Ernie Ball Cobalt strings are too bright?

These sound a bit shrill for my guitar and playing style.

Firstly, I will say right up front that Ernie Ball Cobalt is a very good string. I'm not saying it's bad. Not at all. These things feel great, bend easy and hold tune great.

As you'll hear in the video above however, they're just a touch on the too-bright side. Or at least that's what my ears hear.

Most people would opt to use the 10-46 "2721" set. I use the 8-38 "2725" set.

My experience with no-nickel strings

The main reason I tried these out is because there's no nickel content in EB Cobalts from what I understand. This was interesting to me and I wanted to experience these for myself.

What you're hearing in the video are the strings after being on my guitar for about 5 days and several hours of play in that span of time. This means they're stretched properly and broken in by this point.

Obviously, they work. All notes and chords ring true, but I notice the string seems to sound best on the middle and neck positions. On the bridge position I hear too much "honk" because the sound from the strings is so bright.

Would the Cobalts "mellow out" after more play? My guess is they would not. Strings are at their brightest on a fresh install, and after several hours of play and being on the guitar for 5 days, they should have mellowed at least a little, but they haven't.

For some guitarists, this is exactly what they want. They want a string that installs bright and stays that way for as long as possible.

I, on the other hand, prefer a string that loses some of its brightness after some play.

Part of the whole selling point of the Cobalts is the fact they stay bright. I get that. But I think this string is better suited for dudes that play rock and metal. They would especially be good for humbuckers that sound a bit "muddy", as these will add in some treble you otherwise didn't have before.

Published 2019 Sep 24