Sorry Paul Davids,not impressed by Rotosound Strings..

OilCityPickups

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. 

We buy direct from Rotosound in bulk so we always get fresh ... it could of course be that because they are not as popular as other brands so folks stand more of a chance of getting an older set than other brands that clear through fast. 

guitarjack66

OilCityPickups said:

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. 

We buy direct from Rotosound in bulk so we always get fresh ... it could of course be that because they are not as popular as other brands so folks stand more of a chance of getting an older set than other brands that clear through fast. 

Would you say there is a 'sell by/use by date' on strings?

KevS

BillDL said:

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.

I bow to your superior knowledge of African Fauna and knowledge of Flatulence on the Savannah,however it would seem one Man's Typhoo is another Man's Tetley is another Man's PG Tips..If you are used to one brand,another can be like Wombat Cubes opposed to Oxo ones..To be honest my hearing may also be damaged by the cacophonous trumpeting of my own hind quarters..

KevS

euan said:

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

I try to match the string packet colour to the guitar finish colour..The Visible Light Spectrum Vibration method..

Supportact

I can't really tell the difference between the same gauge strings on an electric.  I find a massive difference between brands on acoustic and especially nylon strings.  But honestly on electric it's all the same to me. Although I do find some last longer than others.

OilCityPickups

guitarjack66 said:

OilCityPickups said:

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. 

We buy direct from Rotosound in bulk so we always get fresh ... it could of course be that because they are not as popular as other brands so folks stand more of a chance of getting an older set than other brands that clear through fast. 

Would you say there is a 'sell by/use by date' on strings?

Pretty much anything metal can and will oxidise ... 

rossi

I like them so there ...

Philly_Q

Pretty remarkable that this has run to three pages.  Some people like a brand of strings, some prefer other brands.  Who'd have guessed?

Schnozz

chrisj1602 said:

I’ve never had an issue with Rotosound.

I love Rotos.

mo6020

Here's my valuable comment: I like Stringjoy's, never tried Rotosound.

Blueingreen

mo6020 said:

Here's my valuable comment: I like Stringjoy's, never tried Rotosound.

I'm interested in Stringjoys but never tried them.  Seem expensive and not easy to source.  How do they compare with Elixirs? (I'm a big Elixir fan but they don't make 8s and with worsening arthritis issues I'm tempted to shift to 8s).

Sporky

DrCornelius said:

Paul Davids seems a decent sort in his vids but why does he have to pull a variation of the same twatty ‘Wow, I’m so surprised’ face in every video preview photo 

Because the algorithm rewards it. 

imalrightjack

Sporky said:

DrCornelius said:

Paul Davids seems a decent sort in his vids but why does he have to pull a variation of the same twatty ‘Wow, I’m so surprised’ face in every video preview photo 

Because the algorithm rewards it. 

Yup. Nearly every video has a ‘wow’ face, to try and draw you in to witness their awe at…a minuscule difference in guitar strings. Nearly always stops me clicking - probably because of some ‘A vocal coach hears Metallica for the first time’ bollocks. It reminds me of the Viz letters about putting your foot through a TV. I fucking hate the internet sometimes. Glad they don’t do that with porn

I’ve used d’Addario XL for years. They do the job and not sure it makes any difference to my gain-soaked noodle-wanks.    

soma1975

You had me at 'not impressed with Paul Davids'.

Svartmetall

I was with a band that almost got signed in the mid 90s and the drummer (who legit Knew People) was saying he could try to set me up with an endorsement deal with Rotosound strings; I said I'd rather pay for D'Addarios than get Rotosounds for free

Gimlet

My ears must be made of tin, because I don’t hear a meaningful difference between most readily available manufacturers. Granted, I’m also not really listening for it. 

Personal chemistry greatly affects string ageing — Ernie Ball and Fender react strongest and corrode quickest for me. For electrics, I’ve used Rotosound 10s for a long as I can remember and never really had any issues. Occasionally I’ll use D’addario XL. They both survive for roughly the same duration. 

When replacing strings I like to coat them liberally in olive oil before installing; this way my playing is slicker and it reduces excessive noise. Then as they dull, I chuck the whole guitar in an industrially sized fryer followed by a sprinkle of lemon, which restores their crisp tone and characteristic zing. For a chewier texture pair with a Univibe from a respectable terroir; non-vintage is fine.

Kurtis

I've never noticed much difference tbh.

Is the nickel plating thinner on some compared to others or something? 

mo6020

Blueingreen said:

mo6020 said:

Here's my valuable comment: I like Stringjoy's, never tried Rotosound.

I'm interested in Stringjoys but never tried them.  Seem expensive and not easy to source.  How do they compare with Elixirs? (I'm a big Elixir fan but they don't make 8s and with worsening arthritis issues I'm tempted to shift to 8s).

I haven't tried Elixirs but they compare favourably to NYXLs, which are also coated. The Stringjoy's aren't coated but they last a decent amount of time and sound pretty consistant until right at the end of their life.

I went from Ernie Ball (for about 30 years) to NYXLs to Stringjoy Signatures and I've stuck with these for a couple of years now. 

KevS

Philly_Q said:

Pretty remarkable that this has run to three pages.  Some people like a brand of strings, some prefer other brands.  Who'd have guessed?

I posted because I found the wound strings on the Rotosound set to sound much more different than I expected..Also the feel..Do Rotosound have thinner cores..?..

Also I tried NYXL's twice..I had string snaps on wound strings almost right away..I think I may have just been unlucky..I've not heard of it happening before..I had Ernie Balls Snap a lot in the 1980's..I tied Fender,Gibson,Rotosound,even Martin Electric strings,I think they were pure nickel.I tried Rotosounds with double wound ends too in a green packet...D'Addario seemed to snap less and I never got them rusted in the packets..That may have just been luck..I was advised to use Ernie's,Roto's and Fender Bullets by different sources,probably Roto's the most....I tried Dean Markley's a few times in the early 1990's,they were too bright to intonate on my Les Paul but OK on my Squier Strat..I preferred the feel of the D'Addario's..Elixir Nano is my backup choice for less played guitars..I think I said that before...Ernie Ball would be my third choice...D'Addario's last ages with me..I must have a D'Addario friendly body chemistry..Dean Markley's were very popular around my region in the early 1990's..I think most people I knew used those..They apparently laster much longer..Therefore I was being an idiot and brainwashed into liking D'Addario..lol..It was fact that Dean Markley were better..

Also strings may have changed,or my perception of them over the decades,,

Oh I never got an answer,,are all plain strings made from the same alloy,or are there differences between brands..?..

CarbonCopy

LooseMoose said:

I don’t know who Paul David’s is, but I’ve never liked Roto’s, they go off quickly, lack sparkle (and depth too) and feel nasty.

Elixirs are expensive but I find anything else just totally inferior in every way.

Wasn't he the magician bloke on TV in the 80s who was married to Debbie McGee?

I would imagine his opinion on Rotosound strings was "you'll like these strings, not a lot, but you'll like them."