Wade's experience with Cobalt strings

[Compton]

I've only gone through 1 set so far, I love the feel of them at first but they seem to darken in sound pretty quickly. I'm probably just use to the bright sound with the nickle but I'm going to slap on another pair.

 

[A.J.]

If you play 4 hours a day every day with an aggressive attack any set of strings will be worn out in a month. That's a pretty rigorous playing schedule! Cobalts will last longer and will also give you more output and stronger highs and lows than nickel or steel.

 

[dwells]

Cobalts are the best strings I've used ever, ill never go back, and I have a stack of friends who have said the smame. We all are more metal type players so it suits us a lot, the punch clarity and more tension in the strings is so good.
But I've heard a few that didn't like the feel. Can't please every one BP

 

[Ventanaman]

A big thumbs up here on the Cobalts - running hybrids 9-46.

 

[Rockbassist]

I recently picked up an issue of Bass Player magazine and saw an advertisement for Ernie Ball Cobalt strings. Even though I have a deal with another manufacturer, I decided to give cobalts a try. I put them on my American Fender Jazz bass and was blown away by the tone. Very responsive, tight and crisp. More output than stainless steel and nickel strings. Plenty of low end with just enough highs and mids to cut through. The tone and volume was very consistent from string to string. I primarily play with my fingers but tried a pick and found that I did not get the annoying harsh brightness and clicking sound that I typically get from stainless and nickel. By far the best sounding strings I have ever heard. After 35 years of playing bass, I have finally found my tone. Great strings!

 

[Norrin Radd]

Been using Cobalts since they were available. I play about an hour a day - my hands don't sweat but the rest of me does! On one guitar I had the Cobalts on for 14 months and they still sounded pretty good! I only took them off because I wanted to clean and condition the fingerboard. Darn rosewood!

Yeah - these will be my strings for life. Every guitar I have has a set of 10-52s on 'em. Awesome strings.

 

[Texaco]

Well, that's too bad for Wade... But I think everyone should give a try to the cobalts !! They're really worth being checked out !

I've been using D'Addario and then Elixir strings, which are also good quality I think and agree pretty well ith the tone I was looking for, but I've been struggling with a lot of hands' sweating each time I pick up my guitar.
Even with proper cleaning before and after playing, I damaged the strings pretty fast (something like less than a month with a 30min per day schedule). And above all, it was really too slippery to play comfortably.

Anyway, Cobalts being rougher (and smoother at the same, it's pretty difficult to explain this feeling), I found just the kind of strings that fit my needs !! Definitely worth trying them out !!

Thanks EB for this great innovation !

 

[KevinM]

I've had the same set on my bass since they first came out. While playing a song with a lot of low B I noticed the low B sounding like it had lost some of it's oomph so I decided to put on a fresh set. That would be about 16 months for one set.

 

[KevinM]

I've had the same set on my bass since they first came out. While playing a song with a lot of low B I noticed the low B sounding like it had lost some of it's oomph so I decided to put on a fresh set. That would be about 16 months for one set.

^^ Update:
I decided to check my batteries before changing the strings and found they were down to 8.5v. After replacing the batteries the strings sound good. I've got about 15 months of playing almost every weekend on this set and they're still going strong.

 

[Archer]

I have not had the same luck with Cobalts... I found the wound strings to be very weak... possibly due to the thinner core wire used ( almost undoubtedly).
I had 3 packs. All broke the E or A strings much faster than other strings I have used.
I DID love the tone, to the point I decided I would only use them for gigs, and only use brand new strings for gigs.
Sure enough, not long after a gig, a wound string would break in practice.
I have a gig this weekend, but I don't think I'm going to drop another $10 just to have that Cobalt tone.
PLEASE hurry with the M steels!!! This may be Cobalts salvation... at least for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

[rockon63brian]

My experience is that the strings are a little bit hotter ( magnetically). I backed the pickups off the strings a little bit. The Ernie Ball Cobalts are, by far the best lasting and sounding strings I have ever used. I use them on all of my guitars. .009s on my Fender Stats and custom shop strat and .010s on my Gibson Les Paul that is tuned for Slide. and again I had to put greater gap between the strings and the magnets.

 

[Ciranimal]

I was sorry to see this thread. Cobalts are by far THE best guitar strings I've ever used. Bar none. They are on every one of my guitars and until BP and his minions come out with something better they'll be my strings of my choice!!!!

 

[guitarman1111]

I just tried the cobalts 10 to 46 on my Strat Plus Rosewood neck. Been using regular slinkys for a long time, didn't like the tone of the cobalts on the Strat, too metellaic a narly type tone. They're louder and might work on my Les paul but a won't be using them on the two standard strats. jmp

 

[guitarman1111]

Back up the ship.

I just tried the cobalts 10 to 46 on my Strat Plus Rosewood neck. Been using regular slinkys for a long time, didn't like the tone of the cobalts on the Strat, too metellaic a narly type tone. They're louder and might work on my Les paul but a won't be using them on the two standard strats. jmp

I spoke too soon maybe because the strings were just installed too new. I find they mellow out fast and now work very well for my Knopler Beck no picks just tuned finger nails tones. The notes are more pronounced stronger and clear for finger playing, specially the lower strings.

 

[ksandvik]

... now I'm curious to try out Cobalts myself! Long time Slinky user but maybe it's time to try out something else.

 

[aliensporebomb]

Just an addition: not only do they have a bright clear long lasting sound (but with really nice bass and mids too) for both clean and distorted guitar but one of the aspects of my playing I do is an ambient effected guitar style and these strings are wonderful for that:

[edited by drkev]

I'm pretty excited about these strings because they seem to sound "newer" for a longer period of time.

Oh one more thing - the strings also seem to help with guitar-to-midi triggering be more stable and reliable although I'm not using any guitar-to-midi on this particular track. Just something I've noticed.

 

[ksandvik]

Just another observation I've had during the few years I've played guitar. Cheaper strings are more inconsistent, you might need to throw away one of every six to 10 packs when you install them. Higher end guitar strings (such as possible Cobalts, have not tried them yet) have a better yield rate. That and the option that they last longer means from a cost analysis that getting more expensive strings might be about the same.

 

[AMERICANPATRIOT]

To start with, I've been playing guitar for 43 years. I've lost count of guitars I own, as well as equipment. I've been reading reviews on these strings, and thought I'd give them a try. I just ordered a set of 10-52's, along with a digitech death metal pedal, and power adapter for the pedal, through AMS. Thought I'd give them a try using my 1994 Jackson, sharkfin Rhoads Pro, in an attempt to make my Blackstar Blackfire 200, Gus G. Head, and half stack come alive. I'll try to remember to let you all know how it turns out, for the heavy death metal sound I'm attempting to reach, without running it through all my rack mounted effects equipment. If I like them, I might give them a try on my new PRS studio 10 top. Wish me luck, LOL !?!!!?

 

[photoweborama]

I've had problems with Cobalt. I'm a guitar tech and had to pull them off of several customers guitars.
They seem to have a wider vibration path an buzz more than regular nickel strings. Also, at times, I can't intonate with Cobalts.

I was given a set recently so I thought I'd give them another shot. Put then on one of my own guitars. Low E would not intonate, so I just checked them.

Just my experience, YMMV

 

[DrKev]

Well, the Cobalt wound strings are *slightly* lower tension than normal slinkys of the same gauge, but the plain strings are no different. Personally, I never had to make any adjustments to my own guitars but some people loosen the truss rod a touch and/or make small adjustments to floating bridges to compensate. Shouldn't be any problem to for you to fix as a tech. People happily use 8 - 38s in standard tuning, or 9-42 with drop D or Eb. Cobalts don't pose any greater challenge.

But as you'll have already read here, Cobalts are another choice, another flavour, and they won't suit everyone.