• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

husky123

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Messages
144
So much so that I had to change the gain staging on all my amps.:eek:

These things are loud and full of tone. Great job EBMM!
 

KevinM

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
841
Location
SoCal
Mine are coming in today. I hope to have time to string 'em up tonight but I also want to take the time to clean and condition the board so we'll see.

More Cobalt reviews are coming soon.

edit:
So much so that I had to change the gain staging on all my amps.:eek:

These things are loud and full of tone. Great job EBMM!

How much adjustment did you have to make?
 

Bass Control

Well-known member
Joined
May 25, 2007
Messages
748
Location
Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
I got my Cobalts in yesterday. Placing them on the Reflex tomorrow before practice. I might record some before and afters of the tones. These things sound like they are more than hype, I'm excited to test them out!
 

husky123

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Messages
144
How much adjustment did you have to make?

Not a lot. Just had to back the gains down a hair and restructure a few EQ's. These strings have a mid forward voicing and are very strong in the mix. I like them a lot.
 

KevinM

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
841
Location
SoCal
I put my Cobalts on my 25th last night. I did a before and after recording but the only thing I have to record with is a hand held digital recorder. I was standing close to the recorder so it picked a lot of the acoustic sounds from my strings and didn't sound that good. Embarrassing might be more accurate but by ignoring the foreground noise and focusing on the bass coming from my amp I could tell a noticeable difference. The Cobalts came out with a smoother sound.

I only spent about 10 minutes playing on them but the biggest difference I noticed was in the active mode. The more power I put to them the more they performed. The tone is a little brighter than the regular Slinkys so I had to adjust the EQ a tad to get to the tone I like. I'll get more time on them this week and a lot of time this weekend to get a better feel for how good they are. I'll be looking forward to Thursday when I can see how they sound in a group setting through a full system.

So far so good. :D
 

Steamthief

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 14, 2006
Messages
404
Location
Mentone Beach
A guy on talkbass did a soundclip comparison of Cobalts to DR Hi Beams, which are known to be pretty bright, using the same bass and preamp settings. The Cobalts are definitely louder, brighter, and flat out sound better - the DR set sounded muddy in comparison. I'll be buying some for sure.
 

KevinM

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
841
Location
SoCal
I played with the band last night. the Cobalts are working great. The singer/guitarist said he could hear a noticeable difference with the new strings. As stated by others they had more punch and better definition. He has said before that he mostly noticed the bass if I was messing up but last night he could hear all the fills I was playing and commented that they were really smooth and balanced throughout the string range.

One thing I'm noticing and really like is how much better I can hear the difference in tone settings. I've never been much for playing with the tone adjustments but with the variables I have on the 25th and the way the Cobalts pronounce the adjustments I'd be a fool not to take advantage of it.

Great job on the Cobalts and keep on cranking them out so everybody can string them up.
 

husky123

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 9, 2011
Messages
144
A guy on talkbass did a soundclip comparison of Cobalts to DR Hi Beams, which are known to be pretty bright, using the same bass and preamp settings. The Cobalts are definitely louder, brighter, and flat out sound better - the DR set sounded muddy in comparison. I'll be buying some for sure.

Yep that's LimaGuy....good dude. Yes, I agree, the Cobalts just have such a better presence, more fundamental sound to them. I love their tone and clarity. They also have a distinct ability to bring some harmonic richness to the game too. I just hope they last. Time will tell on that and if they do I'm stocking up.
 

cyoungnashville

Chief Fanboi-ardee
Joined
Jun 3, 2010
Messages
640
Location
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
The cobalts are certainly for real... I'm still using the prototypes and they still sound amazing. I kept the double secret unmarked package they came in too, just in case I get famous someday, someone's gonna want stuff like that. On ebay. So I got that goin for me... Which is nice.
 

Steamthief

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 14, 2006
Messages
404
Location
Mentone Beach
Yep that's LimaGuy....good dude. Yes, I agree, the Cobalts just have such a better presence, more fundamental sound to them. I love their tone and clarity. They also have a distinct ability to bring some harmonic richness to the game too. I just hope they last. Time will tell on that and if they do I'm stocking up.

A second comparo-test was done between Cobalts and coated SS Elixirs. Not even close, Cobalts sounded ridiculously better, except if you prefer your tone to sound like there's a blanket over your cabinet!
 

KevinM

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 24, 2011
Messages
841
Location
SoCal
The cobalts are certainly for real... I'm still using the prototypes and they still sound amazing.

One thing that those of us who just got 'em are waiting to find out is how long the great sound will last. I remember one of the initial reviews included that they lasted longer.

Thanks for the tidbit.
 

Steamthief

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 14, 2006
Messages
404
Location
Mentone Beach
The proof is out there - check the soundclips at talkbass. I WAS skeptical at first, but the tone won me over.

Somebody here should do a comparison between Cobalts and Slinkys!
 

Freddels

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Messages
875
Location
Near Wistah
I put some on my Bongo today and they are definitely deep and clear sounding. The Bongo has a lot of definition anyway but these are just different. Not sure how to put it in words except deep and clear. They sounded bright at first but after about an hour of playing they settled in nicely. The test for me will be how they sound in the band setting. I have a gig on Saturday that I'll be giving them a run.
 

73jbass

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
276
Location
Ellenwood,Ga.
Did my first gig with the Cobalts on one of my Bongo 5hh/p's. Played the first set with the cobalts,started the second set with Elixir strung Bongo. 3 tunes later I'm back to the cobalts. Yep,I'm hooked. My only request is to make a Hybrid 5 string set with a .135 B,and an identical 6 string set.
 
Top Bottom