Stainless Steel vs Nickel Bass Strings | Bass Tone Tuesday
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- Comparing the sound of stainless steel and nickel bass strings using different music genres! #BassToneTuesday
Gear:
G&L Fullerton Deluxe JB
D'addario Pro Steels 45-100
D'addario Nickel EXL 170 45-100
Neve RNDI
UAD Apollo Twin X
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![ง้อ (ALRIGHT) - FOURTH Prod. by URBOYTJ [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Qs8ZeV6Dqj8/mqdefault.jpg)
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strings aside I just really wanted to say that you're an amazing player, you seriously played amazing.
Thanks! I appreciate it 🙏🏽
In my experience, I use SS, because the Ni strings I've used in the past sounded great at first, but died much more quickly. That's just my experience, some of you may have had a different experience.
It just happens to me too, I used the Nickel Ernie Ball Super Slinky for a long time, and I had to change them every 2 months, since I used the Stainless Steel ones I have had no problems, the change every 6 months approximately.
I second this, tone dies so much quicker. Steel also has a really nice grip to it, tone lasts longer. I am also allergic to nickel and it tends to irritate my finger skin more so and a steel string.
@@rodrigomunoz6415 Look at this mr moneybag over here changing bass strings every 2 months.
I prefer the fret clank I can get out of SS, but the Ni certainly does round out the mids. Great comparison.
Yeah, the clank is definitely cool with those! Thanks for watching!
On a P bass, nickels really shine. Those lower harmonics of the nickel strings go well on a bass with such character.
Indeed 💪🏽
Me using the d'addario pro steels has changed my perception of bass tone and durability especially with a plectrum. Glad to have those instead of ernie ball strings.
Nice! What’s the main difference for you between those?
@@IvanBassist Both have great long lasting period but while playing with a pick mind you, the pro steels have a much high clarity that what we call a "piano like tone" that bounces back with every pluck of the string.
Yeah. The Pro Steels have a nice “chime”!
@@IvanBassist unless the ernie balls are the cobalts then i'll use ernie but they cost a bit
maybe in a mix steel cut more, but nickel sounds better
Fantastic video. I convinced I needed stainless for brightness, but this has changed my mind.
Thanks for watching, Keaton! Glad you liked the video :)!
I definitely prefer the steels. But I’m bias as I play extreme metal And idolize tones like Nolly. I prefer that tight, crispy sound of the steels that cut through. Very industrial sounding.
The nickels I would use in my studio If I wanted to produce more of a warm classic sounding bass track. I think the nickels sound a little looser and more relaxed when playing the steels add this attack and sparkle to the tone that I really enjoy.
I think Nolly uses nickels tho 😃 I could be wrong. Which steels do you use? :)
IvanBassist mostly Diaddaro prosteels when I can find them. As of recently I’ve Been playing nickel EB power slinkies on all my basses, as that’s the only thing my local shop likes to keep in stock 😂😅
I currently have 7 basses and use nickel ground wounds, bright steel round wounds, steel flat wounds and black nylon coated steel strings on them. I like the La Bella and D'addario black nylons the best. They have the best feel and have less tension and a bright tone and do not corrode.
Black Nylons are great!
I like the feel of nickel strings. Steel is a bit grippy for my liking, but steel are great for slap. Awesome video Ivan.
Agreed!! Thank you!
very useful video, thank you! Usually i tend to prefer the nickel ones, but I want to search a more "metallic" sound, so I will try the Prosteel!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
track at 2:18 reminded me of Between The buried and Me, specifically the Alaska album. very nice tone dude
I've never understood if I like the Pro Steels or not.
They're the stock strings equipped on my FGN bass: that bass is awesome, but I've never understood WHY I was never too much "into" it.
Just today I've finally known the reason: the strings! I've switched to a set of D'Addario EXL165 and...man, now that bass has a completely different voice! I love the brightness and the definition of Pro Steels, I use to clean both the neck and the strings after every session I play my instruments and, by doing this, those strings can last for very long...but the lack of mids seriously makes me unhappy, especially if you consider that this bass has a series of Seymour Duncan pickups with mids naturally scooped!
With the distortion part, I can clearly hear the "growl" on the E string who the Pro Steels never have.
Very nice playin' and tone control: the definition you have in your hands, in your fingers, it's even superior than the natural tone of the strings!
Cheers.
Thanks for the kind words, Joe! Glad to
hear the video was helpful!
It sounds to me like the nickel are just a bit brighter, but not that much. If the bass was not featured, and right up in our faces, I am not sure we would be able to tell with the bass mixed in a recording with some drums, guitars, keyboards etc... Gosh Ivan, your playing is really tight tight tight! Very pro player.
Thanks, Danny! I appreciate the kind words!
I'm using the same strings you are D'Addario nickel XL170 ,45-100 on my main go-to Jazz basses. But on my lower-tuned P-bass I like the Rotosound Swing Bass 66 Steels.
Makes sense! Rotos feel stiffer, which helps when down tuning
Great video, the metal recording is just what I needed to hear. The nickle strings do indeed cut through the mix better.
Thanks for watching! Glad you liked the video :)
I think Nickel sounds "complete".
I’m also a nickel fan 💪🏽
Great demo.
Nickel seem tighter tension plus cleaner linear tone.
Plus I think they last a bit longer.
Thanks! Glad to hear you liked it!
i love 40-100 Dunlop stainless steels, very brilliant for funk, slap and modern jazz. now i taste the elexir stainless steel string, the coated feel is not so rough as uncoated. i think the most bass players don't need the feel of stainless steels. The warm sound of nickel strings often becomes more muffled as steel when the strings are worn out.
Thanks for the video! Great comparison and really helpful info about the differences in feel too. I think I'll give steels a shot next time I need to restring, I didn't mind the sound and I'm interested in getting my hands on the grippier feel you mentioned.
I would've moved on without commenting, but I was really impressed with your playing in the demos! Sounded great across all those different genres and playing styles. Elevated the comparisons from good to amazing for me. You being such a skillful and consistent player made the comparisons all the more valuable.
Hey Natalie! Glad to hear the video helped you! Thank you for the kind words :)
Loved the sound of the nickel strings, currently I’m playing with some coated strings, the black beauties from DR. I love them but I’m still looking to find my own sound and string preference so I will look for the nickel strings and give it a go.
DR makes great strings, though!
Yes, I’ve read and heard a couple of them. I think that my next strings will be the pure blues.
Pure Blues are awesome! One of my favorite strings out there
great demo, great playing. thanks
Thanks for watching!
I like both. But I try to use nickels whenever possible. Before any sound differences I like the feel of them.
I also prefer the feel of nickel 😁
A lot of people tend to usually use pick with stainless steel for the punk rock feel
Nickel all the way. I’m stuck on Rotosound Nickel (blue bag). 👌👌
I agree. The Rotosound Nickels hardly ever get mentioned and I think that they are amazing.
I'd like to add an information I just had to learn the hard way: I bought a set of Daddario chromes (flats) a few days ago and they are pretty aggressive to my fingers. So I did some research and found them being made of steel! I really can't recommend them, if you want so get flats for a smoother feeling.
Many, if not most, Flats are made out of stainless steel. What might have felt aggressive to your fingers is that flats usually feel stiffer than rounds (specially Chromes) and the fact that you are pulling more string surface due to the string being completely flat. Eventually you get used to the feel of flats
@@IvanBassist I really never thought them to be steel! Thomastik flats (my favorite) are indeed nickel ... and now I know why I didn’t like the LaBellas, although they are much more smooth / polished than the Chromes. The chromes are really „toothy“.
great comparison, just what i look for in a comparison video
Thanks for watching! :) glad you liked it
I put D'adarrio tape wounds on my fretless Tony Franklin to get that upright sound, sounds great goes deep, but i do miss the character and low action of the S.I.T nickels that it came with it. Great video!
Thanks for watching! Tape wounds are great!
Ivan! Great video comparing these two where it counts, In the mix! Great playing and riffs man! Personally i prefer Nickel-wound with a Hex core but lately I’ve been all about La Bella Tapewounds.
Thanks! Do you have those LaBella’s on a P-Bass? I bet they sound great!
IvanBassist They’re definitely on my P-Bass, read me like a book haha
Depends on the bass, pickups, technique and desired tone. I play nickel, but both sound good. Steel feel a little sticky to me, but that's just me. For me EXL170'S all the way.
Agreed!
I'm listening through high quality headphones and I'm surprised that there is not more of a difference. The nickels sound newer and fuller. The stainless sound like they might have been played more? Is that possible?
Awesome Playing btw love it !!!
Thanks!!
Thank you for this comparison. Very well done ! You have very good playing ;-)
Thanks for watching, Jonathan!
I recently switched to D'Addario EPS190's (Steel 100-40) and they are by far the best string for my playing style I have ever used. I lot of people shy away from lighter gauges because they "don't sound as good", to my ear and several years of using Rotosound 66's, it does not make a discernable difference once you've gone through whatever effects and EQ you happen to be using. I used Nickel strings like most people do when I first started out on bass, they sound good new but I had a lot of issues with having the cores break because I have a very aggressive right hand attack, and they have a real tendency to go dead very quickly if you make the mistake of getting sweat on them. I don't think there's any single superior string, everybody's hands are different, but I also think people should experiment with different strings before they just settle on the usual 45-105 nickels because that's what everybody uses.
I agree! Also, every bass reacts differently to certain strings. Not all of them are going to sound or feel good with the same set of strings. I’ve been using the 45-100 D’addarios on my G&L and Lakland for the past months and they feel pretty good.
However, I prefer 45-105 when using DR Pure Blues or Dunlop Super Brights
I use Thomastik-Infelds both roundwounds and flatwounds on my bases
Love their flats! I haven’t tried the roundwounds, yet
I watched a lot of videos like this and nowhere did I find the information I was most interested in. More or less all strings sound good when they are fresh and new, but what I (and I assume many others) wonder about is how does time affect the sound of the strings? How do they sound after a few months, and which strings sound fresh for a long time, which ones change their sound the least after some time? Can someone write about their experiences or make a video on the subject?
Thanks for a proper comparison review.
Thanks for watching!
I'd like to add, if you don't have any particular preference between the two you may want to go with nickel as a default just because it's a little easier on your frets. Buy you some extra time before you need to bring the old bass in for a level and recrown.
Fair point!
Thank you for making this video, i had read that stainless steel has more "attack" and was better for metal,but i was curious to hear a practical comparison, now i know Stainless steel is the better choise for me
Happy to help, Ben!
Hi Ivan - only just watching this comparison now. Interesting - I found that the steel strings sound more "polite" in the mix but I much preferred the nickel strings. The nickels seem to have more "push" in the mix that propels the rhythm, and the slightly warmer tone also helps the fundamental to come through just a bit more.
I know there are a bunch of different strings out there, and most are all great in their own way but I always come back to D'Addario nickels for my basses for tone, feel, string life and budget. They are great.
As an interesting side note I also really like the NYXL strings - slightly less tension, higher output, tamed top end and phatter lows. Not perfect for everything but still a nice alternative that still maintain all the other D'Addario characteristics.
Nice clip.
Yeah. Funny enough, I recently released a video about the NYXLs 😁
@@IvanBassist I watched it. Funny how a different bass can change your mind. I currently have 2 basses - a passive PJ (EMG GZR pickups) and a G&L L2000. I don't like the NYXLs on the L2000 - too boomy, top end too crunchy. But on the PJ they sound great.
Normal XL nickels sound great on both basses.
Excellent video! I always tried different strings but always end up going back to D’addario nickels for the reasons you mentioned. Also they’re a bit easier to play with a pick.
Great string!
I have p bass with labellas and one with fender 7250 rounds. I am looking for new rounds and the nickels are it.
Great review. Love your playing, very versatile.
Thanks for the kind words!
Well made
Gracias!
Pure review by playing on various genres.. Great job!! For slap job surely Nickel won the game.. But for solid, rounded sound I think steel still better..
Thanks for watching, Nathan! Glad you enjoyed it!
Depending on the bass you use, I think that if you have one of the tone like the P-Bass, you don't need to reinforce the mids, you just need a little more brightness and that is what a stainless steel string gives you, on the other hand a Jazz Bass, yes It requires that reinforcement of means that you mention. In my opinion, greetings!
Cool video, Ivan. 😎🤘🏻🎸I use to use nickel plated strings for its warm rich sounds. But later use stainless steel strings for clarity and punch. And since since I use effects Like distortion and modulation, there’s a certain clarity when using stainless steel strings. I’ve tried out many different brands over the years and I’ve settled with Dunlop and dr strings. I Like stainless steel strings but I might purchase nickel plated strings sometime soon and see if I like these strings more.
A lot depends on the brand, too.
D’addario regular nickels sound much more “metallic” than DR Sunbeams for example
Really...I never knew that d’addario strings sounded more metallic in comparison. I once used a set Dunlop super bright nickel plated strings on my schecter stiletto bass and it sounded incredible. It had a metallic but a warm sound with a significant lo-mids presence. It also sounded phenomenal with effects. Speaking of which, the string comparison sounded killer with distortion at the end of the demo. Both strings sounded pretty killer in their own right.
I bounce between these types of strings - strings make more tonal difference than most pickup changes will (IMO)...genre of music dictates string choice for me now too. Classic rock or blues - GHS Pressurewounds are my GO TO. They feel soooooo good, and they knock the bite out of the initial pluck and smooth it out perfectly (great choice for not wanting flatwounds and not wanting SS)...any genre more aggressive (rock, pop, metal) I go to Rotosound SS.
Great playing and content (as usual) - hopefully your leg is 100% healed. Cheers from Toronto
I haven’t tried pressurewounds, but have heard great things about them. Thanks for the kind words!
I used to only use steel strings (DR or D'addario) because I liked the brightness. But I recently switched to the Ernie ball Cobalt strings and man are they great. Check them out if you get the chance!
I’ve heard great things about those. I’ve tested the flatwound version of them and those are pretty awesome
Cobalts are a third totally different class in themselves.
I borrowed a 5 string and pit them on. I have to plug the passive bass into the active plug in my head to keep it from distorting. My 4 stringwith Cobalts doesn't distort but sounds great with tube preamp.
Steel for Slap and Nickel for finger style, at least on this video. And in general the nickel ones have better mid range which helps to cut thru a bit better ... both are great strings
Great video! This was exactly what i wish. To hear the REAL difference between this two strings but i never had two guitars. Thank you Ivan! :) My favourite is the nickel too... ;)
Happy to help
Great video thanks
I prefer nickle
Good choice!
great video, and great playing, cheers ✌✌
Thank you!!
the first groove was soo catchy fire 🔥 🔥 🕺🏽 🕺🏽
Thanks for watching!
For recording metal the SS will give you better results less EQing.
Fresh SS strings are great for metal.
Plenty of zing 🤘🏽
Very nice moody tones
Thanks!
Steel for brightness, Nickel for groove
Awesome playing.
Thanks !
Nice review! Nickel sounds more defined, it would be interesting to compare them against cobalt ones - that might be even brighter. Tks!
Yeah, I’ve been meaning to give Cobalts a try
Great demo man you rock! Don't you think that steels have more high mids ?
Prefer the nickels based on your vid Ivan. Not tried the steels. They sound more even. Have to say that bass sounds amazing. Thanks again.
You're a great, articulate groover. Subscribed!
Thanks for the sub! 🙏🏽
Can you please do a video of Daddario XT series?
Interesting...I was hoping the steel strings to have more clarity and overtones and it was quite the opposite. Not that overbearing difference, but it is there! I have always prefered D'Addario nickels as well. Actually I prefer the exact same nickelwound set you used. Never have tried the steel ones because I had precisely that idea that steel would be too much top end and zingy overtones. Anyways, have always loved my Nickels, no complaints on them whatsoever...cheers
A lot depends on the brand of steel strings, of course. Overall they tend to have less midrange than nickels, which translates to less “clarity”
@@IvanBassist thanks for the comments. As I have always played nickels, they seem to have a balanced sound to me: deep bottom, mids and highs with enough clarity and just the right amount of overtones. Totally satisfied with my Daddario Nickel EXL170s. Maybe some day I will experiment with steels...cheers
I’ve been really digging the 170s lately, too! :)
@@IvanBassist hey, another question man...I see a post on your Instagram where you strung your Lakland red p bass with Dunlop super bright strings. How do you comment on those strings? How do they compare against the DAddario Nickel as well as the Stainless Steel in terms of lasting brightness? I love my DAddarios, but I could make the try, but wanted to hear some opinions first, especially from someone who has used them both as well as other strings. Thank you
@@MrElopez55 To be honest, the super brights are probably my favorite nickel strings. They feel and sound amazing. However, they’re not easy to get here in Germany, I kill them quicker than d’addarios and sometimes the Extra stiffness of d’addarios helps.
I kill every strings extremely fast, so don’t take my word for that. If you’re looking for a more flexible string, give them a try :)
Edit: my recent cover vid of Burn by deep purple was recorded using the dunlops btw.
Based on your vid, which is excellent (less talk more play!), I'm gonna try Prosteels 50-105! It's exactly what I want in my power trio, so: less mids which is where the vocals and guitar should be and I should just be low end and some treble. Especially I hope the percussiveness of my sound will go down.
I will switch to the same gage as D'addario nickel XL I used. Can't wait to see for myself. Thanks for your video!
Thanks for watching!
Great playing!
But I’m torn😔 SS is great, I’ve been using them for as long as I remember, and they cut through the mix more, but Nickel gives more warmth.
Thanks!!
thank you man 👌
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this useful video!
I Like Nickel Sound, Clear and Detail.
Same here!
i like nickel but more for feel a sound, maybe its placebo effect but its sound more constant as time past as steel that don't keep there Brightness.
Yeah, I know what you mean!
I bought a new bass and put expensive steel flats on it and sounded wayyyy too mellow and the tension felt way more, then put the stock Cheap nickel strings back on and the bass and it sounds brighter way more full. And fingers slide easier for me
@@gsharpslayer3287 well, that’s kinda what flatwounds do 😅 rounds are gonna have more brightness 99% percent of the time
@@IvanBassist yea I just started playing two weeks ago so I have no idea, I’m used to plastic strings lol
Buen video Iván !! Podrías un día hacerlo con cuerdas Flats 😉. Pd: Si te puede ayudar sé que las La Bella y Fender son Steel y las Thomastik son de níquel 🎸🔥😎
Gracias! Voy a anotar esa idea 🤘🏽
Steel has a more focused sound. Nickel is fuller.
Which brand of strings do you use? :)
Great playing. Great sounding bass. I can’t hear much difference in the strings. Only in the slap passages. In a band scenario any differences will disappear.....in my opinion.
epic playing
hola Iván! buen video gracias! una idea que se me ocurre es hacer una comparación de cuerdas "premium", al menos no he encontrado comparativos así... por ejemplo: new rotosound swing vs old rotosound swing vs elixir vs thomastik (round & infeld); siempre utilizo thomastik o elixir pero en realidad nunca las he comparado frente a frente, las cambio a menudo entre ellas eso sí, pero nunca me queda una certeza respecto a sus principales diferencias... buen detalle el del color de los pantalones! saludos y buena semana
las rotosound vendrían a ser como las "cuerdas clásicas" de bajo, aunque de premium no tienen mucho, nunca las he probado, solamente he leído que pierden brillo en unos días y duran muy poco... no sé si cuando pasan a ser "viejas" igual suenan bien, solamente que diferente
Really good Video man!!! Thanx!
Thanks for watching, Sascha!
My NS Pulse came with nickel and I sculpted my tone around those. I just put on some DR SS strings and it is not pleasant to the ear. It’s just too bright or something. It’s just not as defined when I hit the notes and it’s to harsh
I also prefer Nickel strings ☝🏽
IMPECCABLE playing though...totally forgot what the video was about......amazing track...is it one of yours?
I am thinking of going for the DUNLOP light gauge as thats the gauge Meshuggah bassist Dick Lovgren is using,....of course hes using DR K3 tech strings but those are way too expensive.
Yes. I wrote the track with a couple of friends
Great playing!
Thanks!
That was great, thanks!
Thank you for watching!
I need a Jbass...
😂😂😂 get a G&L
IvanBassist 🤩🤩🤩
Ivan I love your bass videos. I would love to see a Round Core vs Hex core comparison video. DR makes round and hex core for both Nickel and Stainless. They also have compression round Stainless strinfs(Fat Beams). What I love about bass strings, while expensive, are easy to swap out and save for later. If I want to track my pbass with flats I can throw my EB Cobalt flats on them, then put Nickels back on for a gig.
Cool idea!
Nickel is good
Which brand do you use?
I've been using pro steels for the last 3 years on my basses and I really like the tone, specially after they break up a bit. When they are new, they sound a bit too trebly but when you play them for a while they loose some of that brightness and don't loose clarity nor definition. And they last much longer than nickel strings.
Which gauges do you use? :)
@@IvanBassist I use the gray set 45 - 105.
How long the pro steels last for you and with what type of playing? They sound very good, I like them, but the lifespan bit worries me.
I annihilate any kind of string within hours or days. Not even playing hard. I’m afraid I cannot help you there
@@eloysuopunki7926 I use them with my covers bands and we play a lot of genres, from rock to funk and pop. Usually they last me a whole season and I play almost every day in the summer (pre-covid era). All other sets of nickel that I used I needed to change the strings at least one or two times in the season. But I like my strings better when they loose that inicial brightness and gain more rounded highs. These pro steels seem to last longer from that point until they sound too muffled.
What song is this @2:13?
Nice work!
I need the name of third music pls 2:14 - 2:39
Good vidéo nice !!!
Love the thumbnail😁
Thanks 🙏🏽
Hi Ivan. Great & helpfull an ever.
In this days i play Elixier nanoweb coatet Strings and on my PBass i Like DR Legend flatwound.
Easy to Play No Side Trash and with brilliant Töne.
Try this.your Finger will Love you so much 🤘
what's the song 1:53?
Excelente video
Thanks for watching, Mateo!
Seems like the biggest difference is in the low mids! Wasn't expecting that. The nickels make more room for the mix. I also prefer the feel of nickels. The only example I liked the steels better was the picked line around 1:25. Sounds good when it's a really sparse arrangement. PS having the shorts as an identifier for Steel vs Nickel was hilarious.
Yeah, on a sparse mix i do prefer the steels. They have feel a bit more flexible if i remember correctly
which one would you go fo? ss or nickle...i am torn between DR RED DEVILS and DADDARIO ELIXIR? Please advise.
I usually use daddario EXL or NYXL for my basses other than my Dingwall
i been using elixer strings because of the long lasting tone. really tempted to try the d'addario nyxl's you mentioned, how long does a set of those typically last you before going dull?
Unfortunately i can’t really answer that because my pH levels are brutal for strings and i kill them extremely fast.
Do they make that buzz tho?
La marca D 'addario es muy buena he comprado un par de veces y no decepcionan para nada. Pero yo compro las Ernie Ball Hybrid 45-105. En mi experiencia duran mas tiempo con un sonido brillante, lo que hace que no compre cuerdas tan seguido. Buen video. Saludos.
Las Ernie Ball tambien son muy buenas! Saludos 💪🏽💪🏽
VERY GOOD [ from CALCUTTA [ INDIA ]
Thanks!
What is the first song you play?
I wrote that with a couple of friends. th-cam.com/video/G4gIcL02hOU/w-d-xo.html
@@IvanBassist Dude, very good... I've already saved it on my list of the best...
whats better on the fingers? ss ,i bet?
I prefer nickel :) I know some people have a nickel allergy, though
Is that an original song at 2:15? Awesome sound!
Yes! Here it is: th-cam.com/video/EUtJStZytCQ/w-d-xo.html
@@IvanBassist Thanks! Such a cool sound.
4:30 Sounds like Lamb of God 🤘
And I prefer Nickel strings
how’s the lifespan of the nickels?
They last longer than the steels for me personally.The nickels keep a more even tone throughout the lifespan.
great! thanks for then info!