 28, 2016, 09:59:19 AM »

I have them on my Europa now & don't really care for them. They are thin sounding to me. I prefer Kalium or D Adario Pro Steels.

benson_murrensun · « **Reply #3 on:** January 29, 2016, 06:37:28 AM »

Thanks, rusty. I have never heard of Kalium, so it's time for a google search.

rustyg61 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 29, 2016, 07:48:30 AM »

They also go by Circle K. They are the most consistent sounding & playing strings I have found for my 5 string. You can start a run on the B string & you can't tell a difference in tone going from the B to the E or A strings. A lot of string sets sound dead on the B string, but not Kalium. The website is confusing though, they don't sell traditional sets, they base their sets on the small string rather than the large string like everyone else, & the gauges are not traditional at all. It is better to buy individual strings, so you pick your gauges, which gives you more flexibility in individual string sizes.

http://store.kaliumstrings.com/

bigredbass · « **Reply #5 on:** January 29, 2016, 10:18:49 AM »

Maybe I'm just dense today, but every time I go to the Circle K website, it's the most aggravating and confusing layout I've ever seen. I couldn't buy any if I wanted to.

Joey

xlrogue6 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 29, 2016, 11:10:59 AM »

You are so right about that site, Joey--it appears to have been written in some strange, possibly dead language then run through Google Translate a couple of times. Good luck with all of that, as they say...

rustyg61 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 29, 2016, 11:27:59 AM »

I agree Joey! I actually spoke to the owner about how confusing his site was & why he didn't list standard sets that were labeled by the small string instead of the big string & he basically told me that he didn't want to be like everyone else & that many of his customers played piccolo & non traditional basses so they use the smaller guitar gauge strings. His string sets are useless but if you order individual strings & pick your gauge to build your own custom set, the website remembers your previous order so you only have to build a set once, then just reorder.

xlrogue6 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 29, 2016, 01:11:45 PM »

Proof that rugged individualism is not always a good thing.

lbpesq · « **Reply #9 on:** January 29, 2016, 02:12:42 PM »

Never heard of Kalium strings. Apparently they are steel and nickel, not all that unusual. The site is a trip, though. I find it a bit odd that they offer 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 string sets for guitar, but no 12 string sets? Maybe I should have passed on my 12 string Series I and waited for one of those Alembic 9 or 11 string guitars. Of course I might still be waiting - perhaps this is the exception that proves Paul, tbo's rule that there will always be another.

Bill, tgo

bigredbass · « **Reply #10 on:** January 29, 2016, 10:15:01 PM »

Rusty, I'm glad he's decided to run a charity, as it's a damn poor excuse for running a business. OK, so his inner child explained his zeitgeist, but even if I could figure out what the hell they were, he lists long scale strings as 39, nuts !

I just enjoy how boring GHS is, where I can find anything with very good explanations of their 11 or 12 different bass types. I guess they're the 'everyone else'.

Joey

rustyg61 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2016, 09:58:06 AM »

Joey, he does have kind of an elitist attitude & would sell many more stings if he would make normal sets & make the website more user friendly. You have to scroll through several pages just to find the individual gauge you are looking for. I guess he just depends on return customers who like me, were either frustrated with their sound or with buzzing B strings & were willing to endure the hardship of navigating his website to find the string set I wanted. I can say that they are worth the effort. I use a .124 B string with Circle K & it resonates as good as my A sting & has no buzz. His non traditional gauges are good too when you want to experiment with your sound & playability.

Bill, you can build a 12 string set by buying individual strings. These are not commercially produced strings, he caters to the custom market. He doesn't even package them in traditional packages, they are kept straight in a long plastic bag & the strings are threaded through a card on the ball end with the string gauge hand written in the card next to each string. They arrive in a large padded mailer envelope with the strings coiled up in about a 12 radius VS 5 or 6 like traditional packaging. The pricing is competitive with other strings. My 5 string set is $31

smokinbear · « **Reply #12 on:** January 30, 2016, 08:25:46 PM »

Love Cobalts on my p-basses. Wished they were avail in short scale for my Guilds. Great feel in the 45-100 set and the 105 sets, balanced overall good strings. Some say they might be hard on frets but no prob yet for me after a few years.

bigredbass · « **Reply #13 on:** January 30, 2016, 10:28:36 PM »

Rusty, Thanks! for walking me through it, but to me, it's a problem that doesn't need fixing: B-strings quit keeping me up nights a long time ago, and I'm just fine with GHS. Over the years, I think I've tried everything out there, and so far, no one has re-invented the wheel, string-wise, for me.

Joey

benson_murrensun · « **Reply #14 on:** March 02, 2016, 06:39:50 AM »

Fascinating turns this thread has taken! Sooooo, nobody else has tried Cobalts on a 6-string guitar??