Starfire Bass strings shootout...which do you like best?

[lungimsam]

Maxima nickel flats (med. scale) vs. Ernie Ball Group IV stainless flats (long scale) vs. Ernie Ball Cobalt flats (long scale) vs. Rotosound SM66 Stainless rounds (long scale).
Just playing around the neck so you can hear how the strings sound all over the neck. Fingers first, then Herco grey pick (heavy).
Which do you like best? Pardon my sloppy playing and rattly bass.
I think the Maximas are the best sounding except for the low E which seems to totally dull compared to the clear A/D/G strings of the set. if any Maxima users are here, is that how the Low E is supposed to sound on the Maxima set? If that low E was as clear as the A,D,and G strings in that set then it would be the finest stringiest I ever heard on the Starfire. Very smooth to the touch. Luscious lows and enough high end for clarity. Enjoy!
PS-I think from now on I would like to only use Medium scale strings so as not to have bare wire wrapped on the E and G tuning posts.
I will add a track for Rotosound 77 Jazz Monel flats medium scale next after they arrive.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

 

[mellowgerman]

Cool comparison recordings! Thanks for sharing!

Indeed the low E on the Maximas is notoriously thumpy compared to the rest of the set. My best guess is that they may have an extra outer flat winding/layer which could be the reason behind it. I haven't dissected one of these strings so I can't say for sure, but a "typical" flatwound, at least by modern standards, would have round windings for all but the outer layer.

On my Starfires, I like the Maximas exactly as they are and use the thump of the E string strategically (i.e. even playing some parts on the past the 5th fret to take advantage of the big booty thump, even though the same notes/pitches are available with more sustain but less thwap, on the other strings).

That said, when I put them on my modified Gibson EB-0, which doesn't foster as much natural sustain as my Starfires, I found the low E too thumpy and found that swapping out the E string for a DR Legend flatwound E gave me great results and actually matched the rest of the set better. Ultimately though, I found that I like a set of nylon tapewounds best on the Gibson (low E from D'Addario tapes set, ADG from a Fender tape set). Careful going down the mix and match rabbit hole though... it makes for A LOT of options to explore

 

[Westerly Wood]

I liked #1 best. Then #4.

#2 was very muted...flat even.

 

[lungimsam]

Its not just the Maximas. I am having a hard time in the last two years finding new production flatwound sets that don't come right outta the package with a dead Low E. Chromes seem to be having that problem (didn't before), and the Ernie's too, but less so. Ernie Ball sent me a low E single replacement that was excellent when I got a bad one (windings were coming undone). So I know they can make them right the first time.
The fact that the replacement Ernie single sounded alive and perfect tells me it is not the bass. Maybe I will buy a bunch of Ernie singles as back up and just hope I get all good ones.
It's always a treat to have a good, live, Low E right outta the package.
I am interested to see how the medium scale Jazz Roto flats will do. I hope they work out great, then I will just use them for the Starfire from now on.

 

[lungimsam]

Roto Jazz strings are added to the mix.
I am finding on my Starfire that any flat wound stringset lower than 140lbs tension has deadish, rubbery sounding strings and the notes feel like they are going slightly in and out of tune when held out. Maybe my Starfire needs 140 plus tension on it to be stable (yes I know how to do setups and Trod adjustments). Everything over 140lbs is crisp. The Roto Jazz is 118 lbs. on this medium scale set. LaBella low tension flats are also below 140 lbs and had the same problem. However, it is not bad tone. Just different. Good for McCartney rubbery tone, though. It's weird, I like MCartney's tone, but not on my basses!

Oddly, the Maxima and Jazz strings felt the same on the left hand, smoothness and texture wise.

 

[mellowgerman]

Out of curiosity (I think my brain has a neurological tapeworm because it endlessly craves the nitty gritty details), what was the signal path for these recordings? Do you use a particular interface, preamp, microphone, etc? I recently took a bit of an introductory dive into home-recording, so these things are new areas of interest to me. I've found that the nuances of bass tone can be particularly difficult to capture comprehensively and without adding coloration, which is why I've always tried to provide a rundown of my general signal path from bass to recording software/device to listeners.

Also, I've found that most sets of strings typically take a while to break-in, mellow out, balance output, etc. I know the Maximas were pretty fresh still, but were the others on the bass for a while or should we still expect them to settle and come into their own with a little more play? I've found that especially with flatwounds, they can change drastically over the first month or so of play time. For example, the "old formula" Fender flatwounds (from before the manufacturing changes of 10 or so years ago) were my go-to strings for quite some time. That said, for the first few weeks they always sounded pretty bad with obnoxious zingy overtones and a general lack of punch. However, the rewards for pushing through this sterile metallic tunnel of pingy clank and sparkly warble were great! They pretty much always metamorphosed into nicely balanced, thick and rich, old-school punch. Since then, my playing and tone preferences have changed a bit and I'm not sure I'd spring for any NOS Fender sets that may pop up for sale, but those strings are a prime example of how big of an impact the break-in period can have.

 

[GGJaguar]

I like #1 best. I want to like the Maxima flats, but the low E is just to out-of-bounds. I use T-I flats on some of my G&L basses and the low E isn't that dull/thumpy.

 

[lungimsam]

Signal path is bass> Aguilar Tonehammer>Focusrite>Studio monitors.
Or, in this case of recording: bass> Aguilar Tonehammer>Focusrite >Garage Band D.I. setting. But it does not capture the live feel of course.
Yes, all these strings were within one month old or less.
Yes, break in can change a lot but won’t change a dead string right outta the packet.
Like, those Jazz 77 strings aren’t going to get any better. For years I used only LaBellas and they would always sound great no matter the length of time they were installed. Their downside was too many unintelligible notes during live use. I need more mid and top end to hear what I am playing live. Gotta be crisp. And with Trax, Drums thru subs on stage, keys, piano, two electrics and an acoustic and 5 singers it can be hard to hear oneself clearly.
I like the EB Cobalt 2815 and the Group IV flats best. They are as clear as ever would need yet can get the big fat low end round tone easily. They are full spectrum tone strings.

 

[edwin]

My favorite strings for my Starfire are medium scale Pyramid Gold Flats. My favorite round wounds are DR Sunbeams (killer slap tone with those on there). The Sunbeams do not come in a short or medium scale AFAIK, but that's never been a problem.