Pressure wounds

[Bob_Ross]

I still have a set, maybe two of the D'Add half-rounds. One day I might try them on something since it's been so long. It they sounded great, I could likely get used to the feel.

well, it’s been ~40 years since I tried D’addario HalfRounds so take this w a grain of salt, but I don’t think the Smith Slick Rounds feel much like the D’adds at all.

can’t even remember what the D’s sounded like, but I distinctly recall hating how they felt…which is one of the things I love about the Smiths.

 

[dagrev]

well, it’s been ~40 years since I tried D’addario HalfRounds so take this w a grain of salt, but I don’t think the Smith Slick Rounds feel much like the D’adds at all.

can’t even remember what the D’s sounded like, but I distinctly recall hating how they felt…which is one of the things I love about the Smiths.

From what I recall they were more flat sounding. Pretty even as far as freqs go, as I recall. But the last I tried them was easily 10+ years.

 

[dagrev]

I have a Jack Casady bass with GHS Pressure Wounds 40-96. I really like them a lot! They sound like mellow rounds with the zingy high end rolled off a bit. But, I will say that by feel, I can't really tell that the outer winding is compressed. They feel like rounds to me and there is some finger noise when I slide from fret to fret. IMHO. YMMV.

That's normal. They are definitely more round wound that flat wound. As you mentioned the compression helps with the zing and clank, but so does Alloy 52, which tends to be less bright, but has more mids.

 

[Selim]

All of the half/compression/roller/pressure wound strings I’ve tried all behaved like modified rounds in sound and feel.

The one that came the closest to coming from the flat wound side were La Bella quarter rounds.

 

[michael_t]

All of the half/compression/roller/pressure wound strings I’ve tried all behaved like modified rounds in sound and feel.

GHS Pressurewound (Alloy 52 rollerwound) vs. GHS Brite Flats (Alloy 52 groundwound/half-rounds)... Based on my experiences with them, they're very different both in tone and feel - at least different enough for me to prefer one over the other.

I've posted some of my findings in THIS THREAD.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

I think PW have just enough zing...no excessive clank and i think smoother than most RW...seemed balanced as well...right out of the box sound great too.

I do play with a pick a lot on a darker sounding SS bass at the bridge and palm mute...also play with thumb and to me they seem about right.

Finger noise is not bad (which i usually despise)...supposedly last a long time and dont change tone much....im a fan!

 

[Dincrest]

+1 on SIT Silencers. They're a compression wound string most comparable to GHS Pressurewounds. I've tried (and liked) both, but preferred the Silencers. I'm the anomaly on TalkBass since most preferred the Pressurewounds. I can't necessarily explain why. I just preferred their tone and the way they felt under my fingers.

I also remember trying Ken Smith Compressors many years ago and not liking them at all and almost immediately switching back to a set of Silencers.

You might also want to try something like DR Sunbeams or DR Pure Blues. They're excellent strings that seem like they might work for you. If you're looking for a silky smooth nickel roundwound that has that kinda broken-in feel/tone from the off, those are worth considering.

(I will say that neither Sunbeams nor Pure Blues completely worked for me. Sunbeams had a smooth plush texture, but were too spongy under my fingers for my tastes in terms of stiffness/flexibility. Pure Blues were a little stiffer, felt great and sounded amazing. However, in my experience, although Pure Blues held their killer tone for several months, they then died very suddenly. No gradual loss, we're talking great one day then the next it was like Wile E. Coyote falling off the cliff).

 

[michael_t]

+1 on SIT Silencers. They're a string most comparable to GHS Pressurewounds. I've tried (and liked) both, but preferred the Silencers. I'm the anomaly on TalkBass since most preferred the Pressurewounds. I can't necessarily explain why. I just preferred their tone and the way they felt under my fingers.

I've been a big fan of GHS Pressurewounds since I discovered them several years ago. However, I've learned the unique tonal properties of Alloy 52 (nickel-iron) with a strong midrange character doesn't work equally well with every bass. My P bass, for example, has been sounding better with DR Nickel Lo-Riders (NPS roundwound) since I put them on a little over a month ago. So, I can see why SIT Silencers (nickel-plated steel) can work better on certain basses.