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Norrin Radd

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Jul 20, 2004
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Got some at GC yesterday. Put them on one guitar. Played for an hour. Immediately put a set on the other main player too. I have found my new string, and she is Cobalt. :cool:

Defintiely as advertised - and man was I skeptical. And so far, no reaction to the cobalt like I had to nickel! (Yes!) :eek:

The first thing I noticed about them was how loud they were acoustically. Just brilliant! Yeah - they feel nice on the fingers too. Buttery is an accurate description. And the loudness and clarity I noticed acoustically transfers over plugged in as well. Nice job on these strings, EBMM! Really nice. :cool: And yes - you can hear the difference in tone (vs. nickel or stainless) as much in distorted tones as you can on the clean tones. The clean tones I was getting were amazing. That hour I played? The first 45-50 was all very clean - I never do that. Ever. Yup, definitely my new string. :)
 
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Tung

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Oct 23, 2009
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toronto
The first thing I noticed about them was how loud they were acoustically. Just brilliant! Yeah - they feel nice on the fingers too. Buttery is an accurate description. And the loudness and clarity I noticed acoustically transfers over plugged in as well. Nice job on these strings, EBMM! Really nice. :cool: And yes - you can hear the difference in tone (vs. nickel or stainless) as much in distorted tones as you can on the clean tones. The clean tones I was getting were amazing. That hour I played? The first 45-50 was all very clean - I never do that. Ever. Yup, definitely my new string. :)

It's cool that you had some same initial reactions as I did. The clean do have a lot of clarity, I could get real ballsy and play harder or do a light jazz touch thing, and the tone is there.
 

walsh24115

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Aug 13, 2012
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Frome
Cobalt Guitar Strings

They are really rough and have caused quite a bit of wear on my frets after only a couple of weeks. must say that there is not enough difference between my usual strings and these and as my usual are less £, i'll be going back to them.

Not for me! They also seem to have more tension in them making them feel harder to play.

Spose they would be good for metal, but not a very good all round string.

Try them and see what you think.

Cobalt Guitar Strings
 

DrKev

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Jul 8, 2006
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Somewhere between Paris, Dublin, and Buffalo
Welcome to the forum, Walsh!

A few months back the question was asked about fret wear in the strings section of the forum. The answer was that there is no noticeable difference. And bear in mind that the cobalt alloy is only on the wound strings, so any fret wear under the plain strings is definitely not from the Cobalts. With any set of strings, I'd be very surprised if there was any noticeable extra fret wear after just a couple of weeks (unless you're playing ten hour per day person of course, in which case you'll be replacing your frets every year! :) )

The tension on the cobalt wound strings is slightly less that normal wound EB Slinkys, and most people find that feel "more buttery" under the fingers, not at all harder to play.

Cobalts are another flavour on the market. Strings are a very personal choice and if you find they are not for you, that's perfectly cool. All that's important is is finding what works best for you.
 

ily

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Feb 18, 2008
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749
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FRANCE
Cobalt are my main strings :)

I'm interresting by the cause of fret wear

sure more you play more fret wear you have:D:D:D

what will be the other parameters :
action ?
truss rod adjustment (neck too flat ...) ?
power of left hand (or right for lefties) ?
neck angle with body ?

thanks :):):)
 

Tung

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Oct 23, 2009
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toronto
I have them on 4 of my guitars now. I like the tone better, they last longer, so I think it's worth the extra money. Only broke one string so far, and that's after 3 gigs.
 

ninja420

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Dec 13, 2012
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1
MF shows out now...wanting to give em a try. These just for electric or is there Cobalt for acoustic?

LS: Probably not for acoustic since most use piezo pickups, not magnetic.

Anyway I went to Gitfiddle Central (Guitar Center) and they did not have the "Coated" Power Slinkys I had been previously using. I am actually glad as I am moving more away from the "Coated" or "EXP" style strings. I'm sure they work well for large bands with different sounds and to each his/her own, thats what makes music so awesome. I like bright and don't have the equipment for bright so I compensate by using the brightest strings (plain ol' D'Addario Reds (acoustic) and the "purples" Ernie Ball Power Slinky. So I was about to purchase when the CSR said I should check out the cobalts. So I did as much research in the store there and the theory sounds good so I got 'em, now I just have to push myself to put 'em on since it sounds like I'll only get a couple weeks with them at maximum efficiency.

I think I'm gonna take a day off to just sit and play with these once I get them on. Let U kno.

-Flyin'guitarplayin'boogeyman

My Guitar Life
------------------
1. Washburn D-10 M Clear Green (my first guitar, still the mostly played and it always gets compliments on its unusual coloring.)
2. Hamer Semi-Hollow Electric (beautiful but on the back burner right now)
3. Fender 12-String DG-16E-12 Black
4. Playmate Bass (made in China :)-P )
5. Gibson Studio Les Paul (lovin' the Silverburst, USA! USA! USA!)
 
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wired

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Aug 26, 2004
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East Freetown, Massachusetts, United States
I was very skeptical before trying them, been using slinkys for almost 20 years. I think the Cobalts are pretty amazing. The increased sustain on the wound strings is what blew me away, almost like running a clean boost between the guitar & amp. I've found they maintain their clarity longer than regular slinkys too. Love these strings.
 

Tuckerbomb

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Sep 11, 2010
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Location
Montana
I fully agree with the OP. I hope Ernie Ball never discontinues them! The thought of going back to regular strings is awful!
 

ily

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Feb 18, 2008
Messages
749
Location
FRANCE
i come back to EB COATED series i had breakage of B strings with all my set of Cobalts strings and 0 with coated
 
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