Alternative for Roto Swing66 lasts longer

Clemouze

Clemouze

Sep 1, 2016
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#1
Salut les gars (et filles)

Ok another " swing 66 alternative " thread I know sorry! But I didnt find the same idea on the other threads.
I don't want softer strings. I don't want less bright strings .
I want to know if an alternative exists that lasts longer but sounds like swing 66.

The rotos lost their brightness sooo fast !
Ok they still sound cool after that loss but come on I buy them for that bright clanky crunch, low action and everything .

I wash my hands before, I clean the strings after, I use some dunlop blue thing to keep them alive, I slap them TO HELL before playing to work on their elasticity, etc
I am Ok to change them before every gig ( which is not often ) but not every week !

Any proposals?

Thanks for Reading
Clément
 
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#3
I have a skin chemistry that causes Rotosounds to lose their zing almost immediately, and possibly during installation...
I've been using Fender 7250ML NPS for a while, and they seem to work for me. Plenty of that Roto vibe, but don't go dead as soon as I look at them.
If you can find any old stock of the black silk ones, they're even more growly.
 
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#10
Clemouze said:
Salut les gars (et filles)

Ok another " swing 66 alternative " thread I know sorry! But I didnt find the same idea on the other threads.
I don't want softer strings. I don't want less bright strings .
I want to know if an alternative exists that lasts longer but sounds like swing 66.

The rotos lost their brightness sooo fast !
Ok they still sound cool after that loss but come on I buy them for that bright clanky crunch, low action and everything .

I wash my hands before, I clean the strings after, I use some dunlop blue thing to keep them alive, I slap them TO HELL before playing to work on their elasticity, etc
I am Ok to change them before every gig ( which is not often ) but not every week !


Any proposals?

Thanks for Reading
Clément
Click to expand...


Salut Clement

I havent found anything that has the same piano ring as Roto 66 (mind you, I still have to try those MM Super Brights) but...after going through several cleaning scenarios. I now do this and it works quite well (at least it spreads the cleaning further out).

I dampen this The String Cleaner | stewmac.com or this https://www.amazon.ca/WINGO-Cleaner...-1-spons&keywords=guitar+string+cleaner&psc=1 (I have both) with denatured alcohol or ethanol 3.78L Ambiance Ethanol Fuel and carefully wipe the strings while still on the bass. Just a little bit on the upper pad mind you and it really works wonders.

Taking the strings completly off and soaking them for a couple of hours (in denatured alcohol/ethanol) completley restores them. The only drawback is that the silks eventually fade and/or breakdown after a few removals. I usually have two sets in rotation.
 
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#11
Thank you for all your answers
I will try the alcool soaking but also try the MM super bright

Here is a video I found comparing the two set of strings :


Ok not a super good playing or testing ( he doesn't attack the strings like I'd like to hear to compare ) but the idea is here.
Seems close soundwise

EDIT : Wow it s not even the MM super bright, just the standard version
Since the MM are meant to be brighter and bassier than the standard I can understand how close it could be from Rotosound Swing66
 
#12
I bought my first set of Swing Bass Rotos around 1972. If an exact timbre match is the goal, I’ve never found one. And I’ve tried a lot of different roundwounds over the last 40+ years I’ve played bass.

If close or “close enough” is your goal there’s a few (or several) choices depending upon how fussy you are.

However, there are some things in the bass world (e.g. TI Jazz Flats, Ric basses, the Ampeg SVT or B-15, a Höfner 500/1 to name a few) there’s no 100% match for. You want the real sound, you need the real deal.

Or at least that’s been my experience. YMMV.
 
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#14
Clemouze said:
Thank you for all your answers
I will try the alcool soaking but also try the MM super bright

Here is a video I found comparing the two set of strings :


Ok not a super good playing or testing ( he doesn't attack the strings like I'd like to hear to compare ) but the idea is here.
Seems close soundwise

EDIT : Wow it s not even the MM super bright, just the standard version
Since the MM are meant to be brighter and bassier than the standard I can understand how close it could be from Rotosound Swing66
Click to expand...

Roto Swing 66 SS were my favorite in the 80s, but I've stopped using them since early 90s. Then for the sake of nostalgic, I tried them again in 2015, which I bought a few sets, but only to be reminded the reasons why I had stopped using them in the first place, which one of them was that loosing of mojo growly brightness too fast.

I'm currently using Dunlop MM SB on my main gigging bass and I kinda quite like them. In my opinion, these aren't anywhere the same as the Swing 66 SS. The growl seems not in the same frequencies and for sure the MM SB are far less tense and less harsh on fingertips, which actually are far more preferred for me. The brightness seems stay longer too.
 
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#15
Roto’s have almost perfected a near-perfect piano tone. Sharp, bright, alive! And regetably, short lived and kinda dated. But ideal for recording or a concert. And I’ve seen/tried alcohol rubdowns, boiling in water, and stretching/snapping like a bow & arrow. I assume these measures get rid of the oil and gunk buildup, to reclaim past glory. Results were so so at best.
At some point in my playing, I stopped changing my strings every 6-12 months. It’s not about the money (although it should be a little). What older strings lack in brightness, they make up for in funk. My oldest strings are 10+ Rotos hung on my Jazz. My P & 5’er have 8 y/o D’Addario flats. And my SS Jaguar’s got 5y/o D’Addario Chromes. Those are my favorite.
In addition to other idiosyncrasies, new Rotos always felt like a buzz saw. Sharp, grippy and unforgiving. Definitely not for the soft of finger! Still a fan though.
 
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#20
I used DR Hi-Beams for awhile back in the 90's when Rotosound was having some issues with dead strings right out of the package. The DR's sounded great and lasted a lot longer than the Rotosounds did but... they don't sound anything like Rotosounds and nothing else does. I use Rotosound RS66LD's. The award for strings that die the quickest, IMHO goes to GHS Boomers. Dead within an hour.
 
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