Ernie Ball Cobalt Strings

[beanx]

Guitar Center: Ernie Ball Cobalt Guitar String Introduction

Anyone tried these? I might pick up a set tomorrow and give them a shot. They sound like the real deal i mean if slash says so and what not

 

[5F6-A]

form what I have read...

they look blueish
they sound louder and brighter
they last a long time
they feel rougher

not for me...

 

[EEF13]

How much are they selling for?

 

[LesAdrian]

how much are they selling for?

$10

 

[IronWeso]

I like em. Still slinky plus all the good stuff already said.

 

[Pinkie]

Actually tried out a set on a customers Ibanez.
He liked them but I'm still on the fence about them.
They did sound brighter but not by much all new strings will sound brighter until they have stretched some with use.
I did have to readjust the pick ups to compensate for the increased brightness.
Felt OK kinda slippery and the pick seemed to glide a bit easier but I use a 2.75 V pick and they tend to glide easier across the strings anyway.
Thats my take on them anyway.YMMV.

 

[Penny Dreadful]

From the sounds of things I would use them on a thick sounding guitar. On a bright guitar they would be too much I'm afraid. Who knows, I may check out a set and see for myself.

 

[Pinkie]

IMO in a guitar with active pick ups it would be way too harsh.

 

[JakeBluesRocker]

Isn't cobalt a carcinogenic material?

 

[Couldn'tStandTheWeather]

Isn't cobalt a carcinogenic material?

 

[Xavier_32]

I tried these on bass in my quest to try every string combination possible to find the right sound. Let me give a rundown on material comparisons so you can understand what I gathered from using these.

Nickel core with a nickel wrap is warmer than nickel core with a steel wrap, with steel core and steel wrap being the brightest of the bunch. The nickel/steel have a mid boost, the steel/steel have a slight mid scoop with a hefty treble punch, on top of being the loudest of the three.

Hex core strings are slightly louder/brighter and have more immediate attack than round core strings, but round core strings have a beefier sound and longer sustain as well as more range in dynamics depending on how hard you hit the string.

Now, the cobalt strings feel softer to the touch than pure nickel strings, and feel a gauge lighter than the same gauge in nickel. The sound is brighter than nickel/steel, almost as bright as steel/steel, but doesn't have the mid scoop. The attack is softer if you pluck softly, and more immediate if you strum really hard, which makes them feel like they have A LOT more usable volume range than other strings.

TL;DR = They sound brighter than a set of regular slinky, feel lighter, feel smoother, and are more responsive to your playing dynamics. However, if you're a fan of round wound pure nickel strings, you'll hate these. Very harsh treble bite if you aren't used to EQ'ing for them. Metal guitarists should give these a try.

 

[kittyhawk]

Isn't cobalt a carcinogenic material?

so is nickel!

 

[Dougie]

From the sound of everything I have read, Cobalt strings will make a mediocre guitar/amp/signal chain come to life like crazy, and a really well tuned guitar/amp/signal chain too harsh and trebly.

I hope I don't hate them really, I love pure nickel rw on guitar and bass.

Found a seller on fleebay that has them $5 cheaper than GC for 3 sets with free shipping. I'm in, will post findings..

 

[Xavier_32]

From the sound of everything I have read, Cobalt strings will make a mediocre guitar/amp/signal chain come to life like crazy, and a really well tuned guitar/amp/signal chain too harsh and trebly.

Something like this. If you're currently happy with the sound of your pure nickels, just be prepared to turn down your treble by a lot and your mids by a little, and maybe your gain by a tad if you have a hot amp with a master volume. You might end up enjoying the feel of the strings more than anything, especially since you're coming from Nickels.

I ended up liking them because I like the sound of pure steel but much prefer the feel of nickel strings. These are like the best of both. At the end of the day, steel strings just end up having a more desirable tone for me, so I'm sticking with those for now.

 

[Dougie]

Well, I -was- going to have something to post to this thread, went to the mailbox and retrieved the package containing my COBALT strings, only to find they had mistakenly shipped .009s instead of .010s!

Either they get shipped back or I put them up for sale $27 shipped for 3 sets.

 

[jiveturkey1]

Well..... I wanted to like them but my ears and fingers wouldn't let me.

 

[voodo child]

Im waiting patiently to try them out

 

[campbellj]

Anyone with acidic sweaty hands played on these strings yet? I'm wondering how they hold up compared to elixer or EB coated?

 

[Crotch]

Anyone with acidic sweaty hands played on these strings yet? I'm wondering how they hold up compared to elixer or EB coated?

I just brought my LP in for a set up and my strings are all rusted says my tech. I bought 3 pairs, 1 for each of my guitars. Upon closer look, they are all rusted. Bought a set for a buddy of mine as well for helping me with some guitar related stuff. Same thing. Rusted. Bout 3 weeks worth of not too heavy playing. I won't be using them anymore and going back to the hybrid slinky's. I did like the "softer" feel these had though. Didn't cut into my virgin fingers: )

Oh well.

 

[MikeStevens]

Pretty cool. If I find a set of skinny top heavy bottom ones I'll try em' out for sure.