Sounds great!
Tension numbers aside, how is the feel of the light set vs. the medium set?
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Review: GHS Balanced Nickels 4M-NB
- Thread starter Linnin
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- balanced tension ghs nickel review
Sounds great!
Tension numbers aside, how is the feel of the light set vs. the medium set?
I know it sounds like I'm a real smarty pants when I say they feel lighter, but they do because they are. They're more flexible for those that like to do a lot of string bending. Very easy to pitch some vibrato. Easier chording. Kinder to the fingers and wrists, but the medium set is very easy on the hands too. These strings (both sets) are very kind to the players hands, and the winding is very smooth and even. The general tone is about the same. Any sonic difference there might be is really very subtle.
Agreed.
One thing I really like about the GHS round core strings, both Balanced Nickels and Round Core Boomers, is they're very comfortable to play on, thanks to the round-core suppleness, but they don't feel loose and floppy like some round core counterparts by other manufacturers. Even the BN light set (40-101) provides enough firmness without feeling stiff.
Geez, this thread is still alive!
One thing that struck me about these: Because the overtones are a little subdued, they have a pretty aggressive high mid/treble range for new strings. i.e. the balance between overtones and noises is shifted a little towards noises. Kinda like old rounds, but with the sustain of new rounds! Exactly what I wanted on my Jazz.
One thing that struck me about these: Because the overtones are a little subdued, they have a pretty aggressive high mid/treble range for new strings. i.e. the balance between overtones and noises is shifted a little towards noises. Kinda like old rounds, but with the sustain of new rounds! Exactly what I wanted on my Jazz.
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
After reading most of this topic, I have decided to try using Balanced Nickels on my Yamaha BB434. Unfortunately, I could only find the light set (4L-NB) around here.
I must agree that the strings are very well put together. Also, very comfortable to play - it's the first time I tried a balanced set, and I really liked it a lot.
However, soundwise, they're not what I was looking for. Maybe the medium gauge would be a better choice for me. I found the tone of the light set to be as twangy as other roundwounds I've used during my seven years playing bass. The Balanced Nickels sound too metallic to me.
I'm gonna keep them because they were expensive, and because they are really comfortable. But I guess I'm gonna keep looking for some half rounds or groundwounds for a in-between rounds and flats tone.
I must agree that the strings are very well put together. Also, very comfortable to play - it's the first time I tried a balanced set, and I really liked it a lot.
However, soundwise, they're not what I was looking for. Maybe the medium gauge would be a better choice for me. I found the tone of the light set to be as twangy as other roundwounds I've used during my seven years playing bass. The Balanced Nickels sound too metallic to me.
I'm gonna keep them because they were expensive, and because they are really comfortable. But I guess I'm gonna keep looking for some half rounds or groundwounds for a in-between rounds and flats tone.
If you find the Balanced Nickels to be "too metallic and twangy", then you might want to consider the GHS Brite Flats, which are Alloy 52 half-rounds (= groundwound). I have the light set on my Jazz bass right now and find them more "flatwound" both in tone and feel than the BNs. Smooth and mellow with very little twang, but still with enough of the roundwound bite and definition.
OK, and you don't tell us what country you live in, so it is tough to make any meaningful recommendations. Since this is my thread & review, let me just say that if Balanced Nickels are "too metallic" try tapewounds. Any tapewounds. D'Addario are the most popular and therefore most available. LaBellas are world famous. GHS tapewounds are a well kept secret well worth discovering. Live Long & Prosper.
Hey, don't take it personally! I'm not making judgement or anything, just giving an honest opinion for people looking for information about these strings.
I live in Brazil. Imported goods are heavily taxed here, so I'll have to save some money before thinking about a new set of strings.
I have tapewounds on another bass, but thank you for your suggestion.
Peace and long life.
I live in Brazil. Imported goods are heavily taxed here, so I'll have to save some money before thinking about a new set of strings.
I have tapewounds on another bass, but thank you for your suggestion.
Peace and long life.
I am having issues getting a balanced sound from these strings. The E and G are notably brighter. While not bad on there own, the sound does not match with the A and D strings. Already tried using compression/eq to no avail. The sound difference can also be heard acoustically. I was able to get a balanced sounding set by using a 100 E en 45 G from a Fender set.
A couple of questions...
What bass do you use them on? How old are the strings? "100 E and 45 G from a Fender set" as in the 7150 pure nickel rounds?
I'm curious because this is the first time I've heard anyone talk about the issue of the Balanced Nickels being unbalanced.
The bass I tried it on was a no-name p bass, with an Alnico pickup. I installed the set mid july. I have four basses and I don't gig so these strings have a low mileage. The fender set I took other strings from is the regular nps set. Largest difference was heard on the region between the fifth and tenth fret for the E string. The G string was too bright over the whole fretboard. Now that doesn't mean that I fully dislike the strings, as they do feel perfectly balanced, which is rare for strings imo. Local stores here only stock fender, daddario and rotosound, brands that seem to create severly unbalanced string sets on purpose. I might try to just wait longer for the strings to settle, but I could not find anyone claiming that these had such a long break in period.
Did you have a chance to experiment with the pickup height? Have you tried them on a different bass to see if you would get the same result, or only on that one bass?
Very strange the Fender NPS E and G would balance better with the BN D and A. I simply don't get that.
I wouldn't expect them to take a long time to break in at all. When I tried the light set (40-101) on my P bass, they were ready to go right out the package.
I have found the G to be very tonally consistent with the other strings, but every bass will be different... I ended up replacing the 106 E from the medium set with the 101 E from the light set on my acoustic-electric. Good results. I found the 106 to be a bit boomy, especially plugged in. This is something I have experienced with many "balanced tension" sets though from various brands.
Balanced tension vs. balanced tone...
One thing to keep in mind is the Balanced Nickels were specifically designed for "balanced tone" as the primary objective; the fact they're nicely tension-balanced is a side benefit.
That's why I'm a bit puzzled by all this talk about them being tonally unbalanced. I guess the simple truth is there is no string that works equally well on all basses.
^^^ This ^^^ A poor setup is a recipe for sonic disaster. Neck too flat (not enough relief); strings too low, and pickups too high all combine for an unbalanced mess.
My experience with four sets of GHS Balanced Nickels is that they are the most balanced strings I've ever played in terms of string-to-string: tension & feel; tone, and volume. I love their inherent warmth & darkness and absence of extreme top end zing & metallic clank. They pop out of the pack and hop right on your bass ready to go into the recording studio. They're my faves, so they get my raves.
Best thing I ever bought setup-wise was a set of radius gauges. Set the E and G to your desired height, then use the gauge with the same radius of your neck and adjust the A and D until the strings are all touching the top of the gauge.
