![]() It reminds me a little of changing strings on an acoustic guitar from 80/20 bronze to Phosphor Bronze. Tonally, Cobalts strings have a deeper bass response, a different mid-range focus, and more upper treble content. Note the slightly larger winding on the Cobalt string. They feel great! Cobalt string (top), standard Slinky (bottom), both strings are 0.042″. Once I got used to the rougher feel, these are the most comfortable strings I’ve ever played. They were just a little more pliable, a little slinky-er. ![]() The difference here was less than I expected, quite subtle actually, but after a short time playing I suddenly realised that I wasn’t fighting the wound strings any more. It’s not bad, it’s just different and I got used to it pretty quickly.Īs a result of the smaller core, the Cobalts also have a slightly lower tension than regular wound strings of a similar gauge. That extra roughness bothered me a little at first. It’s not a big difference but our finger tips are sensitive enough to feel it. Compared to a standard EB Slinky, the Cobalts have a slightly bigger wrap on slightly smaller core resulting in fewer wraps per unit length. Once installed on my guitar, I noticed that Cobalts felt a little ‘rougher’ than I’m used to. Are they pretty? No, but they don’t need to be! By the way, the new cobalt alloy is only used for the wrap on the wound strings and not used on the plain strings, which are the same tin-coated high-carbon steel that you’ll find in any pack of Ernie Ball Slinkys. They have a dull, matte finish, and a darker grey colour than you’ll be used to seeing, with just a hint of of blue. The wound strings are obviously different. The first thing you notice when taking Cobalts strings out of the package is the colour. I recently got my hands on a set and put them through their paces. The initial response was so strong that Ernie Ball were left scrambling to keep pace with the demand. The proprietary cobalt steel wrap on the wound strings is said to be provide a “stronger magnetic relationship between the strings and the pickups”, resulting in higher output, more sustain, and richer harmonics. Early this year Ernie Ball released a unique line of electric guitar and bass strings.
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