Are Rock Masters and Bass Burners (Ken Smith) the same string bar the nickel plated cover on the Burners?
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Rock Masters / Bass Burners
- Thread starter Stan_da_man
- Start date
Never tried the burners but I assume they are almost the same. Definitely are both roundwound and I think they are hex core. I do like the rock masters. I've used them many times. It's a string I always go back to when I'm not busy expirimenting.
Huh... I don't know the answer to that question, but I gotta admit, that's an interesting way of characterizing the difference. It's almost like asking "Is a Volkswagen Beetle and a Mercedes-Benz 450SL the same car bar the ______________ (list all the differences between those two cars)?"
iow, even if the only difference between the Rock Masters and the Bass Burners is the metallurgy of their outer winding, that's arguably one of the most significant differences that can possibly exist between two roundwound strings, no?
I know for me personally I've been underwhelmed with every nickel-plated roundwound string I've ever tried, whereas my go-to string is indeed the Smith stainless steel roundwound Rock Master. It's that different to my ear. Were I forced to use a different string, my inclination would be to look for another stainless steel roundwound from a different manufacturer, rather than a nickel-plated roundwound by the same manufacturer.
What's motivating the question @Stan_da_man just curiosity, or...?
Great way to sum it up. The stainless Ken Smith strings really are unique and I think they are so underrated by musicians. They are so clear sounding that you don't think it has bass however the tone is huge and they have lots of mids. Since they are so versatile I'd recommend it to anyone.
Please tell me, how smooth to the touch are they?
The tone you've described is right up my alley for the sound I want from the bass that I just bought.
So they seem to feel fairly comfortable for being a roundwound string. Depending on your impression of smoothness I'd say give it a shot and see. They are going to be something different that you don't get with most run of the mill stainless strings.
Keep in mind the Ken Smith stainless steel rounds, made by GHS, are the closest cousin to the GHS Super Steels. They're basically a slightly brighter and more aggressive sibling to the Boomers.
Thanks, Michael!!
And I've always been curious about Super Steels. I've still got RSB66's on my P-Bass, which sound awesome. But when they finally give up the ghost, I've been planning on restringing my P-Bass with a set of Super Steels.
Thanks again for the info on the KS SS roundwounds.
What's interesting is that even though they make Ken Smith strings I definitely see a difference in sound. I felt like the boomers were bottom heavy and lacking in high mid to high frequency response. The Ken Smith are pretty well rounded and accurately focused and seemingly more versatile in my ears opinion. I know hex core and round core will make a difference. Ghs makes both. I noticed the feel is very similar in both strings. I've played both ghs and Ken so hopefully that helps.
This is why I use the word "cousin" to describe the relationship between Ken Smith strings and GHS strings. Just because they come from the same factory doesn't mean they're identical twins. But they do share "family resemblance" in some ways.
So I wonder how the hex core stainless boomers are going to match up with the Ken Smith version.
There is no such thing as "stainless Boomer". The Boomers, both the regular and the Round Core, are nickel-plated steel.
The hex-core Boomers and the Ken Smith Burners are the NPS "cousins".
Ah so that's why I never liked the boomers. There's something about nickel I never have liked. I've tried lots of different nickel strings and to me were all too dead sounding. There's something about stainless that has clarity and brilliance. Nickel always sounds like mud when they break in. Stainless usually stays clear and bright but gets fatter when they break in after a little bit of play time. Thanks for the recommendation and all the information. I wonder if there's any other strings I should try.
To me the KS Burners are quite a bit brighter than the Boomers. The Burners are the brightest nickel string I have tried. I prefer NPS strings because of their smoother feel. I can understand why someone would like the sound of SS better though, they definitely have a bite and edge that most NPS don't have.
