Punch comes from the hex core, and clean crispness comes from the stainless steel inner layers.
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Help identifying some mysterious round wounds?
- Thread starter Soundworks
- Start date
Punch comes from the hex core, and clean crispness comes from the stainless steel inner layers.
And how would you characterize the tone generated by round cores?
I have TI Rounds on one P bass and while it’s a pleasure to play, it has such a strong presence I feel like I hear the strings more than the pickup.
I have TI Rounds on one P bass and while it’s a pleasure to play, it has such a strong presence I feel like I hear the strings more than the pickup.
I must say though that DR Fat beams are punchy as they settle in. They are round cores. The tone of round core strings tend to get a little less focused but they make up for it with a piano like sustain and on certain basses that really makes them sound great. It's not for everyone or every bass but for the ones it works on it really sounds good.
I do like the description by @GTHintz. Generally speaking, hex-core strings tend to be stiffer, resulting in a quicker attack, meaning they tend to "fight back" more strongly when plucked. Does this make any sense? I'm no expert on this.
Basically it means they ring out a little bit differently. Hex cores it's more bite and less ring but round core is a smoother bite and more ringing on each note. I think how you play and the pickup really is the difference in deciding what's better. I love fat beams on 1 bass but not on my others. Muddier pickups it'll sound more lost in the weeds but very clean and articulate pickups it'll balance them out and really bring a lot to them. For instance my mec soapbars on my Warwick streamer are super clear and transparent some would say harsh but fat beams have provided a nice round fat tone which brings out the best in the clarity but makes it sound meaty and big too.
that fits my experience of the Fodera Round Core that Labella used to make. love that sustain.
how's the string to string evenness on the Fat beams with articulate pickups?
Wanna make sure i have this straight in my head -- Bassics are Hex core, right?
okay... this is weird! the micrometer says these strings are 43-62-83-102
which i think best matches...
SETS - BASSICS™ - ML6000 Set, Medium Light (37.25" winding) 044-102 BAS44 BAS63 BAS80 BAS102
i did calibrate the micrometer... and used a set of sadowsky strings as a reference and those measured accurately... but will try again later just in case i did something boneheaded.
okay... this is weird! the micrometer says these strings are 43-62-83-102
which i think best matches...
SETS - BASSICS™ - ML6000 Set, Medium Light (37.25" winding) 044-102 BAS44 BAS63 BAS80 BAS102
i did calibrate the micrometer... and used a set of sadowsky strings as a reference and those measured accurately... but will try again later just in case i did something boneheaded.
Well there's nothing out of the ordinary with them. Thinner strings feel tighter and thicker feel looser. I'd say these are very even feeling compared to others. I don't feel anything as out of place. I have an old set of the Marcus Miller endorsed fats and the only difference is that the a string is.80 vs .85 of the regular ones. That amount of difference I really don't notice. I feel like maybe it makes my a string jump a little more compared to.85 which would make it sound a hair fuller but this is really splitting hairs. Overall the tension feels right and they aren't floppy especially considering they are round core which always speaks differently than hex. So far these and the fodera stainless steels are my favorite. They are just stiff enough to not flop but still not too stiff to be supple. I'd say both those are very close in feel but foderas are a bit brighter than fat beams. They settle in to a very similar tone however. And that tone lasts a long time.
Yes, Bassics are hex core.
I would say those measured gauges are close enough, except for the A, .083 vs. .080.
the Fodera Stainless Steels you are referring to here are the previous LaBellas or the new DR?
Just for clarification...
Fodera has always made their own strings at their own string-wining "shack". A small operation but their own nonetheless...until recently when they decided to team up with DR for their string production. As far as I know, La Bella never made Fodera strings.
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subsequent measurements:
44-62-82-102
and the 82 is taken up and down with the thinnest part of the string (closest to 82) towards the pegboard end of the string.
I wonder if they ever made Bassics with an 82 in the past… or if when I eventually get my hands on some Bassics to compare these will not be those…
BTW got a set of Compressors from Jason today so measured those with the same micrometer and they match the gauges listed.
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As far as I can tell, the gauges for the factory sets of the Bassics have been consistent at least for the last 10 yrs. ML6000 has always been 44-63-80-102.
What you have is the "COVID Edition" of the Compressors, which are made by GHS. During the pandemic, their main silk supplier went under and they had to scramble for whatever silks that happened to be available. I've had the same mismatched sets.
Would it be possible if those gauges were custom gauges of the Bassics specifically designed for G&L?
interesting…
this bass is from the 80’s… and I don’t know if previous owner was hip to getting G&L “signature” strings.
I dig these compressors on the G&L -but- the E string is still more in line with the rest of the strings on this mystery set. In comparison the E of the Compressors sounds polite and understated.
I could start monkeying around with the pickup poles on the eventually but not until I have solved this riddle of the mystery strings! Jason doesn’t stock the Bassics so I will prob put together a drop shipment of some GHS strings to get my hands on some of a slightly diff gauge… I will “know” it is he E matches since I have yet to find one that has the depth and punch or these.
I got my last two sets of Bassics from Strings By Mail. They usually have stock of them on hand for immediate shipping.
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By the way...
I use exactly the same gauges of KS Compressors, GHS Bassics and GHS Super Steels. 40-58-80-102.
I use exactly the same gauges of KS Compressors, GHS Bassics and GHS Super Steels. 40-58-80-102.
