Ken Smith Bass Burner Nickel strings?

[Guinness20]

Has anyone tried the Ken Smith Bass Burner strings? Apologies if this has already been covered, I did have a look but couldn't find any info on here.

I've got a set of GHS super steels on my 5-string, they sound good but I'm conscious of fret wear (I have a strong grip) so I've been looking for a set of bright sounding nickel strings to put on instead.

I've seen a few people on here saying Ken Smith strings are good in terms of fret wear and last ages, the Bass Burner Nickel Series is advertised as being "the brightest nickel strings you'll find".

Thanks in advance for any help or info on these

 

[Eddie Jones]

I have a set on a 54P Warmoth build. I considered taking them off but they play and sound so good, I have left them on. Great lows, nice highs and mellow mids. I like them as much as DR Hi Beams and TIJR that I have on other basses. They have a great feel under your fingers and stay in tune quite well.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I’ve used KS Burners, and they’re definitely very good sounding strings. I believe GHS makes Ken Smith’s strings, and GHS is my personal favorite string maker.

Burners are nickel plated steel roundwounds, and I recall their outer surface felt very similar to GHS Bass Boomers, which a also nickel plated steel roundwounds. I don’t remember Burners having a noticeably longer lifespan, nor do I remember their tone being noticeably brighter compared to GHS Bass Boomers.

In my opinion, if you already like Bass Boomers, you’ll definitely like KS Burners. In my opinion, there’s a subtle difference between Boomers and Burners, but to your ears the differences might be profound.

 

[iiipopes]

They are essentially GHS Boomers repackaged, with possibly some different gauges ordered by Ken Smith.

 

[michael_t]

the Bass Burner Nickel Series is advertised as being "the brightest nickel strings you'll find".

They are essentially GHS Boomers repackaged, with possibly some different gauges ordered by Ken Smith.

I'm surprised Ken Smith markets the Bass Burners as the "brightest nickel strings". GHS Boomers are certainly not the brightest of all NPS rounds.

Incidentally, GHS Super Steels are not the brightest of SS rounds, either. They're more about their midrange character than the top end zing.

 

[iiipopes]

I'm surprised Ken Smith markets the Bass Burners as the "brightest nickel strings". GHS Boomers are certainly not the brightest of all NPS rounds.

Incidentally, GHS Super Steels are not the brightest of SS rounds, either. They're more about their midrange character than the top end zing.

Yeah, so much for marketing.

 

[BrentSimons]

Has anyone tried the Ken Smith Bass Burner strings? Apologies if this has already been covered, I did have a look but couldn't find any info on here.

I've got a set of GHS super steels on my 5-string, they sound good but I'm conscious of fret wear (I have a strong grip) so I've been looking for a set of bright sounding nickel strings to put on instead.

I've seen a few people on here saying Ken Smith strings are good in terms of fret wear and last ages, the Bass Burner Nickel Series is advertised as being "the brightest nickel strings you'll find".

Thanks in advance for any help or info on these

Hey My Friend,
Not Burners but I have a set of Rock Masters on my Spector Euro 4LX. Gauge 45-105. I'm still a bit on the fence about them? They certainly feel like a quality string. Very polished and smooth for a stainless steel string. Like DR Hi Beams but shinier? They feel very high tension to me. Almost like GHS Progressives which I really didn't like. Not surprising I believe the Ken Smiths are made by GHS? The have decent mids and have lasted quite a long time. Not quite as bright as I would like and no upper mid gank/grit that I really like but not bad. Polite? They are very stable and stay in tune very well even if you are digging in. I got a set on sale for $17 so why not right? And the purple silk looks great! Definitely a buying point!

Good luck in your tone quest!

Brent

 

[Guinness20]

They are essentially GHS Boomers repackaged, with possibly some different gauges ordered by Ken Smith.

That is good to know thanks! Marketing can be very misleading lol

 

[Guinness20]

Thanks for all the help with this!

Having found out that KS Burners are not what I was hoping they might be sound-wise, I could go either one of 2 ways - go for something like Dunlop Super Brights which actually are bright-sounding nickel rounds, or stick with stainless steel but go for strings with less fretwear in comparison to GHS Super Steels (DR).

What do people think of Dunlop Super Bright Nickel Wounds? Are they one of the brightest nickel wound strings around?

Also, has anyone used both GHS Super Steels and DR SS Lo Riders and could compare please?

 

[michael_t]

What do people think of Dunlop Super Bright Nickel Wounds? Are they one of the brightest nickel wound strings around?

Despite the name "super bright", they're not the brightest once broken in. They do have a very distinct "crunch" in the mids, though. Low Tension and flexible as well.

Also, has anyone used both GHS Super Steels and DR SS Lo Riders and could compare please?

I've tried both in the past. SSLRs are a little more "modern and refined" while the Super Steels are more "vintage" in character. SSLRs are also finer in texture, so I would imagine they're easier on the frets as well as on your fingers.

 

[Guinness20]

Despite the name "super bright", they're not the brightest once broken in. They do have a very distinct "crunch" in the mids, though. Low Tension and flexible as well.



I've tried both in the past. SSLRs are a little more "modern and refined" while the Super Steels are more "vintage" in character. SSLRs are also finer in texture, so I would imagine they're easier on the frets as well as on your fingers.

This is very helpful thank you!

Do you know of any other steel rounds that have that vintage character you described?

 

[michael_t]

Do you know of any other steel rounds that have that vintage character you described?

Rotosound Swing Bass 66 comes to mind, but they would be even harder on frets (and your fingers) than the Super Steels.

By the way, if you want to try a set of NPS rounds that are brighter than the GHS Boomers, I would suggest the GHS Bassics. They're different from the Boomers in that only the final cover is nickel-plated steel with all stainless steel inner layers. They're not zingy bright, but there is a clear crispness to them.

Products - BASSICS™ - GHS Strings

EDIT: Seeing you're in the UK, you can always try the Rotosound Roto Bass (NPS roundwound) as well.