Low B clarity

[bholder]

I'm liking ghs big cores. (Tapered )
I also like Dr's as other have stated.
Raising the action on the B can help a little.
I really like Smith Compressors on my 34" scale Warwick Dolphin.

I ordered a bunch of these suggestions, just put a set of the GHS big cores on my Sire V7 5 - quite a change from the stock XLs! I'm liking them, quite different than what I'm used to. The B isn't quite what I'm hoping for, but quite usable. Deep, but a little "hollow" sounding somehow. Tempted to put on the Foderas, but that'd be breaking a 6 set.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I ordered a bunch of these suggestions, just put a set of the GHS big cores on my Sire V7 5 - quite a change from the stock XLs! I'm liking them, quite different than what I'm used to. The B isn't quite what I'm hoping for, but quite usable. Deep, but a little "hollow" sounding somehow. Tempted to put on the Foderas, but that'd be breaking a 6 set.

Let them settle a bit (play in) the overall tone thickens a bit about a week in. The zingy top end is masking the mids..

 

[bholder]

Let them settle a bit (play in) the overall tone thickens a bit about a week in. The zingy top end is masking the mids..

Thanks, I'll leave them on for a bit, definitely an improvement in sound and feel over the stock XLs. Rounder sounding than my usual DRs.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I'm a huge fan of DR'S and usually detest GHS..
These big cores are something different. Brighter than the dean markley SR2000 that they resemble in design these big cores have a nice punch once they break in and unlike my previous experience with GHS, they have held up through 5 gigs and as many rehearsals... once the settled in they held their tone. Longer than my go to strings DR Lowriders (nickle). Color me surprised
Next up move them to my Warwick (currently strung with smith compressors) when I get the Erie Ball Cobalt flats...
Hey @bholder have you started testing any of those pickups yet?

 

[bholder]

I'm a huge fan of DR'S and usually detest GHS..
These big cores are something different. Brighter than the dean markley SR2000 that they resemble in design these big cores have a nice punch once they break in and unlike my previous experience with GHS, they have held up through 5 gigs and as many rehearsals... once the settled in they held their tone. Longer than my go to strings DR Lowriders (nickle). Color me surprised
Next up move them to my Warwick (currently strung with smith compressors) when I get the Erie Ball Cobalt flats...
Hey @bholder have you started testing any of those pickups yet?

Not yet, I did a mock up of my short scale tele conversion project with the TVJs though (and good thing, realized that bass was too narrow for the thundermag polepieces, have to go with the blades), should have gotten some pics. Have to choose a neck for the 5 string P, waiting on a stewmac order for the FrankenSchecter, and still waiting on the Novak pickups for the blackjack project.

 

[bholder]

I've generally stayed away from GHS for a long time, but that has begun to change recently. I like the big cores sound down low and up high, but up high on the B string is definitely still getting the same "chorusing" almost "ring modulator" sound on the high frets. Pickups might be too high, or I might just be expecting too much - I use the E up high, not so much the B.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I've generally stayed away from GHS for a long time, but that has begun to change recently. I like the big cores sound down low and up high, but up high on the B string is definitely still getting the same "chorusing" almost "ring modulator" sound on the high frets. Pickups might be too high, or I might just be expecting too much - I use the E up high, not so much the B.

I find the same thing with almost every b string that's bright enough at a lower register (that I've tried) a friend recently was raving to me about the foderas. When you try them I'm interested to hear what you think.

 

[bholder]

I find the same thing with almost every b string that's bright enough at a lower register (that I've tried) a friend recently was raving to me about the foderas. When you try them I'm interested to hear what you think.

That may well be the trade-off involved, I'm starting to think. Most of the strings that "track true" on the high frets without non-harmonic overtones (chorusing, or gong-like sounds) are anemic down low. Hoping something does both well. I did lower the pickups way down, which helps somewhat, but doesn't eliminate the issue.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Try muting behind the note you are fretting I belive a lot of it comes from the windings of the after length (fret to nut)

 

[bassline52]

I hadn't received a great B string until I went with an Exposed Core string...specially on the B and E strings
Huge Clarity....

I totally agree here...exposed core are the best strings for B - string articulation.

 

[bholder]

Well, I was trying on the DR DDTs last night - I understand they're intended for downtuning, but are they not intended also to work at pitch? They were sounding really promising, but the G string core snapped just as I was getting close to pitch - to be expected, or a faulty string?

 

[bholder]

Try muting behind the note you are fretting I belive a lot of it comes from the windings of the after length (fret to nut)

Yeah, already tried that, didn't help, the issue is in the strings somehow - unless I got a bad set, the big cores aren't doing it for me up high, but I really like their sound down low. At least not on this bass - I didn't trim the ends so I could figure out which bass they work best with before cutting.

 

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Well, I got over the disappointment of the DDT set G breaking, slapping the original XL G back on, and tried out the rest of the DDTs just now - and I have a new favorite string for 5 string basses. Very nice, and not at all as tough on the fingers as I feared.

Still will have to get my V7 pickups further down, though. Plenty of travel left in the springs, but the height screw holes weren't piloted nearly deep enough. But the DDTs have much much less of that atonal ring modulator / chorus thing going on on the high fretted notes on the E and B - still a touch there on the B, hard to get rid of with pickup magnets this strong.

 

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The DR DDTs are now "big rig approved", wow what a sound - the odd thing is that the XL on the G is actually far louder than the other strings under light plucking, but start to dig on the DDTs and wow - I don't think I've ever heard a tone like that! And when I really dig in with my fingernails, the pop / thump at the beginning of the note is like a kick drum. Very very cool. Just need a better G replacement, maybe they'll replace it as defective.

 

[bholder]

I totally agree here...exposed core are the best strings for B - string articulation.

I've found the exposed core types problematic unless I can get the spacing just right so the wraps start immediately after leaving the bridge saddles with very little gap - Hard to do with normal ball ends. Someone had some adjustable end type exposed cores, but I didn't find those very workable. If there's any appreciable exposed core gap on the active string, I get bad chorusing / atonal problems again.