Sorry Paul Davids,not impressed by Rotosound Strings..

Tannin

I've used Rotosounds from time to time. I wouldn't rave about them but they are very good, middle-of-the-road strings. Happy to use them again.

chrisj1602

Right so, I’m a bit drunk and can’t read all this, so what strings should I buy?

Tannin

^Long skinny ones with a ball on the end.

mburekenge

Rotosounds and Ernie Balls strings circle the rings of hell

KevS

So are D'Addario fans like Taylor Swift's " Swifties " .?

TimmyO

rhinofeet said:

I'm going through a phase of using UK brands so have got a couple of sets at the moment. I think they age faster than Ernie balls but feel better straight from the packet.

The only thing that ages faster than Ernie Ball strings is that bloke at the end of the 3rd Indiana Jones film

”He chose…poorly” 

Neil

I've always found Rotosounds great and long lasting.
D'addarios seem to oxidise more quickly for me. So much so that all my guitars are strung with Rotos now and just about to order some more.
I had some rusty EB's fresh out of the pack so I'll never use them again.  

OilCityPickups

Neil said:

I've always found Rotosounds great and long lasting.
D'addarios seem to oxidise more quickly for me. So much so that all my guitars are strung with Rotos now and just about to order some more.
I had some rusty EB's fresh out of the pack so I'll never use them again.  

Same here ... we have used nowt but Rotosounds on our Oil City demo guitars for years ... and if you've played one of our pickup demo instruments at a show ... they were using Rotosounds. 

I've used D'Addario 10-52 on my Gretsch of late but they seem to die much faster than the Rotosounds - getting clonky and dull after one or at the most two rehearsals. So I will probably swap to the Roto Blues I have on my Les Paul that have been going ages! 

jellybelly

I quite like rotos - Rotosound Reds are my go to. Like daddarrio too but generally don't like Ernie Balls. It's a personal thing isn't it? No need to bemoan tolerance in society over it!

One thing about rotosound, is I can't remember the last time I broke a string. Like, it might be a decade. They include a spare high E string in all their packs and I have SO MANY of them in a box somewhere 'just in case'

prlgmnr

Rotosounds are the only strings that I've ever put on a guitar and then taken straight off

jellybelly

prlgmnr said:

Rotosounds are the only strings that I've ever put on a guitar and then taken straight off

My integral tightness would ensure I endured them for as long as possible first. 

TTBZ

I've tried Rotosound a few times over the past few years as they were so much cheaper than other brands, but they've been pretty terrible imo. Feel and sound dead straight out the packet and just don't feel nice to play. D'addario for me.

jellybelly

I've had at the back of my mind that I should try some 10.5s on one of my Jazzmasters, I'm usually go with 11s but I play a lot less than I used to having small kids and a busy job, maybe this weekend is an opportunity to try some daddarrios. 

merlin

I use Thomastiks on my Gretsch guitars and Newtones on my B&G. I'm such a deviant. 

BillDL

KevS said:

Even though these strings sound like a deaf Wildebeest/s rectum..( In my Opinion )..

I was brought up in Africa and I can assure you that Rotosound strings sound nothing like a Wildebeest's rectum, regardless of the acuteness of the animal's auditory senses.  They sing as sweetly as the majestic white hooded Fish Eagle surveying for Imberie fish from a Mopane tree on the banks of the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River as the sinking orange orb of the sun reflects off the wet backs of the hippos as they guffaw, and they are as tough and resilient as a Honey Badger's scrotum 

I've used Rotosounds (primarily "yellows" 10-46, but also "pinks" 9-42) for the best part of 40 years and heve never felt the need to switch to another brand despite buying and trying lots of other makes.

guitarjack66

I don't get the love in with Elixirs myself although I do find Rotosounds a bit dull. I'd prefer them over most factory fitted strings though. Dean Markley are my favourite but expensive and difficult to purchase easily.

timmypix

All I can think is Rotosound might have some wild QC tolerances, or we all interpret what we hear/feel differently according to our preferences.

Some of my favourite artists are Rotosound endorsees, I see comments like Ash's above where people swear by them and have used them for years, I have loads of random sets from every time I pick up a set of Bare Knuckles... and yet whenever I've gone "go on then, I'll give them a go", I've been disappointed. I even had a set so dull and papery I thought there was something wrong with the guitar before I put my usual D'addarios back on it.

I keep the sets I've got as spares just in case. Perhaps I've been unlucky, perhaps one person's dull is another person's warm, one person's bright and sparkly is another person's harsh. 

guitarjack66

timmypix said:

All I can think is Rotosound might have some wild QC tolerances, or we all interpret what we hear/feel differently according to our preferences.

Some of my favourite artists are Rotosound endorsees, I see comments like Ash's above where people swear by them and have used them for years, I have loads of random sets from every time I pick up a set of Bare Knuckles... and yet whenever I've gone "go on then, I'll give them a go", I've been disappointed. I even had a set so dull and papery I thought there was something wrong with the guitar before I put my usual D'addarios back on it.

I keep the sets I've got as spares just in case. Perhaps I've been unlucky, perhaps one person's dull is another person's warm, one person's bright and sparkly is another person's harsh. 

Is an 'Endorsee' the same as a user though?

Yorkie

Even if you trust the guy to give his honest opinion, it’s HIS opinion, HIS strings, on HIS guitars. 

Still, influencing a purchase is not as bad as influencing an opinion. Lots of people out there parroting whatever nonsense they’ve heard on YouTube, which is sad  

euan

The problem is you’re not matching the tonemetal to the tonewood