Missed opportunity. This video should have also included the Slinky Cobalt Flatwounds so people could hear if they actually sound like rounds as EB says.
They do, but not for long...just bought a set. They definitely have about 10-20 hours of zing in them then they dull down to what you'd expect flats to sound like.
@@jcout25 Alone, that would take quite a while depending on how many different sets you want to age and compare. However a couple episodes of Star Trek and a bucket of KFC is a good way to fast track aging strings.
I finally tried flats a few years ago and was completely hooked. The smooth feel and no string noise make all the difference. I like their classic mellower sound too, but for me it's honestly not even about the sound. I know this video is solely talking about Ernie Ball strings, but another great option to get the smooth feel but a slightly brighter sound and lower string tension is tapewounds… I really like La Bella white nylon tapes - I have those on my P Bass and my fretless. Ernie Ball or DR Legend flats on the others.
I am primarily a guitar player, but do enjoy playing bass from time to time... and man, those cobalts with the melodic playing sounded SO GOOD, I have to give them a shot
It’s been far too long since I picked up my bass but the Cobalt Slinky and the Flatwound Slinky sounded the best to me. It also helps that both of them don’t use nickel-I’m badly allergic to nickel.
I'm a guitar player but I also love playing the bass for fun. You guys have it easier in that you only have to replace your strings around half as much. 🙂
This generally confirms my thoughts. I don't care for stainless steel strings. I really like the cobalt strings, especially the Cobalt Flats. Flatwounds are a good investment as you only have to buy them once in a lifetime. 😁 Nickel are pretty much always a great choice. Tapewounds are the best of both worlds for nickel tone and flat feel. Pressure-wound & half-round are lovely on fretless and are kind to the fingerboard. Thanks, Andertons, for the great comparison!
Ooh! A surprising one for me in this was the flats with overdrive: all tone and minimal "string noise". It wouldn't work for everything, but that sound feels like a way to stick out from the crowd. Otherwise, impressed by the clarity of the cobalt slinkys.
Tried so many different strings over the years, from Ernie balls, Elites even Warwick, Vigier and Fodera. My favourite has to be DRs they just sound great and last for ages. Saying that, my eldest did get me some Cobolts which are sat in my bag. Will have to give them a try
From $10,000 to $76,000 that's the minimum range of profit return every week I thinks it's not a bad one for me. I now have enough to pay bills and take care of my family.
Day trading is the best way of making money in the market due to lack of experience which resulted in loosing funds... But mr josh olfert , restored hope hes a good man
I found out what my son uses on his bases (4 or 5 of them), so I got him some DR Sunbeams 40-100, and some DR Hi-Beams 45-105. To me, base strings are a mystery, because I tend to use 9-42's and 9-46's.
It would have been nice to have tapewound in the lineup as well. The stainless strings sound pretty much almost the same as standard nickel to me, but the potential added lifespan could be nice and worth it just for that. The flats definitely sound nice and smooth for the melodic stuff and have a more "round" tone which is nice. The cobalts sound really big and clear, almost like having an EQ running. I'll have to check out cobalts for my normal electric guitars that I play high gain with, especially down tuned. I wonder if it would help a lot with clarity in the low notes.
This a great apples to apples comparison. Removing as many of the variables as possible, making sure that we get to hear how each kind of string affects the tone. I'm very partial to what flatwounds do. They get rid of the rattle that regular strings can have and are very smooth to the touch. And the thump-y sound is just pure classic stuff. There's a middle of the road option though, for those that desire the smoother feel of flats, but want more of the clarity from regular strings: pressure wound strings should do that trick. Or you can just take the flatwounds to the next level and bust out the tapewound strings. Those have an awesome, almost double bass sounding quality.
There is something cool about slap with Flats, you can get that poppy slap sound a bit less bright, but you can also get that with warm non slapped notes like seen here.
Interesting comparison. It would be even more interesting to compare similar strings from different manufactures. I mostly use La Bella, but the cobalt EB sounded interesting. It's quite expensive and laborious to experiment yourself. I tried flats on a fretless P-bass in the late seventies, which sounded great. My only problem was that I used a lot of sliding between notes and nearly got burn marks from the friction. That didn't happen when I changed to round wounds. Top notch playing from Cici, great tone and consistency. You could be in a band😉 ✌✌
I’m a guitarists here so maybe my opinion doesn’t matter when it comes to bass strings (lol) but I swear by the paradigm strings EB make. I was a cobalt user until I tried them and they are god-tier! (They’re like an enhanced cobalt version)
Pleasantly surprised by the flats on the Stingray-a-like. Last time I had any was on a Precision with the greasebucket circuit, which I have to say, felt and sounded slightly dull. Good for some applications but... not for all the stuff I record with. The standard ones I find easier to be able to manipulate the sound to be able to fit into most mixes.....
I change my bass strings every 10 years whether they need it or not. I think the Cobalts stand out but don't mind any of those really; the Stainless Steel give quite a nice high end clunky sound, which is also nice for some fast punky alt tunes.
Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwound (previously known as Cobalt flats) would have been nice. I run them on all of my electric basses because they sound like no other flatwound string out there. If it weren't for the feel, you would swear they were roundwound and even after they darken a bit and lose some top end, they get a really solid growl.
From classic rock to soul, I swear by my 1977 Greco Electric Bass (P style) with flats (and a Fender Rumble 200 combo with its 15" speaker). The P bass was designed when all bass strings were flats, which is relevant, although not definitive, of course. My bass really cuts through the mix - up against two Fender Hot Rods and a standard drum kit I often get comments about the sound and clarity of the bass setup.
As a guitarist, I think strings are probably one of the most important elements of tone. You can get a dark, thick metal tone with thicker strings, and a brighter, chimier tone with thinner strings, not to mention all the different string materials. I imagine the same is true with bass. It would be interesting to also compare string brands and string gauges on the bass, as well as doing similar tests to all of these on the guitar. My favorite strings to use on guitar for the last couple of years have been GHS Nickel Rockers. With a "rollerwinding" that slightly flattens the regular winding, they feel awesome - smooth but still with most of the texture (unlike flatwounds, which removes the texture completely). The pure nickel also makes them nice and mellow, perfect for the blues and rock I usually play. If I ever pick up a bass I would definitely look into GHS for the bass strings first.
I've always found the opposite to be true with string gages. Thinner strings have less tension so you get a thicker tone. More fundamental with less overtones. The same reason why a short scale bass with the same gage strings as a full scale will sound more full. Short scale basses tend to be described as boomy or tubby sounding. Tony Iomi's tone is another great example. He used lighter gage strings to make it easier to play after he lost his finger tips, and the Sabbath guitar tone is pretty thick.
I guesstimated my way into my dream sound without ever trying this combination IRL - I bought a very bright 5 string Sire V7 Swamp Ash that has two single coils and a very pokey 3 band EQ w/ sweepable mids, and then paired it with very mellow flatwounds.
Would be interesting if the Cobalt Flats were included. To me, while they don't quite sound like rounds, they are a much brighter flat than the Group series flats.
Now more people know why I always promote Cobalts and have them on every instrument I own. All the Gretsch guitars except for one have heavy bottom with a wound third, the one has Cobalt flats. Both my four string and my five string get the heaviest gauge. More output is always better, EQ it after.
Back in the day Rotosound made a couple sets I loved. A 4 string 35-85 and a 5 string was 35-110. They played great on my basses. My 6 came with Diadarrio. I'm going to need to restring all 3 basses and that's and man that's going to be painful.
You should try Markbass Strings. I've got the Balanced on some of my basses which are the best strings I've tried in years, and the Andrew Gouche semi exposed series on a bass I play fast on because the string sits on the core at the saddle.
Never expected such a difference. I like the farty deeps of stainless steel but cobalts sound the best. But still stainless have a farty charm, sound like they reduce output by a lot.
I'm a guitar player and I play bass sometimes if I'm recording , what strings (Ernie Ball) would you recommend for all styles of playing , from Rock Metal to Blues and Pop .
Interesting perspective and thank you very much for the input. I'm a guitar player and I have a bass that I use for recording. I'm trying to figure this all out. Bass is totally underrated in terms of its complexity and it's important.
High key agree. I have two precision basses, both Fender but totally different sounding pick ups. One has flats, the other has a healthy rotation of different steel/nickelrounds. Just experiment and find out what works best for your bass!
@Cici you should give Stainless Steel a try on your warwick, I definitely prefer the sound of mine on Stainless steel strings (my piece of advice would be Dr Lo'Riders)
Steel is a harder metal than nickel - so you will grind your frets away a lot faster - that's the problem with them. I would not use steel unless I had stainless steel frets - at least then the two metals are of equal hardness. I feel you should have mentioned this, although I haven't finished the entire video yet... The same goes for cobalt, cobalt is harder than nickel. Unless you don't mind paying for fret dresses and refrets more regularly, if you have nickel frets, stick to nickel strings.
I always find that string difference is much more hearable through an amp, and a bit more subtle through DI. Which is a shame, since this video I'm pretty sure is just playing them through DI.
I'm not knocking the video but it's hard to get across how a string feels for a certain player , not style of music bu t the feel of the actual strings . Still enjoyed the video guys .
String variation unbiased test - bought to you by Ernie Ball Strings. (Tbh I love EB strings but it would have been more useful if several different manufacturers had been included rather than simply an EB advertorial.)
That would be a different subject. You are more likely to get a better idea of the difference in string construction by sticking to 1 manufacturer. Comparing makes would be a good video though.
I wonder if these bass videos get as much views as their guitar videos. I always am let down when I expect a good-ol’ Pete and Lee guitar gear video and see this type of video and have to wait a whole day.
Missed opportunity. This video should have also included the Slinky Cobalt Flatwounds so people could hear if they actually sound like rounds as EB says.
and than they should do a video comparing the strings when they get older. I don't like new bass strings anymore
They do, but not for long...just bought a set. They definitely have about 10-20 hours of zing in them then they dull down to what you'd expect flats to sound like.
@@matthiasmilles788Dude, that would take ages to break in all those new sets of strings. Sounds like you should do that yourself, mate.
@@jcout25 Alone, that would take quite a while depending on how many different sets you want to age and compare. However a couple episodes of Star Trek and a bucket of KFC is a good way to fast track aging strings.
I finally tried flats a few years ago and was completely hooked. The smooth feel and no string noise make all the difference. I like their classic mellower sound too, but for me it's honestly not even about the sound. I know this video is solely talking about Ernie Ball strings, but another great option to get the smooth feel but a slightly brighter sound and lower string tension is tapewounds… I really like La Bella white nylon tapes - I have those on my P Bass and my fretless. Ernie Ball or DR Legend flats on the others.
I am primarily a guitar player, but do enjoy playing bass from time to time... and man, those cobalts with the melodic playing sounded SO GOOD, I have to give them a shot
Cici is an alien with bass strings. Her video on string gauge blindfolded was amazing.
I recently put Rotosound RS88LD Black Nylon Flatwounds on my Epiphone Jack Casady and they totally transformed it. Big fan ✊
What a coincidence, I'm just now trying out Group III flats on my P-bass. Wonderful strings!
Well that was informative to a rarely seen playing Bass type. Really enjoying yhe Andertons Bass Team keep them coming 👍
I always wondered why Flats had higher tension, Thanks so much for explaining that in the video.
The cobalts sounded the best to my ear!
New strings? On my bass? I do not compute 😂
Love you're channel. I think you might want to give these a try. "La Bella - Light tension Flatwound". I think you might dig them. Heavey!!!
Half round bass strings are a good alternative if you want the feel of flats but not the tension. Unfortunately, they're just as pricey as flats.
Thanks guys, great demos & explanations !
Some brands make a half-flatwound string for bass, it's designed to be somewhere between a flatwound and roundwound in terms of both feel and sound.
It’s been far too long since I picked up my bass but the Cobalt Slinky and the Flatwound Slinky sounded the best to me. It also helps that both of them don’t use nickel-I’m badly allergic to nickel.
I'm a guitar player but I also love playing the bass for fun. You guys have it easier in that you only have to replace your strings around half as much. 🙂
But also pay double or triple the price :D
This generally confirms my thoughts.
I don't care for stainless steel strings.
I really like the cobalt strings, especially the Cobalt Flats.
Flatwounds are a good investment as you only have to buy them once in a lifetime. 😁
Nickel are pretty much always a great choice.
Tapewounds are the best of both worlds for nickel tone and flat feel.
Pressure-wound & half-round are lovely on fretless and are kind to the fingerboard.
Thanks, Andertons, for the great comparison!
Ooh! A surprising one for me in this was the flats with overdrive: all tone and minimal "string noise". It wouldn't work for everything, but that sound feels like a way to stick out from the crowd.
Otherwise, impressed by the clarity of the cobalt slinkys.
Tried so many different strings over the years, from Ernie balls, Elites even Warwick, Vigier and Fodera. My favourite has to be DRs they just sound great and last for ages. Saying that, my eldest did get me some Cobolts which are sat in my bag. Will have to give them a try
What did you use for that overdrive? It sounded great!
I love my Ernie Ball Slinky flatwounds.
there are also flatwounds with relatively low tension - Thomastik JF324 for instance - awesome stings
Flat wounds may be more expensive but as you only ever buy one set it doesn’t matter in the long run
Cici giving No Quarter in the overdrive demo, there. I'm genuinely surprised *how* different the string types sounded, even over TH-cam.
That riff sounded HUGE on all of the basses. Absolute stankface but I think the Cobalts just about take it.
Hi mate so excited today just reached my goal of 400k since June2024 to Jan 2025 I thank GOD for the life and wisdom shared
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interesting I'm 57 and no much income in my life how do I make it like you if possible 🙆
From $10,000 to $76,000 that's the minimum range of profit return every week I thinks it's not a bad one for me. I now have enough to pay bills and take care of my family.
Day trading is the best way of making money in the market due to lack of experience which resulted in loosing funds... But mr josh olfert , restored hope hes a good man
Life is easier when the cash keeps popping in, thanks to josh olfert
I found out what my son uses on his bases (4 or 5 of them), so I got him some DR Sunbeams 40-100, and some DR Hi-Beams 45-105. To me, base strings are a mystery, because I tend to use 9-42's and 9-46's.
It would have been nice to have tapewound in the lineup as well. The stainless strings sound pretty much almost the same as standard nickel to me, but the potential added lifespan could be nice and worth it just for that. The flats definitely sound nice and smooth for the melodic stuff and have a more "round" tone which is nice. The cobalts sound really big and clear, almost like having an EQ running. I'll have to check out cobalts for my normal electric guitars that I play high gain with, especially down tuned. I wonder if it would help a lot with clarity in the low notes.
brilliant cc as usual, loved the vid ,hum for me me the cobalt sounded the best.
This a great apples to apples comparison. Removing as many of the variables as possible, making sure that we get to hear how each kind of string affects the tone.
I'm very partial to what flatwounds do. They get rid of the rattle that regular strings can have and are very smooth to the touch. And the thump-y sound is just pure classic stuff. There's a middle of the road option though, for those that desire the smoother feel of flats, but want more of the clarity from regular strings: pressure wound strings should do that trick. Or you can just take the flatwounds to the next level and bust out the tapewound strings. Those have an awesome, almost double bass sounding quality.
Always Stainless Steel for me! Sounds better to my ears and stay bright much longer
There is something cool about slap with Flats, you can get that poppy slap sound a bit less bright, but you can also get that with warm non slapped notes like seen here.
Interesting comparison.
It would be even more interesting
to compare similar strings from different manufactures.
I mostly use La Bella, but the cobalt EB sounded interesting.
It's quite expensive and laborious to experiment yourself.
I tried flats on a fretless P-bass in the late seventies, which sounded great.
My only problem was that I used a lot of sliding between notes
and nearly got burn marks from the friction.
That didn't happen when I changed to round wounds.
Top notch playing from Cici, great tone and consistency.
You could be in a band😉
✌✌
I'm glad Andertons was able to get Murderface from Dethklok in to host a video with Cici!
I’m a guitarists here so maybe my opinion doesn’t matter when it comes to bass strings (lol) but I swear by the paradigm strings EB make. I was a cobalt user until I tried them and they are god-tier! (They’re like an enhanced cobalt version)
I've been using NYXL's but those cobalts sound really good
I was just about to say the same thing. I love what NYXL strings bring to my basses, but those cobalts sound punchy as hell.
40 years playing…. Perhaps need to try some Cobalts!
I love Labella flats on my Bass VI, I didn't like paying for them, but I sure like playing them!
Pleasantly surprised by the flats on the Stingray-a-like. Last time I had any was on a Precision with the greasebucket circuit, which I have to say, felt and sounded slightly dull. Good for some applications but... not for all the stuff I record with. The standard ones I find easier to be able to manipulate the sound to be able to fit into most mixes.....
pro level info on the flats. thx man!
I change my bass strings every 10 years whether they need it or not. I think the Cobalts stand out but don't mind any of those really; the Stainless Steel give quite a nice high end clunky sound, which is also nice for some fast punky alt tunes.
Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwound (previously known as Cobalt flats) would have been nice. I run them on all of my electric basses because they sound like no other flatwound string out there. If it weren't for the feel, you would swear they were roundwound and even after they darken a bit and lose some top end, they get a really solid growl.
Where is Lee??!!! Is he… safe??? Is he… alright??
From classic rock to soul, I swear by my 1977 Greco Electric Bass (P style) with flats (and a Fender Rumble 200 combo with its 15" speaker). The P bass was designed when all bass strings were flats, which is relevant, although not definitive, of course.
My bass really cuts through the mix - up against two Fender Hot Rods and a standard drum kit I often get comments about the sound and clarity of the bass setup.
As a guitarist, I think strings are probably one of the most important elements of tone. You can get a dark, thick metal tone with thicker strings, and a brighter, chimier tone with thinner strings, not to mention all the different string materials. I imagine the same is true with bass. It would be interesting to also compare string brands and string gauges on the bass, as well as doing similar tests to all of these on the guitar.
My favorite strings to use on guitar for the last couple of years have been GHS Nickel Rockers. With a "rollerwinding" that slightly flattens the regular winding, they feel awesome - smooth but still with most of the texture (unlike flatwounds, which removes the texture completely). The pure nickel also makes them nice and mellow, perfect for the blues and rock I usually play. If I ever pick up a bass I would definitely look into GHS for the bass strings first.
I've always found the opposite to be true with string gages. Thinner strings have less tension so you get a thicker tone. More fundamental with less overtones. The same reason why a short scale bass with the same gage strings as a full scale will sound more full. Short scale basses tend to be described as boomy or tubby sounding. Tony Iomi's tone is another great example. He used lighter gage strings to make it easier to play after he lost his finger tips, and the Sabbath guitar tone is pretty thick.
I'd like to give cobalts a try, they sound great!
Why is there so much fret buzz in bass demo videos nowadays? Is it considered a style? Serious question.
I’m glad there’s not a half hour of jamming before the video starts
Thanks for the video. Why didn't you shoot out the EB Slinky Cobalt Flats?
I guesstimated my way into my dream sound without ever trying this combination IRL - I bought a very bright 5 string Sire V7 Swamp Ash that has two single coils and a very pokey 3 band EQ w/ sweepable mids, and then paired it with very mellow flatwounds.
Would be interesting if the Cobalt Flats were included. To me, while they don't quite sound like rounds, they are a much brighter flat than the Group series flats.
Now more people know why I always promote Cobalts and have them on every instrument I own. All the Gretsch guitars except for one have heavy bottom with a wound third, the one has Cobalt flats. Both my four string and my five string get the heaviest gauge. More output is always better, EQ it after.
Cobalt for me, and I'm not even a bass player. 😄
Back in the day Rotosound made a couple sets I loved. A 4 string 35-85 and a 5 string was 35-110. They played great on my basses. My 6 came with Diadarrio. I'm going to need to restring all 3 basses and that's and man that's going to be painful.
You should try Markbass Strings. I've got the Balanced on some of my basses which are the best strings I've tried in years, and the Andrew Gouche semi exposed series on a bass I play fast on because the string sits on the core at the saddle.
Yes! I love geeky stuff like that!
Never expected such a difference.
I like the farty deeps of stainless steel but cobalts sound the best.
But still stainless have a farty charm, sound like they reduce output by a lot.
Don't tell anyone that you don't need to change flats as often.
Or ever. Mine have been on since 2009
the steels sound more scooped and the cobalts just sound like the nickels but with with more top end and maybe more emphasis on the low mids
I'm a guitar player and I play bass sometimes if I'm recording , what strings (Ernie Ball) would you recommend for all styles of playing , from Rock Metal to Blues and Pop .
Where's Lee.....
The bass picks the string.
🎯
Interesting perspective and thank you very much for the input. I'm a guitar player and I have a bass that I use for recording. I'm trying to figure this all out. Bass is totally underrated in terms of its complexity and it's important.
High key agree. I have two precision basses, both Fender but totally different sounding pick ups. One has flats, the other has a healthy rotation of different steel/nickelrounds. Just experiment and find out what works best for your bass!
The pick strings the bass
And that’s where it gets expensive.
Well that's me switching to flats. Sold!
'Only moving part'
Knows and switches crying rn
@Cici you should give Stainless Steel a try on your warwick, I definitely prefer the sound of mine on Stainless steel strings (my piece of advice would be Dr Lo'Riders)
Good comparison video, but does nobody play bass with a pick anymore?
Which kind of strings for picked indie rock/punk stuff? Always used nickel, but I am curious to try something different
I have a short scale Sire (30”) with 45-105 gauge strings. I’d like a slightly heavier gauge but not sure if a short scale will take it?
If using the same strings for 30-40 years are good enough for Pino, it's more than good enough for me 🤣
Steel is a harder metal than nickel - so you will grind your frets away a lot faster - that's the problem with them. I would not use steel unless I had stainless steel frets - at least then the two metals are of equal hardness. I feel you should have mentioned this, although I haven't finished the entire video yet... The same goes for cobalt, cobalt is harder than nickel.
Unless you don't mind paying for fret dresses and refrets more regularly, if you have nickel frets, stick to nickel strings.
Wouldnt the stainless steel possibly wear your frets faster than other strings?
I always find that string difference is much more hearable through an amp, and a bit more subtle through DI. Which is a shame, since this video I'm pretty sure is just playing them through DI.
Surely they've invented a bass string modelling pedal by now lol😂
Yes
I'm not knocking the video but it's hard to get across how a string feels for a certain player , not style of music bu t the feel of the actual strings . Still enjoyed the video guys .
It’s so lame you guys inserted this guitar player into your all about the bass series. This was perfect with just Cici and Lee.
Testing flats against the same gauge of round makes no sense, for the very reasons you explained regarding tension.
Stainless steel it like sand paper uhhhhhhhh but they are a tad brighter sounding. The harmonics will die off after a while though
Didn't know Benny Blanco working on andertons
Stainless steel it like sand paper uhhhhhhhh but they are a tad brighter sounding.
Don't take this question bad & the wrong way but why have you broke the 2 main presenters dynamic ? 😔
I like this guy more. Dry humor and not as awkward.
@pCeLobster "awkward" ? Wow....😂
I tried flats man it is wierd there is no texture at all very off feeling
String variation unbiased test - bought to you by Ernie Ball Strings. (Tbh I love EB strings but it would have been more useful if several different manufacturers had been included rather than simply an EB advertorial.)
That would be a different subject. You are more likely to get a better idea of the difference in string construction by sticking to 1 manufacturer.
Comparing makes would be a good video though.
Flats are the best. Rounds only for slap.
Don't forget the elimination of calluses the rounds provide.
Flats are great if you want nobody to ever hear you
Could have thrown in the tape wounds
Nickels feel nicer than steels but I can't stand the smell.
Flats all the way.
A Roundwound on an Active Bass is too Bright! i'd rather prefer Flats on a Ken Smith Bass..
Nobody:
Cici: hahahaha
Dingwall 😎
The guy doesn't actually know what he's talking about , he's just saying buzz words that EB have said , very patronising
I wonder if these bass videos get as much views as their guitar videos. I always am let down when I expect a good-ol’ Pete and Lee guitar gear video and see this type of video and have to wait a whole day.
Rotosound is the best
its all about the nonsense video
omg 1st?
If you are testing flats, use La Bella. There are zero substitutions.
Every major brand sounds great, it´s not that important
Too much money for the flat and dull sound of flats.
1. CiCi needs her own channel if she doesn’t have in already
2. Great video.
TH-cam channel
Cici Von Strangelove