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GHS Balanced Nickel strings

#961
Short scale Balanced Nickels fit the Nordstrand Acinonyx perfectly, should any inquire. :hyper:

20210504_142323.jpg
 
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#963
My Jazz basses are still wearing light gauge BNs and at this point I can't imagine anything else going on them. I have a custom-ordered 4-string Dingwall Super J that should arrive later this month and based on some tension calculations the medium gauge BNs are alarmingly even for string-to-string tension with the relatively short fanning of that bass (32" G to 34.25" E). I'm very excited to try them, and obviously for the bass in general.
 
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#965
silky smoove said:
...based on some tension calculations the medium gauge BNs are alarmingly even for string-to-string tension with the relatively short fanning of that bass (32" G to 34.25" E).
Click to expand...

Both the light and the medium sets of the BN are quite nicely tension-balanced on a single scale. Wouldn't it be better to mix and match the G & D from the medium set (44 & 60) with the A & E from the light set (76 & 101) for them to be more even on a multi-scale?
 
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#966
michael_t said:
Both the light and the medium sets of the BN are quite nicely tension-balanced on a single scale. Wouldn't it be better to mix and match the G & D from the medium set (44 & 60) with the A & E from the light set (76 & 101) for them to be more even on a multi-scale?
Click to expand...
This is how everything calculated: https://www.talkbass.com/attachments/balanced-nickels-png.3596390/

The absolute best for this setup would be the E and A strings from the light, and the D and G from the medium, but we're talking about differences of +/- 2.14 and 2.22 lbs respectively. That's roughly a 5% discrepancy and not worth the added complication and cost of mixing and matching sets, or attempting to purchase singles.

The point is that these strings will still work very well on a medium scale Dingwall, just like they will on a mono-scale bass.
 
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#967
silky smoove said:
The absolute best for this setup would be the E and A strings from the light, and the D and G from the medium, but we're talking about differences of +/- 2.14 and 2.22 lbs respectively. That's roughly a 5% discrepancy and not worth the added complication and cost of mixing and matching sets, or attempting to purchase singles.
Click to expand...

You may have a point there. Looking forward to your report back.
 
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#968
TL;DR — Balanced Nickels stay on this bass :hyper:

First night of this marriage finds me doing finger permutations over the entire fretboard. "Extremely even response" is what GHS states, and I find this to be true.

My intent for this bass is to fill a tonal range between my Stingray and my semi-hollowbody. The Balanced Nickels look like they're going to fill that role nicely. Absolutely I can dial in some thump. With the Nordymute this bass will do Jamerson style duty :thumbsup:

As a fingerstyle player with a light touch, they feel like they inhabit the Goldilocks Zone of string tension and stiffness. Hearing a solid fundamental — as is right with a short scale :) — but "brighter".

GHS tapes would be an amazing thing for this bass. :woot: Ain't no short scale GHS tapes, the Balanced Nickels stay. :cool:
 
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#969
Recorded homework Friday with the Balanced Nickels for Ari Cap's Music Theory for the Bass Player cohort: "Had the stylings and sound of an upright bass", the head coach commented. The not-upright bass in question is the new Nordstrand Acinonyx with the first (shallower) tone cut, recorded through the amp's post-EQ DI.

The more I play the BNs, the more I like them. They're da bomb on a short scale!
 
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#970
Here is a data point for the TB collective. I bought the 44-130 set for my Fodera Monarch neck through bass as I was unhappy with the weak G string of the NYXLs that were on there.

The feel of the GHS BN strings was nice, the tension across the strings was reasonably even. They are a quality string. However they did not sound good on this particular bass. They had a lot of nasal mid range. They settled in over the course of a few weeks but were never great sounding. They were replaced with a set of Fodera nickel wounds which sound great.

This Fodera has a lot of mids and it seems the GHS BN's are not a good match for it tonally.
 
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#971
NeilGB said:
Here is a data point for the TB collective. I bought the 44-130 set for my Fodera Monarch neck through bass as I was unhappy with the weak G string of the NYXLs that were on there.

The feel of the GHS BN strings was nice, the tension across the strings was reasonably even. They are a quality string. However they did not sound good on this particular bass. They had a lot of nasal mid range. They settled in over the course of a few weeks but were never great sounding. They were replaced with a set of Fodera nickel wounds which sound great.

This Fodera has a lot of mids and it seems the GHS BN's are not a good match for it tonally.
Click to expand...
Fodera's strings have superb balance to the feel and a curiously "controlled" nature to how the vibrate from finger techniques. I'm sure you will enjoy them.
 
#978
FirewalZ said:
I really liked the balanced feel of these strings...however I'm not a necessarily a fan of pure nickel strings. I wish they offered this with other sets as well.
Click to expand...

Round Core Bass Boomers had the balanced construction a little while back. You have to order them as singles to get the 45-60-80-105 or 40-55-75-100 balanced sets, but that's an option. Even if you get the packaged sets, they're more balanced than a typical 45-105 set would be.

The Pressurewound Bronze are also created in this way too. They work on an electric bass, but you'll need to tweak some settings as they're quieter than other, more ferrous sets.
 
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#979
FirewalZ said:
I really liked the balanced feel of these strings...however I'm not a necessarily a fan of pure nickel strings. I wish they offered this with other sets as well.
Click to expand...

Jon Moody said:
Round Core Bass Boomers had the balanced construction a little while back. You have to order them as singles to get the 45-60-80-105 or 40-55-75-100 balanced sets, but that's an option. Even if you get the packaged sets, they're more balanced than a typical 45-105 set would be.
Click to expand...

I've tried three sets of RC Boomers, ie 45-105, 45-100 and 40-95, and found them nicely balanced in their playing feel as well as tone, although the 40-95 is the best-balanced in terms of the actual tension numbers.

G 040 - 36.2 lbs.
D 055 - 33.2
A 075 - 36.4
E 095 - 35.2 (Total 141.0)

What's also nice about the RCB 40-95 set is they're very comfortable to play on without ever feeling "floppy" like some round-core strings I've tried in the past despite the small gauges.

EDIT: Here's how the tension figures for the 45-60-80-105 set would work out:

G 045 - 42.6 lbs.
D 060 - 37.9 (065 = 46.0)
A 080 - 43.2
E 105 - 40.8 (Total 164.5)
 
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