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ghs pressure wounds

wrench45us

wrench45us

Guest
Aug 26, 2011
1,325
295
#1
I tried 4 different string sets on a new jazz 5 clone bass. I was going for a half-wound / pressure wound string.

the ghs pressure wounds were the only string set that provided the same sustain on the B string and even starting out the B was a little less sustain, but I could compensate with active electronics.
so I 'settled' for those strings because they were closest to consistent across all strings. It's true about every bass needs to match its strings, as I had never had any B string issue with 2 other 5'ers.

So I played it a while and in a few weeks I went back to another bass that had the tone I really wanted. And I'd pick the new bass up once in a while and play and then put it back. Last weekend I took out the new bass and thought about trying out a few other string sets. It had been a few months and the pressure wounds didn't seem to be aging all that well. I bumped a tuner getting it out of the gig bag and brought out the tuner.
The strings had stretched (or ?) and were off a full step. I tuned it up and quite unexpectedly everything came to life. Now I love these strings. They are so responsive to producing different tomes based on where and how they're played and have a much wider tonal response than any of my 'favorite' strings.
These things are great.
 
#2
Glad you like them! They were a "sleeper" for me, in that I didn't give them a real look until I played a long run of shows with them, and realized how much I liked them.

And as a point of clarification, half-rounds are NOT the same as pressurewounds. Half-rounds are like ground-wounds, in that they are a roundwound string that is then ground smooth. Pressurewound strings have the wrap wire run through a set of rollers, slightly flattening the wire, and then it's wrapped on the core wire.
 
#4
PWRL said:
I've had a lot of good luck with those strings, as well. I have them on my Cabronita P bass at the moment, and although I've been a big fan of Chromes for a long time, I'm really liking the way the Pressurewounds bring out the bass's voice.
Click to expand...

I have them on my Warwick Alien AEB fretless 6 right now for the same reason; there is a lot more nuance and character with the bass as opposed to other string sets I've tried.
 
#5
I have them on a Zon Standard Sonus and given those electronics have so much more clarity than my other basses now that I'm back at tension and in tune, it's the tonal nuances that are surprising me.
I knew I could always get that cutting trebly tone, but it's the mellower deep end that I really appreciate.
 
#8
I threw them on my sb-2, not willing to go the whole flats route. New, you can pretend they're rounds, but once they're worn in, they allow me to get grind and oomph without going too far either way. I'm really reluctant to change them. Has anyone kept them on for a year or more? They don't seem to be losing any tone or shape since I put them on last August! I don't gig at the moment but I play for at least an hour or two a day.
 
#11
ewe2 said:
New, you can pretend they're rounds...
Click to expand...

There's no pretending; they ARE rounds. Oftentimes they get tossed in with halfrounds or groundwounds (both of which are roundwounds that are ground smooth) and that's incorrect.

They're rollerwound, meaning the round wire goes through some rollers to slightly flatten the wrap wire, giving you something more akin to an oval-round, if that makes since. Gives them a mellower sound and smoother feel, but still has that roundwound bark and articulation.
 
#13
ewe2 said:
Has anyone kept them on for a year or more? They don't seem to be losing any tone or shape since I put them on last August! I don't gig at the moment but I play for at least an hour or two a day.
Click to expand...

I've been wondering the same thing..I have a set that has been strung up and played/gigged regularly for three years come Father's Day..no real tonal change that I can hear :bassist:
 
#14
One Bad Monkey said:
There's no pretending; they ARE rounds. Oftentimes they get tossed in with halfrounds or groundwounds (both of which are roundwounds that are ground smooth) and that's incorrect.
Click to expand...

I mean in tonal terms. They start fairly bright and gritty and playing-in mellows the tops leaving you with a good midrange and a fairly thumpy low end. I can get a bunch of tones out them with pick and fingers. And these things have gone through 45c heat, they are tough!
 
#15
ewe2 said:
I mean in tonal terms. They start fairly bright and gritty and playing-in mellows the tops leaving you with a good midrange and a fairly thumpy low end. I can get a bunch of tones out them with pick and fingers. And these things have gone through 45c heat, they are tough!
Click to expand...

Okay, I get it. Usually when someone puts Pressurewounds in with half or groundwounds, people automatically assume that's what those strings are. And since the half/groundwound string is so polarizing (people either love them or hate them), I find it important for a little clarity on the Pressurewounds behalf.

I dig them too. They're usually on at least one of my basses.
 
#17
I just put a set on my Lakland 44-02 and I love the feel and sound. I was a Boomers player for years but got tired of always turning down the treble and still hearing so much zing, as well as finger noise. I've also got a set of Pressurewounds for my Washburn XB-125 5 string but haven't put them on yet (still have a set of Ernie Ball Super Slinkys on it, and they are very thick).
I'm interested to hear how the tone of the Pressurewounds change over time.
 
#18
Gene Doctor said:
I'm interested to hear how the tone of the Pressurewounds change over time.
Click to expand...

Here's a demo vid I did, prior to working here, on the Pressurewounds. Go past the first minute or so of me babbling, and I made some A/B comparisons between new and old sets.

GHS Pressurewounds Demo
 
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