Ghs pressurewounds are made out of it. I've heard good things about TI and labella superalloys. The material is apparently bright and lasts a long time, yet they're no where near as popular as nickels and steels.
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Why aren't alloy 52 strings more popular?
- Thread starter Gorn
- Start date
When it comes to roundwounds Alloy 52 strings are my favorite as of right now. I really like the GHS B52s sold for super cheap on Bassstringsonline, they are very bright and metallic sounding though(which is what I want when I play rounds), I don't think they are everybody's' cup of tea.
all my rounds are now and have been for the past decade or so TI SuperAlloys. Love the stuff!
Hopefully if nobody buys them TI will be forced to give me all their remaining stock, and I'll never have to buy strings again (though I can't complain as I seriously only change them every couple YEARS)
Hopefully if nobody buys them TI will be forced to give me all their remaining stock, and I'll never have to buy strings again (though I can't complain as I seriously only change them every couple YEARS)
GHS Brite flats and Pressurewounds are the closest you can get, good strings but I prefer others.
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
We also use Alloy 52 for Progressives, B52s, Big Core Bass, Brite Flats and our Crossovers (for the NS Design EUB).
Until they offer it in a flat ribbon wire, the closest you're going to get is a groundwound string, like the Brite Flats.
It's apparently a nickel iron alloy. My guess is the wrap wire is that alloy, and the core is steel.
I once bought a used SQ-series P with rusty Pressurewounds on it. ERMAGERD! Horrendously tasty strings. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool TI JF344 nut. I have countless hours invested in working my technique around their uneven, floppy tension. I cut nuts to their exact size using fraction, number, and letter drill bits as nut files. Then divorce ate my bass gear along with my favorite plank. I let 4 broken-in perfect sets of JF344s go with it. I went without a bass until I couldn't stand it any more, then bought an $80 used Peavey Milestone II. It arrived 2 days ago. The strings are shot, so I ordered a set of ML Pressurewounds. I'm thinking of them as the poor man's TI flats, because there's some component of the sound--I want to say it's something reminiscent of the nylon guitar string sound--that is very TI-like. But they are definitely their own animal. Looking forward to taking advantage of their good tension and discovering how to coax their best sounds out of them. It should take me the better part of a year. I used to burn through every new string that came out, much too fast to really learn them, and that's the key to finding the magic strings, to narrow things down to a very few likely candidates and spend some intense exclusive playing time with each. These may well become my one string, replacing JF344. I'll let you know in a year.
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Alloy 52 is 52% pure nickel and 48% iron.
I suspect alloy 52 isn't as popular because musicians don't understand what it is and the great benefits it offers. People avoid what they don't understand.
I have a set of La Bella Super Alloy 52 roundwounds and I can't kill 'em no matter how much I try!
I think it's great that companies like GHS, La Bella, Thomastik Infeld, and Everly offer alloy 52 strings.
I suspect alloy 52 isn't as popular because musicians don't understand what it is and the great benefits it offers. People avoid what they don't understand.
I have a set of La Bella Super Alloy 52 roundwounds and I can't kill 'em no matter how much I try!
I think it's great that companies like GHS, La Bella, Thomastik Infeld, and Everly offer alloy 52 strings.
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
Well, from our end alloy 52 is a more expensive material to get, which translates into a slightly higher pricetag for the consumer, so there is that aspect. A lot of times too, as much as we all love to try new things, there is a comfort level associated with sticking with "what you know," which is probably why NPS strings are probably the most popular kind out there.
I personally love Alloy 52 strings for the higher magnetic output, more responsive to playing dynamics and changes in hand position/technique, feel and longevity.
I had never played an alloy 52 wrapped string before I tried GHS Big Core Bass Strings. I think it's great stuff! I like the higher magnetic output and that absolutely does translate into a more responsive & dynamic string. I am going to have to try a set of Pressurewounds next. I need to set up my Jazz to a specific stringset and fine tune it in, and always use that same stringset for every change.
Loud is good. This is my first new set of Pressurewounds and they're LOUD. Nice bonus, they're good to go right out of the bag. That rusty old set I got on a used bass sounded good to me, but these just blow me away, all the slam, lard, and definition I crave with zero tin. Guess I just switched brands.
I love TI superalloys. The nickel iron combo gives the strings extra growl. Great vintage tone and last forever. Now I have to try some GHS
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
I agree, although depending on what else is being wound with it, they can be a lot darker sounding than stainless.
Chef
In Memoriam
in these type of strings, is the alloy52 in the core, or, the windings, or both?
I think I have both LaBella and Everyly variations of these in my string box I've never tried.
I think I have both LaBella and Everyly variations of these in my string box I've never tried.
I think Alloy 52 is usually just the outer wrap, but maybe sometimes the inner windings as well. I don't think it is strong enough for a core, tho.
- Sep 9, 2007
- 5,309
- 4,977
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
Just the windings, although it's not always ALL of the windings. Case in point, the GHS Progressives have a steel winding under the Alloy 52.
