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GHS Balanced Nickel strings

#781
Jon Moody said:
Nope. I already mentioned in #762 that we couldn’t do it.
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Ok, I see it now... Thanks for the clarification.

Jon Moody said:
We can't make the C string like the others (2 covers over a round core) so it wouldn't be "balanced" in that regard. However, moving from a 2 cover G string to a 1 cover C string isn't that drastic of a tonal difference, oddly. I've been using a 6st set of Round Core Bass Boomers (which have the same construction as BN now), and it's fine.
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#783
Bob Coldwell said:
I can't wait to read some reviews from TBers. I've used Boomers many times, but not for years. My string journey took me all over the place until I landed on my "go to" Ken Smith NPS 40-100 Burners. I strayed long enough to hop on the Dunlop Super Brights bandwagon, but those didn't do it for me at all.

So .... if anyone can tell me how these new GHS strings compare to either of those I mentioned, I'd love to hear about it. I have a new bass coming in 9 weeks, so maybe I'll slap a set of Balanced Nickels on it right off the bat.
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tactile = ?
 
#784
HaphAsSard said:
Well, lead is softer still but more massive nonetheless.

To be fair, nickel is indeed reported by several sources as having a higher specific weight than stainless steel (or, to be precise, than the weight range of various SS alloys):
Invalid Link Removed
Metals and Alloys - Densities
Mass, Weight, Density or Specific Gravity of Different Metals

Would that alone account for the difference in tension between the new strings vs. the round core Boomers, without any need to assume a larger core? I have no idea. (But my hunch is no, if the nickel one is only the outer wrap.) And neither do I know if "same number of wraps" means that they managed to use more than one on the G string, which Mr. Moody once said to be difficult to obtain (but he didn't say impossible, IIRC). Also, how does the number of wraps on the G string correlate with this core debate? are the wraps much thinner than is usual? Again, beats me.
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ss is non conductive.. worries me a little
 
#785
Jon Moody said:
I can't speak for the Fender Pure Nickels, or how they were made. Given that only the final cover of these ones is pure nickel, and everything under it is NOT, I didn't notice that much of a difference when switching out strings. I haven't heard anything about that from anyone that's tested them either but to be fair, they may not have been specifically looking for a volume change. As mentioned, the biggest difference I heard was in attack.
as far as nickel goes, with engine blocks the higher nickel content is desirable. not sure how that translates to strings though.




Greater tension is a result of more mass, which may or may not be the result of larger core diameters.
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#786
Linnin said:
This is patently false. Just check out the tension figures in the GHS Tension Guide and you'll have the truth at your fingertips. Notice how low the tension is for these new pure nickel wrapped rounds.
Close. Core diameter and shape are in play bigtime. Yes a larger hex core is going to give greater mass. As Jon once said something like 'it's really easy to design a stiff string'. While stiffness is not tension, I'm sure it's much easier to design a high tension string than a lower tension string much less such an extremely well tension balanced set such as these new pure nickel rounds.
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lovin this string research.. but good be-jesus, this is drivin me to drinkin!
 
#789
Nearly a year has passed since I last used GHS Balanced Nickels. Having mostly played flats on my Precision bass prior to these, I thought I would try the other end of the brightness scale with GHS Super Steels. Good strings, but I think I just don't like stainless steel on my Precision bass.

I bought a new set of Balanced Nickels, but before I put them on, an upcoming gig looked to be a good candidate for the Labella flatwound tone, so I shifted gears and put a set of those on a few months in advance to let them break in.

Finally got around again to the GHS Balanced Nickels today. Wonderful. Glad to be back.
 
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#792
Agree that these strings work well on a P. I tried these a while back on my G&L L-1000 but they weren't the right match. I've been getting back to my p lately and these work great on that bass. I can run my tone knob wide open and have a nice sound with some bite without that over the top nasal p bass midrange honk. These seem to have a frequency scoop in the perfect spot for a p.
 
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#793
basss said:
I tried these a while back on my G&L L-1000 but they weren't the right match.
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Yeah, I recently got a Kiloton last month, and the Balanced Nickels are the last thing I would put on that bass. The MFD pickup needs something a bit more “lively” to fully complement its capabilities.
 
#794
@Jon Moody Hi Jon. Do you guys have plans for a medium scale set of BN at all? Really want to use these strings..

Edit: It's a 32" scale, standard Fender-like bridge. Does the short scale BN's 32.75" winding length mean it has 32.75" of usable main string?
Thanks in advance.
 
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#796
miles'tone said:
@Jon Moody Hi Jon. Do you guys have plans for a medium scale set of BN at all? Really want to use these strings..
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Immediate plans? No. That's not to say that at some point we may, but I think you're the first person that's asked.

miles'tone said:
Does the short scale BN's 32.75" winding length mean it has 32.75" of usable main string?
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The winding length is the distance from the outside of the ball to where the taper/silk starts at the headstock, so yes. It's not gonna fit on a bass with a 32" scale length.
 
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#797
Thanks @Jon Moody much appreciated. I will just try the long scale set on it. It's been fine so far with other long scale sets cut down just past the taper. Shame to lose the silk on these though as my headstock is green! Would've looked cool with green silks too.
Cheers.
 
#798
How about an extra long set? My choices for this bass are limited.
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