I have a set of these on my AMD Jazz 5 and really like them. I just ordered 3 more sets,one going on a Bongo 5,and another going on a new Sterling 5 H. May be giving up Elixirs.
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Half rounds? Good compromise for a round wound player?
- Thread starter flyguy909
- Start date
Been down this road too and I recently switched to GHS Pressurewounds and couldn't be happier! I've tried both D'Addario Half Rounds and GHS Brite Flats, in that order, and felt the need to change to something else. After seeing some videos and reading string reviews, I chose the lightest gauge Pressurewounds to try. They feel more comfortable than both HR and BF and are just a little brighter but not zingy stainless steel bright. Pressurewounds lose their initial zing after about a week or so which is great for me! Pressurewounds are the best alternative I have found to round wound strings. And only $21 shipped on eBay! Happy string hunting!
I like the GHS Pressurewounds a lot, and Ken Smith Compressors feel/look/sound to me like the same strings. Very clear fundamentals and the mids cut very well. Much liver than my brief experience with half-rounds. They are medium tension and seem pretty much on a par with the D'Addario XL's tension-wise in roughly the same gauge. That's not a scientific statement, just my own impression and the fact that a string change from D'Ad's did not require much in the way of set-up tweaking. I'm not completely sure yet, but am beginning to think they last a very long time relative to rounds.
Well, that explains it. I tried a set of GHS Pressurewounds and while I actually liked the stiffer tension on the E and A strings the tension on the D and G strings was way too much for my liking.
Thanks for the heads up about the Rotosound Pressurewounds. I heard a clip with them (Solo Bass 55's) and liked what I heard but if they're also higher tension then I'm going to have to pass.
They feel like one gauge up. So a 100 in pressurewound feels like a standard 105 and I think that is as skinny as they come for an string. I had the same experience, though, with the sound and finger feel being fine but the 105 type tension was above my normal default of strings in the 95-100 range for the E.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Are they easier on your frets - yes. But if like rounds, you may not like the sound. Try a set - only your ears will give you the answer.
Although.....with this information I'm wondering if I should try a pressurewound set for my Fender Jazz 5 string. While I've come close with some sets I have yet to find the right set for this particular bass. Seems like no matter what I've tried on that bass, the overall feel is always too loose for my liking, especially on the E and B strings. Can't tell you how many sets I've tried on my 4 string Jazz, have loved the feel (tension), then went and bought the 5 string equivalent only to be disappointed. So maybe the right Pressurwound set is what that bass needs.
The biggest surprise was with Elixirs. I also have a SR505 bass that came with Elixirs and that's what I continue to use on that bass because they work so well. Great low B! I put a set on my 5 string Jazz....they gave me the loosest feel yet!
If the sizes on the E to G on the 4 and 5 string sets and the scale lengths are the same then tension will be identical. The only other factor in tension will the that of the B.
You might find you like a heavier B in which case you could get your preferred 4 string set then a single B slightly heavier than offered in the 5 string set. I.e. the lower tension B is making you feel the whole set is looser.
Or another possibility is the B is higher tension already to the E to G feel floppier in comparison. Testable by putting on a single one step lighter than the standard 5 set. Anything else is feel not tension so action, neck dimensions.
Some basses just seem to play themselves and others are hard even with the same strings, scale length, and nominally well set up, because there must be something in the combination of the elements that works better.
Well, it sure seems like the tension would be the same with the E to G strings when going from a 4 string set to an equivalent 5 string set, but for some reason (again, on my 5 string Jazz bass) I find this is not the case. I can put a particular set on my 4 string and the tension feels very even when going from the G to the E string. But when using the 5 string equivalent, the tension gets progressively looser on all of the strings when going from the G string down to the B string.
I've tried raising the action a bit, tweaking the truss rod and have used up to a .135 for the B string and it makes no real difference.
I agree with you in that it's a "combination of the elements"....similar to how I put it in that it's "all things combined." I really believe that for what ever reason, this 5 string Jazz bass needs a very particular set of strings of which I have yet to find that will give me the tension that I like. I just haven't found the right combination yet. I hope I do because I really like how this bass sounds and plays. That's why I bought it.
To give you an idea, I've tried Fender strings, GHS Boomers, Rotosound Swing Bass, D'Addario XL's, Ernie Balls, Elixirs, Dean Markley Blue Steels, DR Fat Beams and DR Lo-Riders. Of all I've tried the Lo-Riders came the closest to what I like in terms of tension, but they still were not quite right for me.
Another vote for Pressurewounds. I love them and use them on a few of my main basses. The tension difference for me was negligible, but the sound and feel is great. Plus, I use a five string set for roots reggae and they sound good right out if the package, but after about six months they sound really, really good. I prefer to Rotosounds, but the GHS Pressurewounds are probably just as good (I just bought a new set of GHS's). I'm a long time Swing Bass user, so I almost use Rotos by default, but they are about $10 more expensive.
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Physics dictates the tension has to be the same, but the distance from string to fret might be different on the two, accounting for a difference feel, or it's because of differences in the tension of the B string to no B string.
I'm using Dunlops (100 to 40), and Thomastik flats (?? to ??). They seem matched in tension. And the occasional foray into Thom rounds or lighter nickel rounds.
I'm using Dunlops (100 to 40), and Thomastik flats (?? to ??). They seem matched in tension. And the occasional foray into Thom rounds or lighter nickel rounds.
I personally didn't like them...sounded like dead rounds without the thump of some flats. And although I like flats on some basses, I feel they tend to "kill" basses too. But, just my opinion...out of everything, it seems that strings are the toughest to decide on by reading reviews.
I've played half rounds and do not like them at all. They are like playing a cat's tongue. It was the worst of all worlds for me.
GHS Pressurewounds are great 'in-between' strings, especially on my passive basses. They are pretty high tension if I recall. Lately I've been playing Sadowsky Light Gauge flats, and they are probably the most versatile string I've played. They will deliver that great, vintage P-thump, but they have enough snap and sizzle on the high end to cut when needed. I never have to boost any treble on them. Killer string, lower tension.
GHS Pressurewounds are great 'in-between' strings, especially on my passive basses. They are pretty high tension if I recall. Lately I've been playing Sadowsky Light Gauge flats, and they are probably the most versatile string I've played. They will deliver that great, vintage P-thump, but they have enough snap and sizzle on the high end to cut when needed. I never have to boost any treble on them. Killer string, lower tension.
Can anyone compare the pressure wound to nickel round wound's (Sunbeam's are whatI've been using)
I'm with the haters. I tried them looking for a sound more round than my flats, but with the feel of the flats I love. Somehow 1/2 rounds manage to be 1/2-way between rounds and flats, but only be 1/2 as good as either. I prefer one or the other, but pressure wounds are a much nicer compromise than 1/2 wounds.
