Pricing and availability

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Sweetwater
4.5 (22)
$24.95
Guitar Center
5.0 (41)
$24.95
Reverb
5.0 (4)
$22.99 New
$24.99 Used
Musician's Friend
5.0 (93)
$24.95
Thomann
4.7 (678)
$23.90 $22.60 $1.30 · All time low

Price History

Based on price data from 5 merchants for "Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.

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Description

Introducing the Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105, a set of round-wound stainless steel strings that have been a top choice of prominent bassists like Billy Sheehan, John Paul Jones, and Geddy Lee. Rotosound, the iconic British brand, made history by being the first to produce these innovative strings back in 1962. The RS66LD Swing Bass Strings are renowned for their bright, punchy tone, making them the perfect fit for rock and metal genres.

These strings are not just about the sound; they offer a balanced tension which makes them comfortable to play while still maintaining a responsive feel. The balanced gauge set from 45 to 105 provides a versatile tone, suitable for various musical styles. On top of that, the long scale length has been specifically tailored for standard 34" scale basses to maximize your instrument's potential.

What sets the RS66LD Swing Bass Strings apart is the round-wound stainless steel construction. This design results in a pure, articulate tone coupled with enhanced clarity. The stainless steel alloy is incredibly resistant to corrosion and sweat, ensuring long-lasting playability and consistent tone. Plus, the textured feel under your fingers adds a familiar touch for most rock and metal bassists.

Key Features:

  • First ever round-wound stainless steel bass strings from Rotosound
  • Bright, punchy tone ideal for rock and metal genres
  • Balanced tension for comfortable play and responsive feel
  • Balanced gauge set from 45 to 105 for a versatile tone
  • Specifically tailored for standard 34" scale basses
  • Highly resistant to corrosion and sweat due to the stainless steel alloy construction
  • Textured feel under fingers for a familiar touch
  • Long-lasting playability and consistent tone

Product specs

Guitar Type Electric Bass
Number of Sets 1
Coated No
Gauges .045, .065, .080, .105
Winding Type Round Wound
Core Material Steel
Winding Material Stainless Steel
Scale Length Long, 32"-34"

FAQs

What is the tone characteristic of Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings?

Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings are known for their bright, punchy tone with excellent clarity and sustain, making them ideal for rock, funk, and jazz styles.

Are Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings suitable for long-scale bass guitars?

Yes, the Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings are designed for long-scale bass guitars, fitting scale lengths of 32"-34".

What material are Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings made from?

These strings are made from stainless steel with a steel core, providing durability and a bright sound.

Do Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings have a coating?

No, Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass strings are not coated, which contributes to their natural feel and bright tone.

What gauges are included in the Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass set?

The Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass set includes gauges .045, .065, .080, and .105.

RS66LD

RS66LD

RS66LD ROTOSOUND

Video thumbnail for RS66LD ROTOSOUND by RS66LD

RS66LD ROTOSOUND

RS66LD

RS66LD

Video thumbnail for Drum & Bass Groove by Timo Orlandi

Drum & Bass Groove

Timo Orlandi

Timo Orlandi

Reviews

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105.

User experience

  • Despite their rough texture, Rotosound 66 strings are favored for their bright, aggressive tone that suits Fender basses, especially when seeking a punchy, articulate sound.

    Source
  • Players report that the Rotosound Swing 66s provide an exceptional bright tone when used with a pick, highlighting the strings' versatility across different playing styles.

    Source
  • Rotosound RS66LD strings are noted for their aggressive, punchy sound with J pickups, enhancing their growly and clear tone.

    Source
  • Rotosound strings are known for their distinctive "piano string growl," which is particularly noticeable on instruments like the Rickenbacker 4003.

    Source
  • Customer service for Rotosound is highlighted positively, with helpful support when addressing string issues.

    Source
  • Despite the rough feel, some users appreciate the initial attack and distinctive tone Rotosound strings provide, especially for recording purposes.

    Source
  • It's observed that Rotosound strings may cause faster fret wear, especially on fretless basses.

    Source

Features and functionality

  • It's noted that the Rotosound Swing 66 strings can bring out a growly midrange on Jazz Basses, ideal for genres requiring prominent bass presence.

    Source
  • Rotosound 66 strings are available in various gauges, with the 45-65-80-105 set being a popular choice due to its balance between brightness and playability.

    Source

Comparisons

  • The stainless steel Rotosound Swing 66s offer more grit and brightness than the nickel-plated version, making them a better choice for players seeking a more aggressive sound.

    Source
  • Users find that DR strings offer a smoother feel and longer lifespan compared to Rotosound, but Rotosound is preferred for its unique tonal qualities.

    Source
  • Users note that Dunlop Super Bright Stainless Steels maintain their "zing" longer than Rotosound strings, which can lose brightness after a week.

    Source
  • Rotosound strings are compared to DR Black Beauties, which are described as less stiff and growler, with a twang similar to Rotosounds.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • Rotosound Swing 66 strings are frequently recommended for Fender Jazz Bass due to their aggressive tone, enhancing the instrument's natural brightness and punch.

    Source
  • Rotosound strings are praised for maintaining a bright tone longer than Ernie Ball Slinkies, making them ideal for players seeking a consistently aggressive sound.

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Setup and maintenance

  • It's observed that Rotosound strings can cause significant fret wear on softer frets, especially on fretless basses, due to their coarse stainless steel construction.

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Build quality

  • Some users report that Rotosound strings can feel rougher compared to Ernie Ball strings, and this texture can affect playability.

    Source
Add

4.5 out of 5

Based on 12 Reviews and 46 Ratings

5 star
4 star
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2 star
1 star
sinner4093

Simply, the best bass strings ever

Bright sounding, long lasting (to me at least, I barely sweat), and when they die the don't become this dead sounding string like most nickel strings that have pretty much no definition and because they are made of Stainless Steel they keep pretty much pristine for a loooong while (just look at Joe Dart Jazz Bass that had already old Swing 66 strings when he got it and used them until he got the Music Man) also they are aren't too tense but they are a little bit stiff on the first two strings, so low action is pretty much must do for that classic Rotosound clank

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Low action!

freedom_solossa

Legendary tone. Unmatched durability. Nothing more to ask.

I'll be honest. This string is known for its clothesline like stiffness and sandpaper like roughness. however, its legendary tone cannot be matched by any brand. and as an Indonesian and its extreme tropical climate, plus my toxic sweats, stainless steel is indeed the most logical option. fresh or dead, still loud enough to defeat any string. trust me, I've been using Ernie Ball Cobalts, Elixir Coated, and D'Addario chromes, or Dr pure blues, and they all crumble to rust. And the Rotosounds? Well in 3 months still crisp and fresh, 6 months merely some dirty stains, then 2 years already and it hasn't rusted either. The only close second was the ErnieBall hybrid Stainless Steel Slinkies.

emuemulator2

these are bad after trying DR

I used to use these when I started out, the sound is alright. They destroy your frets and your fingers like no other rounds and also die very quickly. I replaced these with DR sunbeams on my yamaha about a year ago and they still have signs of life in them.

Preferred Settings + Usage:

Replaced with DR anything pretty much.

colin_marcum

Great strings

These are my favorite strings to use because of how bright and versatile they are. They sound bright for a very long time but they do even out and sound less bright like all other strings.

brandon_bolderoff

great sound, i want bigger gauge on the E string

i personally want a higher gauge on the e string. these strings instantly had a colorful sound. the A string at first was overly noisy, but that went away with use. the strings sound so natural to me, i dare say articulate. i have the string on my gretsch g5123b hollowbody bass. the string really give the bass a 50's or 60's sound, and sounds great when playing acousticly. their is some things i like about daddario strings which i'd like to have in a rotosound set. i'm definitely going to look at other rotosound models to see which is best for me. also, if your play extremely downed tune songs, this set most likely not for you.

chitsure

Let's see

This is my first time trying the round-wound stainless steel bass strings. And I think it's great compared to another set I used before.

pistaq

they are some good strings

if you want a nice bass tone, go for those strings, they are absolute monsters! the thing i hate about them that they are kinda harsh for me (playing agressive fingersyle) and they can make your fingers hurt even doe u have callusses Edit: Now I play only Stainless Steel, I got used to them.

clifford_bao_777

You know, Cliff Burton played agressive fingerstyle with the same kind of strings in a lighter gauge, maybe some 45-90s would work better for you aswell.

pope
pope

8195

More versatile than you think

Seeing the artists generally associated with these strings might let you think they're only great for various kinds of rock. They're not. I've been slapping, thumping and picking away at these for most of my time on bass and they've never failed to deliver. The reason I first chose them was simply because they were among the cheapest on offer that day, but having tried Bass Boomers, Trace Elliotts and many more since, I must say that they don't have anything to boast about compared to the Rotosounds.

diego_chang

For me on my fretless it gives that real pastorius growl.

max_santandrea

The Best

The are they best sounding string for a bright aggressive tone. I use the 50-110 set tuned to Eb Standard and Drop C#

skylinerr

Number 1

The best roundwound bass strings money can buy.

Genres:

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Peter Hook uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Peter Hook

Singer, Bassist

Joy Division

...
Verified via YouTube

Peter Hook is confirmed to have used Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105 strings during the Joy Division era, specifically on his Hondo Rickenbacker copy. This is evidenced in a televised performance of "She's Lost Control" on the "Something Else Show" in September 1979, where the distinct red silk ends characteristic of Rotosound strings are clearly visible on his bass. The performance was remastered and shared by Agustín Casas Solaro on YouTube.

See how Kim Gordon uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Kim Gordon

Singer, Guitarist

Sonic Youth

...
Verified via Photo

Kim Gordon is confirmed to use Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105 strings, as she is listed as a Rotosound artist on their website's "Players" page. This is further supported by images showing the distinctive red silk of Rotosound strings.

See how Davie504 uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Davie504

Bassist

...
Verified via YouTube

At 0:09 he shows the strings that he use Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass Strings in order to record a good tone with the bass.

See how John Entwistle uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

John Entwistle

Singer, Bassist

The Who

...
Verified via Photo

Entwistle was often noted for his place in helping to pioneer and develop Rotosound's bass string design & tonality quality with the help of Rotosound founder & chairman James How.

From November 1975, Guitar Player interview:

What type of strings do you use?

Rotosound. I have to use them — I designed the flaming things! Poor Greg Lake, Chris Squire [laughs]. I was looking for bass strings which vibrated properly, and I couldn’t find a good E and A string on any set at all, except maybe for LaBella — they weren’t too bad. But I wanted a round-wound string. I was approached by Rotosound, and they said they’d make some strings for me, exactly what I wanted. So I went to the factory, and they brought out a set of their round-wound and asked what I thought of them. The E and the A didn’t vibrate properly, and the D and the G weren’t heavy enough. So I sat there all afternoon while they made me strings with different cores, and different gauges, and different types of wire, and finally got through the E, A, D, G, and got a balanced set. And I said, “they’re fine, make me as many sets as you can.” They started making them and said, “look, we’ll put your picture in the string sets, and we’ll put these strings on the market.” So they issued them as “Swing Bass,” and they’ve been out ever since. A lot of people use them and get the same sound as me. I wanted to get a sound like a piano, which is why I wanted round-wound strings; I found that I could play chords and get a lot more sustain out of wire wound, so that’s really why I set out to get the strings done.

In a seperate interview Entwistle stated:

From April 1995 Bassist interview:

[Q]: How did the link [with Rotosound] evolve?

[JE]: “It was in 1966 and I was looking for that Danelectro sound again. I tried everybody’s strings but the E and the A’s just didn’t work. It was the same with Rotosound but there was something about them that was almost there but not quite. To solve the problem I got in touch with James Howe[sic] and told him his D and G strings were great but the E and A didn’t vibrate properly. He told me to take my bass along to Rotosound and have some strings made until they got it right. After a couple of hours, we realised that the problem wasn’t in the wire winding, but in the core of the string. You could see that the strings vibrated in a big circle and that was wrong; the core needed to be thicker. We also made the overall gauges a bit heavier and they sent me away with 12 sets to use. A couple of days later they called and asked if I objected to them putting my name to the strings and selling them commercially. I told them I didn’t mind as long as they kept me supplied with free strings! But then we had to do the same with medium and short scale strings because I had loads of different basses by then. Those strings, the RS 66 sets, were the first that vibrated properly other than the Danelectros.”

The "Danelectro Sound" to which Entwistle is refering is the tone made by the stock bass strings on Danelectro's short-scale basses, which weren't available for general purchase.

See how Billy Sheehan uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Billy Sheehan

Guitarist, Bassist

UFO

...
Verified

Used in the 80s with David Lee Roth, as stated in the Rotosound website, Billy Sheehan has been a long time Rotosound player and endorser

See how Peter Steele uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Peter Steele

Singer, Bassist

Type O Negative

...
Verified via Photo

In this photo Steele can be seen with a pack of Rotosounds taped to his Alembic Spoiler bass.

See how Jeff Ament uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Jeff Ament

Bassist

Pearl Jam

...
Verified via Photo

Jeff Ament, the bassist for Pearl Jam, is known to use Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105 strings on his Mike Lull basses. This is evidenced by the distinctive red silk string ends and the UK-colored ball ends at the bridge, which are characteristic of Rotosound strings. Furthermore, Pearl Jam is listed as a Rotosound artist on the official Rotosound website.

See how Chris Squire uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Chris Squire

Singer, Bassist

Yes

...
Verified via Rotosound

On Rotosound's official website, they list the RS66LD Swing Bass strings as the strings Chris Squire used throughout his career. They noted "Sometimes we will make up Chris’s custom extra long scale Swing Bass strings!"

See how Gene Simmons uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Gene Simmons

Singer, Bassist

Kiss

...
Verified

In a January 1979 issue of Guitar Player magazine Gene was asked, “What kind of strings do you use?”

Gene answered, “I use Rotosound Roundwound Extra Long strings because they’re more metallic. They wear down the frets and your bass needs a fret job done every four or five months, but the Rotosound Roundwounds have that metallic edge, and no matter how low you go you can still hear the twang—especially if you push the mids and the highs, you’re going to get a buzzsaw effect without a fuzz box.”

See how Adam Clayton uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Adam Clayton

Bassist

U2

...
Verified via Photo

Adam Clayton used Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105 strings in the 1980s and 1990s as evidenced by an ad from 1991 from Rotosound showing what strings U2 used. Additionally, he is listed as a Rotosound Artist on the brand's website, alongside his bandmate The Edge.

See how Andy Bell uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Andy Bell

Guitarist, Bassist

Oasis

...
Verified

Andy Bell used Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105 strings on his basses with Oasis, as evidenced by the distinct red silk at both string ends, a characteristic feature of Rotosound strings at the time.

See how Steve DiGiorgio uses Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105

Steve DiGiorgio

Bassist

Death (Metal Band)

...
Verified via FretlessBass.com

In a 2007 interview on FretlessBass.com, Steve DiGiorgio stated that he used Rotosound strings, specifically mentioning that on his four string basses and his five-string basses he added a high C, resulting in a gauge of 35 to 105. This is corroborated by photos and live performances dating back to the Death era, where the distinctive red silk at both ends of his bass strings is visible, confirming the use of Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105 strings.

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

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DigiTech WH-4 Whammy (4th Gen)
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Audix D6
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1
Ampeg SVT-2 Pro Head
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1
Squier Precision Bass
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1

Community setups

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jesse_frick

jesse_frick

Gear IQ 63

raphbass

raphbass

Gear IQ 1304

johnny_t

johnny_t

Gear IQ 207

7 alternative and related items for Rotosound RS66LD Swing Bass 45-105, curated by the Equipboard community.

Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky Stainless Steel Bass Strings (45-105)

$21.99

similar sound

From my previous string change, the closest modern strings that sounded like rotos, albeit less stiffer and smoother. Also, it lasted very long just like rotos.

DR Strings - Hi Beams MR-45 / 45-105

$23.99 - $30.00

similar sound

They sound bright and las a while just not as bright as the Rotosounds

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