Pressurewounds disappointment -- should I wait them out?

[Riff Ranger]

The only time I ever tried GHS Pressurewounds was on my oddball headless-bodiless-fretless Westone Rail, I liked them better than D’Addario flats for my purposes, and it still has them. Because I liked them, I went on a GHS kick this summer, and I do also have a Yamaha 735A and 734A. I still have a set of medium GHS Boomers plus a .140 on the 5-string (tuned GCGCF) and love them; but the rest have been too inconsistent, with a high percentage of strings in the .095–.115 range sounding like flats (in a bad way) right out of the package ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I might botch an installation here and there, but no way did I screw up this much in this short of a time, and as soon as I went to sets from other manufacturers (Stringjoy and Ernie Ball, for the record) I no longer had these issues. I wonder whether GHS has gone through a bit of a recent rough patch, as I’ve read of at least a few others in here running into very similar issues with their strings recently. They’ve made great strings since before I was born, and if they are having a rough patch I expect they will right the ship soon, but I won’t be finding out on my dime (or, more in line with the times, dozens of dollars).

 

[HaphAsSard]

Responses to this thread sure put a new spin on the name "Pressurewounds"!

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Update: went to GC undecided about whether to try DR Pure Blues or D’Addario Chromes as my next experiment. Saw a set of MarkBass Groove Series that hadn’t been on the GC website. Did a little quick phone research, saw nothing bad and a few things good, and thought, ***, let’s try them.

Got ‘em home, put ‘em on, and…wow. These sound great. Maybe a little too bright, but all rounds are a little too bright when you first put them on. It’s the right kind of too-bright, though: crisp and hi-fi rather than clangy. The sound isn’t scooped; the midrange is very much there, but it’s transparent and smooth—I’m not hearing anything ugly in there. And there’s a nice evenness to the low/low-mid: every note seems to have a workable balance of fundamental and lower harmonics. Nothing boomy, nothing thin.

Best of all, the B string sounds really clear and coherent—every note is intelligible. And it’s surprisingly un-floppy. It matches up reasonably well with the E in tension (at least feel-wise; no idea what the numbers would say). Between the tonal clarity and the solid feel, this is by far the most usable B string of the three I’ve tried so far on this bass (the other two being the new Pressurewound and the old/dead D’Addario XL).

It’s early; tomorrow I may hear or feel issues I didn’t notice on first blush. But so far I feel like I’ve found the right strings for this bass. Who knew?

Mark Bass bass strings? Who knew? Never heard of them but read up a bit on them, they are new to market...not seeing any reviews but count me interested.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

I have been playing GHS Pressurewounds for over 10 years and I have never experienced the symptoms you are describing. I think you just have a bad set which is another thing that never happened to me.

That being said, Pressurewounds are, all in the mids, strings. You get low mids and high mids and not much else. They have a natural frown frequency response. Some people like this and other people don't. Not great for anything that needs a scooped sound like slapping or tapping for example.

Also, I have two Yamaha BBs, a 714BS and a 1024x, I have found that Elixir nanoweb strings work well on these basses.

I found a very slight twist in the E of a SS set of Pressurewounds after installation...it was wavering before i straightened it out, keep in mind i am careful with setting up strings.

I do think they need some time to break in like flats plus they are a different alloy and are loud in volume.

 

[Pat Harris]

This is a really interesting experience, and is VERY opposite my own with PWs.

I had them on my Muckelroy 5 (passive, single MM pickup) and they were "the" strings for that bass. I've tried going in different directions with that bass, and always come back to the PWs.

In isolation, they ain't pretty. In a mix, when the bass needs to be "heard" but not necessarily "be louder," I feel these really shine. The low B had plenty of definition, but as always, it's finding that right combination of bass + strings.

 

[Spidey2112]

After putting the PW's on my Highway One (and really liking them), I tried a set on my USA Geddy, and didn't like them as much, on it.

Who knows why?

 

[CrimsonGhost]

I'm a die hard chromes on a P-bass guy.
But I got a SCPB in that had ghs pressurewounds on it and they really sound great. Like a flat with more aggression but still having that great fundamental and without all the annoying new harsh roundwound noise.