rotosound strings vs d'addario strings

fetusrobot · Post by **fetusrobot** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:31 pm

has anyone here used rotosound strings? usually i would exclusively play d'addario, i've wanted to try their 10.5 - 48 nickelwound set but i cant find it in stores, and my mom isn't big on online shopping. i found roto reds (11 - 48 ) at a store though, and i've heard these are the strings the members of franz ferdinand use. so like do they sound good/bad, do they last long/little, do they feel smooth/brushy

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:43 pm

I find them overall more consistent during its life over the Daddarios, like not mega bright and die off quickly.

Gotta be very choosy to find some negatives. When I had string breakages a lot due to a rough trem these were the only strings I tried that didn't break, so bonus for that.

Generally them seem a little characterless overall, less overtones harmonically but feel and play just like a regular string. Less warble than Daddarios I think.

"Safe" choice in my opinion, but no real massive identity or immediate wow factor. Just safe, and does what it says on the tin.

Hate the new packaging too, they have cheap cheese factor to them. Not that that really matters.

That's how I felt anyways, your experience could be different on another day, on another guitar etc.

Your mood on the day could sway things when it comes to strings. A lot is Physiological

Find the right strings for the guitar is what I would say. I use 4 different string brands on my 4 guitars. Experiment.

fetusrobot · Post by **fetusrobot** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:48 pm

im just trying to get used to lighter strings. i dont guess strings can really have a lot of character even if they're d'addario (of course they can have loads of redeeming qualities to the player, string tension, stay in tune, feel smoother, or sound brighter or fuller etc) but regardless i might be buying a phase 90 soon so i wont get jostled with "boring" strings

othomas2 · Post by **othomas2** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 11:55 pm

I edited, might be worth a re-read in case I mentioned anything important.

To me they're cheap enough to experiment with. There are only so many string manufacturers out there compared to the dozens of brands available.

A lot will be identical despite many protesting differences. Worth noting.

I'm liking the Daddarion NY XL if you're a fan of that brand, but overall I would give the Elixir Electrics a try.

Not the most organic, but minimise some string buzz / and tighten up on poor intonation type issues.

fetusrobot · Post by **fetusrobot** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:14 am

i dont have any big problems with intonation in terms of scale, i was just wondering if they break tuning after bending them once, like brand new strings. i also kinda like the string buzz, it makes it feel more real i guess. but less string-sounding strings may be interesting? unfortunately they don't have 10.5 - 48 or anything similar. maybe eventually they will release something.

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 8:31 am

I used to use Rotosound back on the day, when they were endorsed by many big UK players. When I came back to playing a while ago I used Ernie Balls, then D'Addario for a while then had a batch of D'Addario that came apart at the twist. I switched back to Rotosound and have used them for the last 5 - 6 years. Free spare top string! I have very dry fingers (I'm always dropping things) and strings never rust for me.

If you have sweaty fingers when you play that rust strings, Elixirs are what my son swears by.

ekwatts · Post by **ekwatts** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:53 am

I've ended up using Rotosounds exclusively. Love 'em.

George · Post by **George** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 10:09 am

NickS wrote:If you have sweaty fingers when you play that rust strings, Elixirs are what my son swears by.

they get my vote too, and i don't even really corrode strings that bad. you don't need to change your strings for months and months, and they still sound like "new" (about 85% as bright as a fresh uncoated string). and they get rid of most awkward squeaky finger slides, which is a must for acoustic finger picking in my opinion

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 11:41 am

I've mostly used Rotos for the last 15 years.
They always seem to be in stock and are resonably priced, decent enough tone.

Had a spell with D'Addario but they were expensive, seemed more flappy and there was the odd qaulity issue like the ball end unwinding.

Tried Elixer strings but didn't like the feel of them at all. I do really like the Dean Markley Helix strings but most shops dont seem to stock them.

Johno · Post by **Johno** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:42 pm

Fran wrote:I've mostly used Rotos for the last 15 years.
They always seem to be in stock and are resonably priced, decent enough tone.

Had a spell with D'Addario but they were expensive, seemed more flappy and there was the odd qaulity issue like the ball end unwinding.

Tried Elixer strings but didn't like the feel of them at all. I do really like the Dean Markley Helix strings but most shops dont seem to stock them.

Been using D'Addario's for 10 years or more. The last few packs have unwound at the ball ends, I even solder the ends.
I have bought a pack of Roto's for when my last D'Addarios shit the bed. Ernie's never gave me any trouble.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:43 pm

This might sound a bit

but I think some brands suit different guitar designs.

To me, the Rotos always sound well on Gibson set-neck types, D'Addario sound better on Fenders.
I got into those DM Helix strings by accident. The local shop gave me some for doing a small guitar repair and I put them on the Tele, they really brought it to life. Bright and zinghy with plenty of definition on O/D settings.

Gabriel · Post by **Gabriel** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 4:19 pm

I like Elixir's, I use them more or less on all my guitars. 11's on my solid bodies, 12's on my acoustic and 13's when I'm playing Jazz.

I like Thomastik strings too but they're really very expensive.

D'addario's are a safe bet too, I always found Rotosounds kinda dull sounding.

fetusrobot · Post by **fetusrobot** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:16 pm

i actually never had any problems with d'addarios, they sound like they should, feel smooth and strong, stay fresh for long enough and hardly ever break. i mean i broke lots of strings when i was still a noob but i tuned 1 1/2 steps up because i didnt have a capo

. the price has never been an issue when buying strings, i mean 6 bucks isn't much of an expense? anything cheaper is just as convenient. i used earnie ball bronze's on my acoustic, they have that really brute attitude and lots of finger noise. i was just wondering if roto's would be good enough to cheat on my d'addarios with

. tomorrow im buying a phase 90 or a tr-2 and i'll get the roto's too. will use them until i can order d'addarios 10.5 - 48 online. thx for all the suggestions xo xo

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:38 pm

fetusrobot wrote:the price has never been an issue when buying strings, i mean 6 bucks isn't much of an expense?

Generally speaking no.
Although, there was a point I was playing in 3 bands/projects using various guitars due to different tunings and different requirements. Â£6 a pop on top of other expenses starts to get noticed.

Its hard to imagine some guitar players used to clean their strings in boiling water to get more life out of them because they couldn't afford to keep buying new ones. These days we just order another multipack off the internets...

JohnnyTheBoy · Post by **JohnnyTheBoy** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:02 am

I used to be an Ernie Ball head-in-the-sand bloke, working my way up through the different thicknesses to try and avoid breakage, as my playing style became heavier..only really tried D'addario's thru recommendations offa this site, but like a few on here have been dissapointed as I also have had a couple of sets come apart, so I've defected and I've been playing Roto Reds under you guys good advice ever since..don't really need to change anything about them...good value and good quality...nuff said.

theshadowofseattle · Post by **theshadowofseattle** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:18 am

I've used D'Addarios almost exclusively since I started playing. Every time I try anything else I totally hate it.

YuriK · Post by **YuriK** » Thu Oct 09, 2014 12:27 am

I use ernie balls, but I dont really care what brand it is.. as long as I like the gauge