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Why Do I Love GHS Bass Boomers???

B

Bockscar

Oct 18, 2012
25
3
Columbus, OH
#1
I have used almost every brand and make of strings on my MIA jazz with EMG's. I'm fairly new to TB and I don't ever really see much about GHS Boomers other than that folks can't stand them.

I can't seem to find anything that sounds better to me. I actually took a set of TI jazz flats off of the bass to put Boomers on it! Crazy right!?

I wanted to like Dr Hi Beams, Rotosounds, or anything a little more unique but they just don't sound the same. Any thoughts on GHS Bass Boomers???
 
#2
I'm with you, although I've expanded my tastes a bit so that I use different brands on different basses (DR Fatbeams, Dunlop nickels, etc.). And I have flatwounds on a couple of basses, too.

But my "desert island" strings are certainly GHS Bass Boomers.
 
#7
sorry never had much luck with them.

the ball ends would break on the A and D strings
and i never had a set that would last longer than the first use.
Its surprising, i must say they are consistent......at breaking.

But they do have a pretty bright tone, maybe that is what you like.

Likewise I used flats for awhile, then went back to round wound.
And I enjoyed having some highend back and a little more aggressive feeling with overdrive tones.

So maybe that is what you like..... a change
 
#11
I found them alright, but as others have said I didn't get my money's worth. They went dead so fast.

I have yet to find a string I like as much as DR. My top contenders are D'addario BXP reds and Dingwall. I really want to try Peyson's out on my Dingwall.

I am sure I will give GHS another shot one day, but I certainly won't be going out of my way to get more.
 
#12
BogeyBass said:
sorry never had much luck with them.

the ball ends would break on the A and D strings
and i never had a set that would last longer than the first use.
Its surprising, i must say they are consistent......at breaking.

But they do have a pretty bright tone, maybe that is what you like.

Likewise I used flats for awhile, then went back to round wound.
And I enjoyed having some highend back and a little more aggressive feeling with overdrive tones.

So maybe that is what you like..... a change
Click to expand...

I've used Boomers since 1985 or so, and have broken exactly two strings in all that time. They were on consecutive nights-- I think I had a piece of gravel lodged in a bridge saddle, or something.
 
#14
My go to roundwound of choice for the past 20 some years. My main basses wear Labella DTF's but my Stambaughs and a one P bass are strung with Boomers and sound just fine to me.

To the OP, one of my J basses has TI's , tried some RW's once and hated it, put the TI's back on and it sounded awesome again. Maybe thats just me, I like flats on a J bass and Rounds on a P
 
#15
Light gauge Boomers were my round of choice for the most part in the 80's and 90's (sometimes used Ken Smith stainless). Took a detour for a couple of years and used light gauge D'Addario XL's--while experimenting with different rounds recently to try to reduce fret clanking I hit upon medium gauge Boomers and like their feel/sound on a J much better. Would probably use Boomers on my P too if their heavy gauge E string weren't so fat (.110).
 
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#16
The last few sets I've had have gone dead on my fairly quickly (well, in comparison to the DRs I was using) but the cost differential takes the sting away from that. The other problem I used to have with GHS was that they were rougher on my fingers than other strings. This has gone away - probably because I've become manlier. :) The bulk GHS strings I can get dirt-cheap at the local music shop aren't as good IMHO as the packaged strings, but that may be just a false perception.

Anyways, GHS has grown on me a lot over the past 2 years, although I still do like DRs better on my ESP.
 
#18
Phalex said:
That's what I like about them! No long break in period!

Kinda funny, that the thing I love about them is the thing others don't like about them.
Click to expand...

Maybe I should clarify. I'm referring to the point where they go really dead - no brightness or "elasticity" left at all. This can be 6-9 months down the road, and I've had better luck with other brands that took longer to reach that point.

I, too, don't like the initial break-in period. Especially the GHS are way too bright for me and I find myself hating the sound until they're properly broken in. After that, they sound quite nice until there isn't any life left in them. It's this period that's too short for me.
 

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