daveinspain Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Broke the G string on my LP Robot and also notice it was disgustingly dirty so I decided to freshen and clean it up. Last trip home to Boston I picked up a set of EB Slinky Cobalt strings. I'm a sucker for hype and there is plenty out there about these strings. On opening the smartly packaged set of strings I noticed the wound strings have a dull, sort of flat silver/grey color rather than a silvery/shiny color. After getting them on the guitar I did feel a different texture, not sure if it's much different then the texture of new strings though. That being said they do feel good. Once they were on and stretched out I started playing some chords and random riffs. I noticed a sound difference right off the bat. They sound creamy…? Not sure if that's the right word but they have a mellower sound than I'm used to when I put a new set of strings on a guitar. On the other hand they sound clear and full of harmonics, very round and well balanced. When I played, the strings seemed to help clean up some of my sloppiness. So far it's a pleasant experience but I do miss the brightness I'm used to on a new set of strings. Maybe thats what people are talking about when they say the strings feel like they are already broken it when you first put them on. I'll have to live with them a while to see if I want to continue using them or string up my other guitars with them though… Note: My guy, Rusty, at GC talked me into getting a set of EB Slinky M-Steel strings too. His comment was he liked the Cobalts but loved the M-Steel. Next guitar with a broken string gets a face lift with those… I might also add that I am actually a D'addario sting user which have always been great sounding, consistent and long lasting strings and I love the multi colored nubbies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 hey Dave, I've used the cobalts a few times, (I've used D'Adarrio XL 10s or 11s for years now) the feel of the Cobalts is noticeably different but you will get used to it. and yea, they do look like they need to be changed the minute you put them on! :) but that's just the way it is with them. I have been contemplating trying them again, (I am working thru a 10 pack of XLs) then I noticed a few months ago, these new M Steels came out. I hear they are a bit stiffer than other stings. People do mention the Cobalts are stiffer too, but that wasn't something I noticed. One thing I did notice, and perhaps you will to, the Cobalts are more responsive and offer just a bit more output than nickle. So you should get a bit more tone out of them. The M Steel are hyped to offer even more output and clarity than the Cobalts. it's pretty nice to know that after all these years, they are still finding new things to offer for string products. the question of are they way they are hyped to be, is usually left to the ears and hands of the players. /Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle mud Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I tried a set of cobalt slinkies about a year ago on my Les Paul. I didn't like them at all. I've used EB hybrid slinkies for years and love them. I bought the hype a thought I'd try the cobalts in the same guage. They have more resistance when you slide your fingers on the strings, and they just feel funny to me. I like the brightness of new strings{I change them often), and these didn't have that brightness. In my opinion they are a waste of money. Oh yeah, and they turned my finger tips grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I've been using Cobalts for several years now. Didn't take long to get used to them... sound and play great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 Yeah I really like the Cobalt strings... They are just so different it was hard to imagine just how different before I tried them.. I still like my normal Super Slinkies too AND the cobalt ones are almost double the price.. They do however seem to last longer before they need changing, or its that I cant tell how dirty they are cos they feel more matt from day one ? :) But they are good for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted August 27, 2014 Share Posted August 27, 2014 I have never had a string change make so profound a difference on my playing and sound. I use Cobalts on everything now. Amazing strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I have never had a string change make so profound a difference on my playing and sound. I use Cobalts on everything now. Amazing strings. I had been using Elixir Nano's and/or Cleartones for a long time and several months ago decided to start experimenting. I put a set of EB Slinky's on my Dot and, well, "meh". A few months later I put on a set of Cobalts. WOW! Brighter, clearer, crisper, you name it. I've since put them on my Casino and LP and have the same reaction. As an aside, someone suggested that if I liked the Cobalt's I should try some DR Pure Blues. Haven't done that yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyMoon Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 I use them as well, love 'em.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 That's all I've been using on my guitars for a while now. I can't say enough good about them. The color seems like a touch of a Blue; like Cobalt, and they feel about the same as a standard set of EB Slinky's. Hence their name. That's how Ernie Ball made his name, the slinkiest feeling strings around; great for bending and such heavenly abuse... I love the Cobalts and have not yet found another set of strings with that kind of dynamic response. They say it is the most magnetically active meal and therefore respond with more dynamics and farther/better/stronger with the magnets of pickups. I've found them to sound far more dynamic and with much more power and strength of output than other strings. I was using Elixirs previously, I found them to have some exceptional tone. I then tried the Ernie Ball Titanium coated Slinky's and found them a touch duller with a limiting of the tone and it is all a fatter sound. They seemed stiffer at first but once they were broken-in they actually felt more flexible than other steel etc. strings. The minute I tried the Cobalts, having watched the reference and background vids by Ernie Ball, I fell in love with them. The sound jumped out of the amp and the output was louder all across the spectrum... I absolutely love the Slinky cobalts in .009's on my Les Pauls! I'll be hard pressed to try anything else... I do have an open mind and am experimenting with some Balanced Tension nickel-would D'Addario's to see how I like them, especially for my axes that may have touchy truss-rod adjustments for a very slight case of fret-buzz... But the Cobalts are simply superb!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Tried 'em after reading a previous thread which praised them. Yuk. Did not like them at all though they were loud. I use DR Pure Blues 11-50, some of the best strings I ever used. Also back to D'Addario plain ol' nickels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I really like them. I've been using Ernie Ball's for many years. But I recently switched back to the Std. Slinky's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 I have a set of M-Steels on the way. will do a proper report when I've tried em out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 I have a set of M-Steels on the way. will do a proper report when I've tried em out. I need to research those... I've seen 'em, but don't really know what they are and what their niche` is... This is what the Ernie Ball site says about them... M-STEEL SUPER SLINKY M-Steel, short for Maraging Steel, is a superalloy used in high stress applications for the aerospace and defense industries. The wound strings are comprised of a patented Super Cobalt alloy wrapped around a Maraging steel hex core wire, producing a richer and fuller tone with powerful low end response. M-Steel plain strings are comprised of a specially tempered steel for maximum fatigue resistance. A patented winding of steel around the ball end of the plain strings reduces slippage, breakage and stays in tune better than conventional plain strings. The loudest, most expressive strings ever created. Provides increased output, frequency response, and strength . Not sure the propaganda and hype is something I can translate on these... I can't seem to see the forest for the trees on this one... It doesn't seem like the investment in thought and time was the same as for the regular Cobalts. It seems like they just wanted louder and potentially longer lasting that seem to stay in tune longer and fatigue less. Not sure that will translate into tone, but it'd be worth an experiment I suppose... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted September 6, 2014 Author Share Posted September 6, 2014 I have a set but I'm not ready to drop them on a guitar yet… When I do I'll comment on them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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