I haven't had Ken Smith strings on my Ken Smith Bass in a while, and I'm thinking about going back. I have used the Rock Masters in the past, both with and without taper core. What are you Smithers using these days?
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Ken Smith Strings
- Thread starter bassartist
- Start date
The only Ken Smith I use are the Compressors, which are basically the same Alloy 52 "rollerwound" as GHS Pressurewound.
Haven't used them in years due to being harder to find and more expensive when I do find them. They are good strings though. Bright and tend to hold their tone for a long time.
I haven't had any problem ordering the Compressors either thru Strings By Mail or Fret Nation in the past. I decided to try the Ken Smith because I could get them cheaper than the GHS Pressurewound.
Ken Smith strings are essentially re-branded GHS. You can readily see the Ken Smith names to compare with which GHS strings they are. I have both, because the gauges can be a little different from set to set. I suggest you shop GHS strings first to see if they are less expensive, since they are essentially the same.
I went with them on my 5 string because the Ken Smiths have a tapered B string, while GHS's own do not. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were also cheaper, but they're also the only KS set I use. Perhaps other sets are cheaper too, perhaps not.
Fret Nation can likely get them for you even if they don't have them listed on their site. They have great customer service, I highly recommend going through them for any strings you need.
Hmm, never used them, but I do like the sound of GHS strings. Although their volume seems to be a bit lower than other strings.
Alloy 52 is a special nickel/iron alloy that is supposed to be more magnetically reactive than steel or nickel alone. I have used these and I wouldn't say they're super high output but they do have some punch to them.
Based on my experience, the Pressurewounds/Compressors have a very healthy output with extra punch and crunch, thanks to Alloy 52 and their magnetically responsive nature. The only thing that may be "higher in output" is the Cobalt alloy used by Ernie Ball.
I also use the Rotosound Ultramags, which are Alloy 52 roundwound. They also have a healthy output with plenty of punch.
I have used Ken Smith strings on (almost) all my basses ever since 1985. No reason for me to ever change…unless they stop making them and I run out of all the spare sets I’ve stockpiled.
Gonna grab some Bass Burners and Slap Masters (same as rock masters, except in light gauge I presume?) from Jason at FN pretty soon. Being a close cousin to GHS's offerings, I'd expect a fast break-in time: And after seeing old threads complaining about sets "going dead" too fast, or going "straight in the trash" I can reaffirm this theory 
Though I'm also someone who dislikes Roto 66s when new, but loves the "dead
" sound, so I'm an oddball.
Though I'm also someone who dislikes Roto 66s when new, but loves the "dead
" sound, so I'm an oddball.
I understand what you mean. I think you'd like Dunlop Stainless steel or Dean Markley Blue Steel. They are both going to have a nice fat tone with grindy growl much like Rotos. I've switched to those myself after moving away from Rotos. The Smith strings tend to not fatten up as they break in so they can sound more lifeless in certain cases. They did great on my old Warwick Corvette but Blue Steel absolutely blew them out of the water when I switched. Smith strings were my first switch from Rotos before I settled on my Dunlop and Dean Markleys.Gonna grab some Bass Burners and Slap Masters (same as rock masters, except in light gauge I presume?) from Jason at FN pretty soon. Being a close cousin to GHS's offerings, I'd expect a fast break-in time: And after seeing old threads complaining about sets "going dead" too fast, or going "straight in the trash" I can reaffirm this theory
Though I'm also someone who dislikes Roto 66s when new, but loves the "dead
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