Harmonic response, high tension, long life?

[Jon Moody]

Okay, well, I got those GHS Progressives in the mail, and I've had em' on for about a week. They're ok. To their credit, I do get a very nice loud piano like ping every time I do any harmonics on them. For that, they're great. Also, they haven't shown any auditory signs of wear yet. Most other strings would already be starting to dull for me by now, and they are still holding up strong. There is some visible tarnishing though. Fair enough.

I find everything else about them to be pretty lacking though. They're very floppy, to the point where I've had to do two 1/4 turn truss adjustments to keep the strings from excessively buzzing while keeping the string height less than an inch from the 12th fret. The tone itself is very weak. I can't dig into them and get any further response, either. I feel like I'm playing at half volume relative to the other strings I've tried recently, and the mids have been sliced out of my bass completely. I tried recording some tracks yesterday and compared them to prior ones I've done. Same result. Insipid, dull, weak, and easily lost in the mix.

I think I can safely say at this point that in general, I prefer the sound and feel of stainless steel over nickel (or nickel hybrid) strings.

Interesting; that's the first time I've heard of Progressives "lacking" in volume, or anything else, really.

I played one at NAMM over at the Aguilar booth last weekend. You're right, that thing was downright incredible! If I didn't love the Marleaux's just a little bit more, one of those would totally be on my wishlist for this year

You sir, have excellent taste. Did you have a chance to play the Marleaux Contra semi-hollow bass at the NAMM booth? WOOOOOOOOW.

Additionally, alloy 52 strings tend to be louder than other string types. And I have known progressives to be quite response to varied attack with fingers (digging in, playing soft, playing toward the neck, exaggerating for a funkier tone, etc).

However, it is accurate that they are "cold" sounding strings. The mids from them are not warm. They are a growly, edgy string. Yet, they don't clank or otherwise sound too sharp.

Yeah, I've found Progressives to be very dynamic in terms of how you approach them with your finger technique. That's one of the reasons I have them on a couple of my basses at the moment.

But yes, they are definitely a "cold" sounding string. I usually tell people they're more of an "angry" sounding string.

 

[Root 5]

I usually tell people they're more of an "angry" sounding string.

Don't play angry!

 

[iiipopes]

They're very floppy, to the point where I've had to do two 1/4 turn truss adjustments to keep the strings from excessively buzzing while keeping the string height less than an inch from the 12th fret.

That does not make sense. They have more listed tension per set of the similar gauge of GHS SS. Did you get the same gauge as what you had before? It sounds like you got a set of 40's instead of a set of 45's.

I played Progressives for over twenty years, and they always (I rarely say always, but I will here) had slightly more tension and bite than anything else except for the inherently higher tension of flats of the same gauge.

 

[IconBasser]

That does not make sense. They have more listed tension per set of the similar gauge of GHS SS. Did you get the same gauge as what you had before? It sounds like you got a set of 40's instead of a set of 45's.

I played Progressives for over twenty years, and they always (I rarely say always, but I will here) had slightly more tension and bite than anything else except for the inherently higher tension of flats of the same gauge.

That's correct, I did get the set of .40's. As for tension relative to other GHS models, I have nothing to say on the subject. I've never played with GHS strings on this bass before now. I have played DR's with the same aforementioned guage, and they were definitely stiffer than these strings.

As for "bite", yeah, there's a good amount of clanky treble from them, but like I said, the midrange, from low to high, is definitely lower than most other strings I've used. These things have a very scooped sound, which really isn't my thing. I'm probably going to take them off this week.

 

[iiipopes]

Well, alrighty then. After re-reading your impressions in the initial post about how different string react to you and your playing, my final advice is:

Buy cheap generic strings by the gross and change them weekly.

 

[Toptube]

That's correct, I did get the set of .40's. As for tension relative to other GHS models, I have nothing to say on the subject. I've never played with GHS strings on this bass before now. I have played DR's with the same aforementioned guage, and they were definitely stiffer than these strings.

As for "bite", yeah, there's a good amount of clanky treble from them, but like I said, the midrange, from low to high, is definitely lower than most other strings I've used. These things have a very scooped sound, which really isn't my thing. I'm probably going to take them off this week.

Something is missing in your setup, between string/brand changes. DR strings, even their low riders, should not be stiffer and less "floppy" than GHS progressives.

*fat beams I also found to be notably lower output than the strings I usually use. However, Something about the coating on DR dragon skins gives back a bit more volume, in my experience. Which was confirmed by Ed Friedland in a review he did of their entire line.

 

[Levin]

Well, alrighty then. After re-reading your impressions in the initial post about how different string react to you and your playing, my final advice is:

Buy cheap generic strings by the gross and change them weekly.

Or buy LOTS of Foderas or Kalium, would be cheap too! And probably sound and feel better... with Kalium you can get some really thick gauges too.

 

[Jazz Ad]

Kalium too here.

 

[Toptube]

I'm not sure that Kalium or Fodera would be the right pathway for him. Both are quality strings. Both offer good tension balance. But both are known for being more flexible than some other strings. If he were to buy his typical gauge from Fodera or Kalium, he may find them too soft.

 

[FatStringsRule]

I agree that it is possible that my technique can diminish the overall effectiveness of my harmonics, but that doesn't account for the reported variance of harmonic response from string to string. Notice the "Great" and "Good" descriptions on the Hi Beams and Rotos; I have zero problems with easily getting solid harmonics out of those. Using the exact same finger technique, I have a terrible time doing it with Elixers and D'Addarios. That to me says that the strings themselves aren't as responsive.

You could also be implying that different strings require different/harder techniques for harmonics. I suppose this is plausible. However, I don't want to waste time and creative energy reinventing a wheel simply because an inexpensive and easily replaced piece of gear requires me to. I'd rather replace the gear.

Your intonation (saddles) May need adjusting. Every time you change strings it should be checked and adjusted. Even if the same gauge is used, sizes vary from each manufacturer. If the bass isn't properly intonated the harmonics won't ring out right.

 

[Levin]

I'm not sure that Kalium or Fodera would be the right pathway for him. Both are quality strings. Both offer good tension balance. But both are known for being more flexible than some other strings. If he were to buy his typical gauge from Fodera or Kalium, he may find them too soft.

Yeah, that's why I mentioned getting thicker gauges, instead of buying the same used before, which wouldn't be approriate.

 

[Toptube]

Yeah, that's why I mentioned getting thicker gauges, instead of buying the same used before, which wouldn't be approriate.

the other thing to then consider is how the thicker guages will change the feel. He may not like that aspect, even if the strings otherwise respond well to his playing style.

I have three basses which actually get played. Two of them, I don't want anything other than a typical .105-.45 spread. For the third, I don't want anything other than a .100 - .40 (it has a B string, too. I wouldn't want larger than .130. It currently has a .125). That optimizes the overall neck feel for my hands and the the string heights that I like. So the trick then is to find strings which also give me the respons and flexibility I want, at the guage I want. There is a lot more to consider about changes guages, than just how flexible the string is.

 

[IconBasser]

I just checked the intonation, everything's fine. The strings are playing a bit better now, no longer flopping all over the frets; it must have taken a tad longer than expected for the neck to adjust to the truss tweaks. Still definitely looser than I like though.

Come to think of it, the DR Black Beauties I used to use (for years) had a similar feel to them, although they were a slightly heavier gauge (and slightly stiffer) than the Progressives I put on. I do recall the other DR's I listed being more stiff again though.

I remember playing some Ken Smith's at NAMM this year, and really digging their strings. They had a similar feeling to Roto's (and I love Roto's). Anybody here have any experience with them? How will they last compared to some DR's?