GHS Pressure Wounds

[micguy]

27717836[/URL], member: 381379"]

Alloy 52 is uncommon in strings, Rotosound also uses it for one of their roundwound sets (Ultra-Mags) but I am unaware of any other bass strings that use it. It's more magnetically reactive than either nickel or iron alone so they tend to be higher output.

Nickel/iron alloys (all metals used in bass strings are alloys) are not that rare - Alloy 52 was used in a version of Boomers and in their Progressives (as well as their Pressurewounds. DR is using “Quantum Nickel”, which is likely similar. Kalium makes “hybrids”, which are a nickel!iron alloy.

Cleartone uses Alloy 52 in guitar strings. Dean Markley uses a nickel/iron in theirs SLP’s. There are probably others I’m not aware of.

 

[iiipopes]

Never used them before. I ordered some for a jazz bass. Switching from DR Pure Blues.

Will I need to adjust the neck ya think?

How do the two compare tension wise?

Since DR does not publish tension specs, nobody can give a definite answer of how they compare. As far as the truss rod, any time you change make and/or model and/or gauge of strings, a new set up, including intonation, string height, and truss rod adjustment may be necessary.

And GHS during covid quit making my favorite Alloy 52 strings: Progressives. In the early '90's they were the new string and I played them for over 25 years until they were discontinued.

 

[Isaac_James]

Nickel/iron alloys (all metals used in bass strings are alloys) are not that rare - Alloy 52 was used in a version of Boomers and in their Progressives (as well as their Pressurewounds. DR is using “Quantum Nickel”, which is likely similar. Kalium makes “hybrids”, which are a nickel!iron alloy. There are probably others I’m not aware of.

I sadly missed the boat on the Progressives. If GHS ever brings those back or the Alloy 52 Boomers, I'm grabbing a set to try out for sure.

Quantum Nickel is likely similar though there's no way to know for sure as the exact composition is a proprietary alloy of nickel and steel (not iron).

I was unaware of the Kalium strings but I can't find any info about the wrap material after 5 minutes of googling. If you can point me to better info I am certainly curious!

 

[micguy]

I sadly missed the boat on the Progressives. If GHS ever brings those back or the Alloy 52 Boomers, I'm grabbing a set to try out for sure.

Kalium hybrids are a great alternative, available in lots of gauges. They sometimes take a while to deliver, but if you order ahead, it’s not really an issue.

 

[Cleezmo]

Some people like strings that sound deader than rounds. I'm not sure why myself, but they do exist. Flats work for some of those folks, but there is a group of folks for whom rounds are too lively, and flats too dead - they are the target market for Pressurewounds.

I fall into this group specifically for fretless strings - I tried rounds, they were a bit too zingy on my fretless (a G&L L-2500), tried several flats, they weren't zingy enough. I've used GHS Pressure Wounds on it for the last few years, and I find them to be a good middle ground of thump and zing, and they leave fewer marks on the fingerboard than rounds. They don't do thump as well as a flat, they don't do zing as well as a stainless round, but they cover a lot of middle ground very well on that bass; I can get close-enough-for-cover-band-work Americana to Pearl Jam tones with a few tweaks of knobs and switches. In a perfect world I'd have two fretless basses, one with rounds and one with flats, but in my current world I have one with Pressure Wounds.

 

[manchego_eggo]

have some short scale PWs on a jazz bass Right now and love the texture (smooth without flat stickiness) and tension (higher but not high like DTFs or Chromes) and also how they sound like dead rounds without zing but still with character out the box, but find the low end and low mids to be lacking. someone else here noted a lack of low end fundamental tones which i agree with.

Im going to try the Brite Flats next which are similar in that they use Alloy 52 and I hope the heavier gauge help.

 

[bherman]

Some people like strings that sound deader than rounds. I'm not sure why myself, but they do exist. Flats work for some of those folks, but there is a group of folks for whom rounds are too lively, and flats too dead - they are the target market for Pressurewounds.

I’m one of those “oddball” people . I generally play and prefer flatwounds, but for my current band, I wanted a little more presence from the strings, without going the roundwound route (not trying to get into a debate, but I hate the feel and sound of rounds). The PW work quite well for me, and they do seem to be lasting. Current set are about 8 months old and doing fine

 

[micguy]

I’m one of those “oddball” people .

We're all bass players here, which kinda cinches that conclusion about....any of us.

 

[Isaac_James]

I am a fan of the PWs and though I can only speak for myself, the reasons I like them over rounds or flats are:

1) I like the feel of these, not quite so slick as the stainless rounds I have on my P bass but smoother than fully round strings

Oops, of course I meant flats here on the P bass.

 

[Isaac_James]

I’m one of those “oddball” people . I generally play and prefer flatwounds, but for my current band, I wanted a little more presence from the strings, without going the roundwound route (not trying to get into a debate, but I hate the feel and sound of rounds). The PW work quite well for me, and they do seem to be lasting. Current set are about 8 months old and doing fine

You aren't alone in disliking the feel and sound of roundwounds. There are dozens of us! Dozens!

 

[michael_t]

You aren't alone in disliking the feel and sound of roundwounds. There are dozens of us! Dozens!

I'm okay with the sound of rounds; in fact, I need the roundwound tone most of the time for what I do. It's the extraneous squeaks and screeches I can't stand!

 

[logdrum]

Depends on your neck. Mine did not need any adjustments, But it is a 5 string with 20mm spacing and has graphite stiffeners as well. Actually even my 4 string jazz neck with ebony fingerboard did not need adjustments as well and yes I came from DR Blues in both cases

 

[trothwell]

Progressives. In the early '90's they were the new string and I played them for over 25 years until they were discontinued.

I reckon it's still possible that the Progressives 2.0 design will eventually be released, but if GHS as a company is doing all right without that product, then, despite the superlative quality of these strings, perhaps they really weren't a great seller? And with Jon having left GHS, my hopes for Progressives 2.0 are diminished.

 

[micguy]

Oops, of course I meant flats here on the P bass.

You’ve outed yourself as a rounds loving, tort hating anarchist. The guys with the pitch forks and torches will be stopping by this evening.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Never used them before. I ordered some for a jazz bass. Switching from DR Pure Blues.

Will I need to adjust the neck ya think?

How do the two compare tension wise?

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Well, if you do. No biggie.

 

[vivaknoxvegas]

I swapped them out this afternoon, kind of feels like I didn’t do anything.

The seem pretty dead right out of the pack. I know that’s what they do after reading more here.

I want to try them with the band, amped up, before judging too quick. Will report back.

 

[vivaknoxvegas]

Also, the neck seems to have responded the same as it was, haven’t adjusted it.

 

[Ggaa]

Also, the neck seems to have responded the same as it was, haven’t adjusted it.

Check the neck in a day or two, sometimes takes a little time to settle. Prob will need a tweak going from round core to hex.

 

[Isaac_James]

You’ve outed yourself as a rounds loving, tort hating anarchist. The guys with the pitch forks and torches will be stopping by this evening.

That's only fair, I earned it with that little Freudian slip.