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Pure Nickel Alchemists Union
- Thread starter e-flat
- Start date
I just put a set of light gauge Gabriel Tenorio NíquelPuro on my Mustang yesterday and took it to reggae practice last night.
With the tone fully rolled off they have a super full and rich sound that simply sounds fantastic to my ears. Tone up is too trebly for me but that is to be expected with brand new rounds.
Tension feels medium to me.
I really intended to use them for playing rock and I’ll try them in that context tonight.
This is my first time trying these strings and I’m impressed. Looking forward to hearing them after they have broken in a bit. The only other nickels I’ve tried are TIJF and TIJR.
With the tone fully rolled off they have a super full and rich sound that simply sounds fantastic to my ears. Tone up is too trebly for me but that is to be expected with brand new rounds.
Tension feels medium to me.
I really intended to use them for playing rock and I’ll try them in that context tonight.
This is my first time trying these strings and I’m impressed. Looking forward to hearing them after they have broken in a bit. The only other nickels I’ve tried are TIJF and TIJR.
ok i got the short scale Tenorio and THE GAUGES ARE DIFFERENT THAN LONG SCALE!! i am so happy. @e-flat had posted the long scale gauges of 45 62 85 104 for the Puro Nickel Roundcore Rounds, and i was worried because those are quite thick for short scale narrow necked basses.
I got short scale with Tailpiece (for Hofner Bass) Puro Nickel Rounds and the gauges are 41 57 78 99
maybe @e-flat can update the first post in this long thread with the short scale gauges now for any that wonder.
will report back on how they sound later
I got short scale with Tailpiece (for Hofner Bass) Puro Nickel Rounds and the gauges are 41 57 78 99
maybe @e-flat can update the first post in this long thread with the short scale gauges now for any that wonder.
will report back on how they sound later
Alright guys, now which pure nickels have EVERY WRAP LAYER made up of pure nickel? One clue would be a significantly higher tension than NPS or stainless. Otherwise probably only the outer wrap layer is pure nickel.
Obviously the Helborgs would be on that list. I suspect Jazz Rounds would be as well, as the tension numbers seem on the high side for their small gauge.
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- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
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- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
Price could be a clue. Pure Nickel is comparable to Nickel-iron, and is almost twice the cost of stainless or NPS.
But honestly, I'd just ask. I can make a string out of stainless that has "significantly higher tension" than pure nickel.
Despite both being 45-65-85-105 sets, the Fender 7150 pulled the neck on my P to a place the 7250 never took it, if that helps?
Basically I've been gravitating toward "dead" strings lately, but the only strings that have gotten "too dead" for me are NPS, after about a year. I haven't run into the problem with stainless rounds or flats (yet, these experiments take time
).I wonder if this is an issue with nickel plating breaking down on a certain level after a certain amount of use.
But nickel does have a cool sound, and I wonder if pure nickel or an alloy would plateau at an acceptable level of deadness like SS appears to. I'd be more likely to get something with either all pure nickel wraps or stainless inner wrap with pure nickel outer, or some type of alloy with no NPS layers. The TI Superalloy look cool but this bass is tuned to D-standard and I think they'll be too light.
I'll probably try to get a hold of some of these companies as Jon suggested.
Here's another one. I wonder if they make these themselves:
SonoTone Vintage Bass - SonoTone Strings
Basically I've been gravitating toward "dead" strings lately, but the only strings that have gotten "too dead" for me are NPS, after about a year. I haven't run into the problem with stainless rounds or flats (yet, these experiments take time
I wonder if this is an issue with nickel plating breaking down on a certain level after a certain amount of use.
But nickel does have a cool sound, and I wonder if pure nickel or an alloy would plateau at an acceptable level of deadness like SS appears to. I'd be more likely to get something with either all pure nickel wraps or stainless inner wrap with pure nickel outer, or some type of alloy with no NPS layers. The TI Superalloy look cool but this bass is tuned to D-standard and I think they'll be too light.
I'll probably try to get a hold of some of these companies as Jon suggested.
Here's another one. I wonder if they make these themselves:
SonoTone Vintage Bass - SonoTone Strings
In case the whole endeavor gets too complicated, the price could dictate the way: Fender 7150. You can't go wrong really.
Got a little bit of info...
Talked to Gabriel Tenorio via email and he said his Pure Nickel strings use pure nickel on every layer of wrap, "the purest nickel and most pure nickel in the industry."
Also Heard back from Pyramid on their Pure Nickel: "We use hexagonal steel as core wire and for all inner and outer wrap wires we use the pure nickel wires."
Talked to Gabriel Tenorio via email and he said his Pure Nickel strings use pure nickel on every layer of wrap, "the purest nickel and most pure nickel in the industry."
Also Heard back from Pyramid on their Pure Nickel: "We use hexagonal steel as core wire and for all inner and outer wrap wires we use the pure nickel wires."
Heard back from Fender. Rep said he didn't have the information on hand but his "best guess is that they're pure nickel."
I actually had an unopened set of Fender 7150 45-100 here that I had forgotten about. The 3rd and 4th strings are too light tuned D-standard, but the 1st and 2nd MAY be heavy enough, so I ordered a 45-105 set to try out.
Whatever higher tension these may have, they make up for in suppleness, where they seem pretty close in stiffness to a same gauge SS or NPS. Makes me think the 45-105 might be a little too light for D-standard. If this ends up being the case I may order the Pyramid 50-110...
It's sufficiently long ago that I can't remember exactly what I thought of the 45-65-85-105 set of 7150 when I tuned to D Standard, but I can remember very clearly that the strings sounded significantly better once dropped them from E Standard to Eb Standard — a lot more characterful and engaged. So my guess is that they'll still be good at D Standard
I have the Optima (black pack) flats on my hofner now. They sound really good. 45 60 80 100 and the e is a little too light gauge so it’s was tense. Would be better with a 105 e to balance the tension. You can buy singles from them so that’s an option.
Next up I might try the pyramid nucke rounds, and the non-nickel Optima 24K Gold rounds. They are supposed to be mellow just like nickel strings. The journey continues!
Next up I might try the pyramid nucke rounds, and the non-nickel Optima 24K Gold rounds. They are supposed to be mellow just like nickel strings. The journey continues!
The 45-105 seemed pretty good a whole step down. They respond so much differently than NPS or stainless that sometimes they felt a little too light, and sometimes even a little too heavy.
This is my "string testing" bass, and I'll keep the 7150s in the rotation, but for now I put the 50-110 Pure Blues back on that were on previously. I'll see if they ever get to the "too dead" stage that I've gotten to with other NPS, or if my tolerance for deadness has increased...
The 7150s sound cool and it seems like they would mellow out really nicely, but I'm starting to realize how much the interesting timbre contrast between SS and NPS may have to do with the non-stainless steel portion of NPS instead of the nickel portion.
So after a considerable gear upgrade, that took a while to materialize, I put back a slightly used set of Pyramid Pure Nickel rounds (45-105) on a Pbass. I like them!
This Pbass now sports a 62 Original pickup; it had a V-Mod two years ago, when I first tried this string set. Also, my rig is now a Markbass Little Mark Vintage head into a Markbass 410 cab. Used to be a LM3 into a 2x12 cab.
The tone is focused and tight with a bit of crunch, partly due to the 410, I suppose, but also warm and full and "melodic". Given that these strings were only used for a few days two years ago, before I removed them, they are still new, so they will probably get more mellow with time. Well, if they stay on the bass long enough as I'm getting the GAS for a set of Dunlop super bright nps...
This Pbass now sports a 62 Original pickup; it had a V-Mod two years ago, when I first tried this string set. Also, my rig is now a Markbass Little Mark Vintage head into a Markbass 410 cab. Used to be a LM3 into a 2x12 cab.
The tone is focused and tight with a bit of crunch, partly due to the 410, I suppose, but also warm and full and "melodic". Given that these strings were only used for a few days two years ago, before I removed them, they are still new, so they will probably get more mellow with time. Well, if they stay on the bass long enough as I'm getting the GAS for a set of Dunlop super bright nps...
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The pure nickel rounds are hex core. The Gold Flats are hex core with the exception of the E string:
Could check with Thomann. The short and long scale pure nickel rounds (blue package) are only 29 Euro there. They can likely order mediums as I've found them to be accommodating with special requests. Yes, there's the international shipping but I imagine that's less that the price difference - particularly if buying more than a single set. I've also bought from Pyramid directly so anything is possible then.
Those Pyramid nickel rounds have become my default for roundwounds as I (subjectively) like how they age better than the GHS Balanced Nickels (which I still like a lot) and cheaper/more easily available where I am.
