Why Are Rotosound Guitar Strings Not So Popular?

robkay

Used quite a few Rotosound guitar strings and they don't seem too bad, they're made in the U.K (i think). but it just seems that their strings aren't that popular. Have a friend who used to run a guitar shop and he said he couldn't sell Rotosound guitar strings for all the" tea in China"

With the fake Daddario strings around, i thought Rotosound may get more popular....or am i dilluded or missing something?

Rob

dogload

I thought that they were very popular.

ThePrettyDamned

I always found they didn't sound as good as Ernie Balls (which sound great... For a couple of hours) and they don't last as long as D'addario (which sound pretty great for a fair while in my experience). 

I now use (genuine) D'addarios.  They're a good compromise for me, and pretty affordable in bulk.  

I've also never snapped any, though I rarely snap strings despite playing very hard and bending strings a lot.  I guess my saddles are smooth

impmann

I used to be sponsored by them. Good strings.

EricTheWeary

I never consider them. I don't really know why other than that I associate them primarily with bass strings. IIRC they used to come with a spare high E as well.

Dave_Mc

I like them

meltedbuzzbox

D'addarios all round for me. Last longer, sound better and can be had cheaper than most others. 

Corvus

I like them too. To me less bright than D'Adds but seem more consistent and for longer. Find they need less stretching in than others. That spare high E is handy, mostly for my boy who keeps breaking them on his Strat.

CloudNine

I have always liked them. And because I haven't broken a guitar string in about 20 yrs, I now have a vast collection of the spare High E strings.

I just use them to cut cheese with now. Fresh string for each slice. It's extravagant, but that's how I roll.

shuikit

I don't like them, I tried one set years ago and the guitar sounded the same as when it had the previous set of battered strings and so decided that the next time I thought about buying a set of Rotosounds, there was a cheaper way of achiving the same tone of them...

Moe_Zambeek

They sound dead straight out of the packet to me. Instant dislike. Went back to D'Addarios ASAP.

Jeremiah

Moe_Zambeek said:

They sound dead straight out of the packet to me. Instant dislike. Went back to D'Addarios ASAP.

This.

I would never have claimed my ears were good enough to be able to tell the difference between different string brands, until I tried a set of Rotosounds - the new set sounded duller and flatter than the old strings I replaced.

Quite like their bass strings though, but then I like bass strings to sound a bit dead.

ICBM

Because they're British, and everyone knows the British can't make guitar-related stuff that's any good…

I have to admit I find them a bit dead-sounding straight out of the packet - and even though I like old strings, it's not quite the same. They go *really* dead pretty quickly too. I'm also not massively keen on the feel, they seem 'rough' or 'gritty' somehow.

The same is true of their bass strings - at least the traditional Swing Bass, which I don't like… surprisingly I *do* like the cheaper 'Roto Bass' ones.

xSkarloey

They are popular.

i love em. Can't get enough of them. Straight out the packet they sound as zingy and bright as an Oxford Don who's just had a gallon of coffee.

Great product.

Picato strings too.

Jetfire

I had one set on my main rock guitar and they were bunk.. terrible strings and wont buy another set again, give me back my Elixirs!

ICBM

Jetfire said:

I had one set on my main rock guitar and they were bunk.. terrible strings and wont buy another set again, give me back my Elixirs!

Oddly enough, I feel exactly the same about Elixirs .

Went straight back to D'Addarios.

IvisonGuitars

As some others have said, they are pretty dull to start with then (for me at least) only last a gig before they are tarnished and start to loose their tuning stability.

And that extra high E just pisses me off!

;-)

guitarfishbay

Does anyone here use R11 Roto Red 11-48s as their string of choice? These ones -

http://mcculloughpigott.com/716-thickbox/rotosound-reds-electric-guitar-strings-11s.jpg

Phil_aka_Pip

I tried Rotosound back in the 1980s when I wasnt sure whose strings to use apart from Ernie Ball's. There's not much wrong with EBs, they tune up quick and sound good, but they don't last long. They're made for the bloke who gigs every night for good money and writes 'em down against tax. So when I tried Rotosound, I found I didn't like the feel of them under my fingers (although perhaps I could have got used to that in time), but more importantly, they sounded "clanky" which is the only way I could describe it. That's why I don't use them.

I carry EBs for quick-change spares, but prefer Dean Markley or d'Addario for planned re-strings.

richardhomer

Last time I bought EBs they were dearer than D' Addarios. Which given that by the time they've been stretched sufficiently to hold their tuning, they need replacing, seems odd....

Fez

I don't like 'em either. I always preferred Dean Markley but they haven't been so good lately so at the moment it's EB. I like the cobalt ones on Strats and happily get several gigs out of a set. Rotosound have a higher steel content which is perhaps why they feel different and go dull quickly.