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Kalium Strings - Stainless Steels vs Nickel Hybrid (With A/B Clips)

KhzDonut

KhzDonut

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Jan 7, 2013
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www.youtube.com
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#1
Finally got around to putting a set of the new Kalium Strings SS strings on my bass to see how they sounded.

I had a new set of the nickel's, so I did some A/B testing and made a video out of it.



There's a mini review in the video, but in summary:

- They're not super bright like some brands of stainless
- They actually seem to be a little warmer/punchier than the nickel hybrids
- The nickel hybrids have a bit deeper lows and slightly more ultra-highs
- The stainless seem to have a more pronounced upper midrange, so they get a good finger style punch, and a good pick attack, and a very even tone for distortion (at least I thought so)
- They're slightly rougher than the nickels, which is generally the case with stainless strings, but the difference wasn't as much as some other brands.
- They're slightly stiffer feeling than the nickels, but I think they're still more supple than most brands (which is of course one of selling points of Kaliums)


Overall I'm pretty happy with them. We'll see how they sound when they're old; if the more midrange-heavy sound lends itself to a duller tone when they're old, or if they retain their punch a bit better. Only time will tell! :D
 
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#4
Great review thanks. I am glad to know about this. I have to agree that there is not much difference between the nickel and the stainless as I thought there would be. What was interesting to me was that the differences were more apparent with the guitar in the mix than without. With the guitar in the mix, the upper mid presence of the stainless strings definitely made the bass stand out more in the mix. So I think what string will work for your situation will depend largely what the guitar player is doing tone-wise.
 
#5
Here's a quick review since there aren't many reviews yet. I had trouble getting ahold of the Kalium guys before buying this set--probably the new website was keeping them busy. But I eventually heard back and ordered a "drop A" balanced 5 string set, with a couple options for the G and low A. After messing around at home, I seem to like .158, .102, .79, .57, .43 on my 35" Lull M5V (ash/maple, so already a bright bass). I am a finger player who likes pick tone: I play aggressively with my fingers, and have been known to chord and strum. I run mostly front pickup.

I like the stainless steels a lot better than the hybrids. i'm usually partial to the tone of nickel (like D'Addario XLs), but found the high end on the hybrids too sharp. They always felt great to play but something about the high end didn't work for me.

The stainless strings have less of that, but still tons of clarity, especially with a little overdrive. I just tried them out with a loud drummer, and a guitarist who plays on the front humbucker and tunes to drop A. I am especially in love with the .158 Low A, which finally sounds like just another string (the B was great with the stock D'Addarios but was too floppy on drop A, and the .145 D'Addario just isn't a great sounding string, at least not for me). The low A was super clear and had great intonation and sustain way up the neck (after a little adjustment at the bridge). It took overdrive and fuzz like a champ, as well as phaser, delay and filter.

I'm totally sold on these strings, at least for this bass, in this band. Looking forward to hearing how they age a little.

No recordings yet but when I have some I'll share.
 
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#7
While it's only a crude generalization, I'm getting the sense that overall, the stainless steel Kaliums would be the preferred choice for rock, especially heavy rock, and the hybrid Kaliums would be preferable for a more hi-fi application, such as electric jazz, fusion, pop, etc.

To anyone who's tried both, am I somewhere in the ball park on this?

MM
 
#8
JES said:
Here's a quick review since there aren't many reviews yet. I had trouble getting ahold of the Kalium guys before buying this set--probably the new website was keeping them busy. But I eventually heard back and ordered a "drop A" balanced 5 string set, with a couple options for the G and low A. After messing around at home, I seem to like .158, .102, .79, .57, .43 on my 35" Lull M5V (ash/maple, so already a bright bass). I am a finger player who likes pick tone: I play aggressively with my fingers, and have been known to chord and strum. I run mostly front pickup.

I like the stainless steels a lot better than the hybrids. i'm usually partial to the tone of nickel (like D'Addario XLs), but found the high end on the hybrids too sharp. They always felt great to play but something about the high end didn't work for me.

The stainless strings have less of that, but still tons of clarity, especially with a little overdrive. I just tried them out with a loud drummer, and a guitarist who plays on the front humbucker and tunes to drop A. I am especially in love with the .158 Low A, which finally sounds like just another string (the B was great with the stock D'Addarios but was too floppy on drop A, and the .145 D'Addario just isn't a great sounding string, at least not for me). The low A was super clear and had great intonation and sustain way up the neck (after a little adjustment at the bridge). It took overdrive and fuzz like a champ, as well as phaser, delay and filter.

I'm totally sold on these strings, at least for this bass, in this band. Looking forward to hearing how they age a little.

No recordings yet but when I have some I'll share.
Click to expand...

Awesome!!! Do you think a similar gauge set would work on a Warwick Corvette with a 34" scale in Drop A tuning for mostly aggressive fingerstyle?
 
#9
Great video, thank you!
I'm usually not a fan stainless steel strings but these are very similar to the nickle hybrid.
I'm thinking of putting stainless for my highs and hybrids for my lows.
Any suggestions from someone with experience with both would be appreciated.
 
#10
Excellent video and review @KhzDonut, I think I will try the SS's when it's time.

So, now that you've had them on for a bit, how do they compare longevity-wise? On my custom I can go six months or more with frequent use (3-5 hours a week) and they don't seem to die like DRs do. The highs last and last, fading very gradually over time.

Raz
 
#11
Mystic Michael said:
While it's only a crude generalization, I'm getting the sense that overall, the stainless steel Kaliums would be the preferred choice for rock, especially heavy rock, and the hybrid Kaliums would be preferable for a more hi-fi application, such as electric jazz, fusion, pop, etc.

To anyone who's tried both, am I somewhere in the ball park on this?

MM
Click to expand...

Yes, I thing the hybrids would be great for super clean fusion--though lots of metal players do use the hybrids.

subsonicbassist said:
Awesome!!! Do you think a similar gauge set would work on a Warwick Corvette with a 34" scale in Drop A tuning for mostly aggressive fingerstyle?
Click to expand...

It would be lower tension of course but could work--there are tensions listed on their site so you can compare it to whatever you have on now. If you don't want to buy the whole set, try the Low A and then decide if you want to pick up the rest.

EDIT: forgot to mention I took advantage of the single string option to try a few different thicknesses. Might be worth it for you too.
 
Last edited:
#12
DONUTS!!! :woot:

Your presentation was excellent and every minute was worth the watch. The steels are my favorite in a metal mix like that. Super even and predictable yet always a noticeable upper mid bite. A serious difference for the studio. The hybrids seemed to duck away or jump out at various times though mostly subtle. For many people I'd chalk it up as nuances in play but you are very controlled. The output from the steels proved that. Overall I'm impressed with both and it's impressive how close they are to one another.

As much as I like your results on the steels, nickel is more my cup of tea. I'll be adding the hybrids to my list of strings to experiment with.
 
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#13
JES said:
Yes, I thing the hybrids would be great for super clean fusion--though lots of metal players do use the hybrids.



It would be lower tension of course but could work--there are tensions listed on their site so you can compare it to whatever you have on now. If you don't want to buy the whole set, try the Low A and then decide if you want to pick up the rest.

EDIT: forgot to mention I took advantage of the single string option to try a few different thicknesses. Might be worth it for you too.
Click to expand...
Thanks JES! I think I'm going to try a set of .158, .102, .076, .057 and .043 to stay right around 40-42 lbs of tension on the 'Wick. Just not sure how comfortable I am having the bridge saddle and nut filed... the set screws are awful close to the nut grooves... if anyone can do it, Mike Lull can though!
 
#14
Wow first of all awesome video. Well made and edited with a table of contents and everything. Also great playing.

I was also surprised how similar they sounded as I expected more disparity. Honestly I thought the biggest tonal difference was in the Low B. First round with just bass and drums I favored the Hybrids especially with that Low B. But once you can hear how they sit in a mix I have to agree that the stainless steel cut through slightly better. This is all in reference with the pick playing. Fingerstyle everything still applies but not that much of a noticeable difference. It all comes down to taste and play style especially with whichever genre its applied to. I think I would go SS for pick playing and Hybrids for fingerstyle as the Low B just sounded too dull fingerstyle to my ears with the SS. Again great video thanks for that.
 
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#15
I find on my bass there is VERY noticeable difference between the two types of strings. By itself it's night and day, and in a mix I still like the steel better.

That said, to my surprise, I broke a .057 D string today, like just snapped in two at the bridge and flew off the bass. I was bending it, but not THAT much. The nice thing about playing a 5-string is I still had 4 strings to work with for the rest of practice....

PS -- subsonic--that's exactly the set I use.
 
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#16
JES said:
I find on my bass there is VERY noticeable difference between the two types of strings. By itself it's night and day, and in a mix I still like the steel better.

That said, to my surprise, I broke a .057 D string today, like just snapped in two at the bridge and flew off the bass. I was bending it, but not THAT much. The nice thing about playing a 5-string is I still had 4 strings to work with for the rest of practice....

PS -- subsonic--that's exactly the set I use.
Click to expand...
I take it you play in Drop A then? Hybrid or SS?
 
#18
JES said:
Drop A, solid steel, Mike Lull M5V Ash/Maple (so already a bright bass). I tried the hybrids on this bass and a MTD Kingston artist and found them too sizzle for my liking, especially with overdrive. Of course, hands, ears and styles vary, so I'd recommend trying both.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the solid info man, hard to find a ton of info for this specific set up haha! BTW the M5V is insane, I played one at Mike's shop and couldn't believe how great it sounded (and looked, for that matter). I think I will start with the Hybrids, but will definitely try both!
 
#19
Was reading posts about Kalium for a few weeks and decided to try. Normally, my go to strings are DR Hi Beams and (new discovery) Dunlop SuperBrights, both stainless steel, 45-105.
At first I was confused by all the 'balanced' sets with all their unusual gauges and got in touch with Kalium support. They recommended to try a hybrid (not SS!) set - 43-59-79-106.
Got the strings yesterday (btw - the most unusual packaging I've seen so far) and put them on this morning and they totally KILL! The E string is just the right tension, and the overall balance feels VERY comfortable. The sound is bright and punchy, the lows are just awesome. Anyway, that's my 2 pennies and so far I'm a very happy customer.
 
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#20
yes, an older thread, but I am looking into strings and this seems to be the best, most informative kalium thread here

can you guys compare how rough/smooth these strings are? compare them feel wise to others out there?
 

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