Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Anyone else disappointed with GHS Boomers ?
- Thread starter Fender4Me
- Start date
They are on my Eastwood Backlund Rocker Box as stock strings and I really like them. First time I ever had them on any of my basses. However, this is a 32” scale bass, so that might be a factor in how they sound and feel.
I use Bass Boomers exclusively on my ‘93 Alembic Europa-4. I did a bit of experimenting with different brands, and once I put a set of Boomers on it, my search was over.
Many years ago, I sold my early 70’s Jazz Bass to a friend. Prior to selling it, the bass had sat in it’s case, not getting any playing time. He was showing me his new house, and he had my old Jazz Bass mounted the wall in his den. He hands me the bass and I start messing around a bit with it, playing it unplugged.
The Boomers on it still sounded great, and no telling how many years and hours playing time the had on them. They even had a bit of top end zing. I know I was the last person to string the bass, and at that time I was playing it a LOT.
Many years ago, I sold my early 70’s Jazz Bass to a friend. Prior to selling it, the bass had sat in it’s case, not getting any playing time. He was showing me his new house, and he had my old Jazz Bass mounted the wall in his den. He hands me the bass and I start messing around a bit with it, playing it unplugged.
The Boomers on it still sounded great, and no telling how many years and hours playing time the had on them. They even had a bit of top end zing. I know I was the last person to string the bass, and at that time I was playing it a LOT.
Great avatar! I love Fletch. “God I admire you”.
So, sorry for the post resurrection...
I had posted in another thread that I generally hated nickel plated rounds.
I have come here to repent of that position.
I actually really like Bass Boomers. I use the M3050s from the double pack - which have the 36.5 winding length at the moment. They fit my Fender type basses great, and sound really good - ultimately fitting what I wanted. I came from Precision flats which I also really love. So, for context, basically I was playing the flats in church (which is really the only “gig” out there right now - we are online and socially distant with everyone masked) and I loved the tone with the band. Every now and then though, I wish I had more sustain (especially on a scaled back bridge where whole notes were good) and just a little more snappiness if I needed to dig in. The Boomers delivered this in spades. I will leave them on for a while and report back sometime in the future. I don’t real kill strings at all, and I rotate basses so I’d imaging they’ll last 6 months. We’ll see. I have really been getting into grindy pick tones lately also, and I have found Boomers versatile enough to cover that too. So we’ll see. But so far, great!
I had posted in another thread that I generally hated nickel plated rounds.
I have come here to repent of that position.
I actually really like Bass Boomers. I use the M3050s from the double pack - which have the 36.5 winding length at the moment. They fit my Fender type basses great, and sound really good - ultimately fitting what I wanted. I came from Precision flats which I also really love. So, for context, basically I was playing the flats in church (which is really the only “gig” out there right now - we are online and socially distant with everyone masked) and I loved the tone with the band. Every now and then though, I wish I had more sustain (especially on a scaled back bridge where whole notes were good) and just a little more snappiness if I needed to dig in. The Boomers delivered this in spades. I will leave them on for a while and report back sometime in the future. I don’t real kill strings at all, and I rotate basses so I’d imaging they’ll last 6 months. We’ll see. I have really been getting into grindy pick tones lately also, and I have found Boomers versatile enough to cover that too. So we’ll see. But so far, great!
Full pardon granted!
The Boomers are not for everyone, but they do have a unique tonal character that suits certain playing styles rather well.
My Yamaha will have the Boomers 40-55-75-95-120 on in the next couple of weeks, so I'm looking forward to finding out how they will do.
Use GHS Fast Fret (or a similar product) everytime after you play. It works wonders on keeping the strings fresh and longevity!
I love GHS Boomers! Here’s a couple of photos of my Alembic Excel-5. I handed this bass down to one of my nephews close to 20 years ago. A couple of months ago he returned it to me. It has the same set of Boomers on it from when I gave him the bass. And they still sound great!!
I have to say, I was surprised to see this bass again, and I’m very happy to have it back!
I used to use Boomers on and off, swapping between them and D'Addario XLs or Reds, but the last set I had on a bass was sometime around 1982, so maybe that means - Yes?
Jeesh I wish I had a cool uncle that gave me an Alembic!
Same here. I think their reputation got better over the last 20 years cause i don't see many people trash them these days. I used to consider them the cheap brand that you buy if you like to change your strings every 30 days.
Well here's my rundown, I've used Ken Smith rock masters strings and they are awesome. I love the purple and the tone is really cool and they held up a long time with a regular beat down from my usually heavy handed playing. What's crazy is that I swear that they sound different and are less rough than regular ghs boomers. I have a set on my warwick Corvette bass and I liked the tone for a few days but it's definitely different from the overtones and feel of the Ken Smith strings. Both are great how fast they settled in and hold tune without stretching a hundred times over and the tension is very close to each other with the Ken Smith being slightly lower tension however it's due to the gauge difference and set up changes I made I'm sure. Overall I was definitely surprised at the difference and I'm definitely still having Smith strings in my mind of go to strings while I probably wouldn't buy another set of ghs boomers any time soon. Lol not the worst I've played but I put it behind Smith's , Rotosound, Drs, even Dunlop which I've tried all of those. Still sounds better than Ernie Ball Slinky or Kurt mangen which I really didn't like. I don't think boomers are that dark sounding but I notice that they don't really have the voicing I was hoping for. The low b sounds pretty good and the e sounds pretty nice too but I feel like it's missing something when I go up the neck and I know it's not just eq or pickup hight or anything like that. Rotosound, dr, the smiths all have certain subtle dynamics when you travel up the neck as well as down low but the boomers didn't. Not for me anyway. Just my observation. Try em and see for yourself.
Since I don't have an uncle who can hand me down an Alembic, I had to put the new Boomers on my Yamaha.
This is my first time trying the light 5-string set (40-55-75-95-120). I'll have to see how long it's going to take me to be disappointed with them...
I haven't given any thought to Boomers in over a quarter century. Apparently once was enough for me... nothing specific comes to mind- I just remember not liking them.
Great break angles at the nut! Great witness points! I guess that is to be expected... you ARE the string guru here at TB. Looking forward to your report!Since I don't have an uncle who can hand me down an Alembic, I had to put the new Boomers on my Yamaha.
This is my first time trying the light 5-string set (40-55-75-95-120). I'll have to see how long it's going to take me to be disappointed with them...
View attachment 4078971
I've been using boomers for years and always seem to come back to them. I've tried several brands both nickel and stainless steel (DR, Warwick, Ernie Ball, D'Addario, Ken Smith, and probably a few others). GHS just feels like home to me and I can usually find them in stores, where other brands I've always had to order online. I've never had a dead set or string, but I do hear "they die faster than other strings" from people every now and again.
The last set I had on my jazz bass was Dunlop Super Brights (Nickel) and I liked them a lot (they're a few bucks cheaper than GHS too). Great feel and sound, lighter tension, a bit less low end on the E, but that could just be my perception of them. All in all, I wouldn't mind getting another set in a pinch, but again, don't see them in the wild as often as GHS.
I'm curious about Rotosound, but I know the stainless steel strings are the ones everyone raves about. I've just never liked the feel of stainless steel and typically like the warmer sound. Wonder if there are other longtime GHS users that have found something else they prefer?
The last set I had on my jazz bass was Dunlop Super Brights (Nickel) and I liked them a lot (they're a few bucks cheaper than GHS too). Great feel and sound, lighter tension, a bit less low end on the E, but that could just be my perception of them. All in all, I wouldn't mind getting another set in a pinch, but again, don't see them in the wild as often as GHS.
I'm curious about Rotosound, but I know the stainless steel strings are the ones everyone raves about. I've just never liked the feel of stainless steel and typically like the warmer sound. Wonder if there are other longtime GHS users that have found something else they prefer?
Wow! Would you consider adopting me as your new nephew?
The Rotosound Swing bass nickels have a similar tension to the Boomers but with a little more going on in the high mids? Slightly more highs as well. These are the Swing Bass and not the packs marked Roto Bass. Those sound much different to my ears.
Hope this helps!
Best wishes,
Brent
I have tried GHS products over the years and have the same opinion each time. They are not supple like a D'A xl and much darker with shorter life span. I always come back To D'addario xl's, they just feel like home and they don't break the bank.
I was curious about the difference between the two but can't find much on it. Some have said they are the same strings and the silks are the only difference. But the tone is described differently on the pack as well so seems like they have to be different. How would you describe the difference?
