Item DescriptionGHS NICKEL ROCKERS™ WOUND 3RDGHS Nickel Rockers are special. Since 1964, Nickel Rockers™ have provided discriminating guitarists with the PURE NICKEL sound of original rock n' roll and the warm tones of blues and jazz.
WARWICK GHS Nickel Rockers - R+RL - Electric Guitar String Set, Light,.010.046, Instruments, Amplifiers, Guitar and Bass Effects, RockBoard by Warwick, Guitar and Bass Strings, Cables, Cases and Bags, Stands, Pickups, Accessories, Parts for Instruments, Merch & Promotion, Special Deals, Framus & Warwick Music Hall Tickets. During the winding, the string is passed through rolls, resulting in the smooth finish. Reduced grip noise and a smooth play feeling. A real alternative for Vintage fans. USA made with the newest technology. Features: Pure Nickel Wound Rollerwound Hexagonal Core Made in USA GHS R+R 1315 - Light Wound G Gauge: 011-013-018-026-038-050.
The unique GHS rollerwinding process slightly flattens the strings for a smooth, comfortable feel with a 'touch' of extra tension.1315 NICKEL ROCKERS™ WOUND 3RD - Light 011-050 Gauges: 011 013 N18 N26 N38 N501400 NICKEL ROCKERS™ WOUND 3RD - Medium Light 012-054 Gauges: 012 015 N22 N28 N42 N54TM1500 NICKEL ROCKERS™ WOUND 3RD - True Medium 013-056 Gauges: 013 017 N24 N32 N42 N56.
So I was down in the US this past weekend and picked up a pack of these strings that all the kiddies are raving about (none up in Canada, guy at GC explained to me that they have 75% of the initial stock which is why there's none to be had up my way). I bought a set of of the light top/heavy bottom 10-52's for my Les Paul (I have been using GHS TNT's 10-52's for the past few years) and switched them last night.My initial impressions: pretty underwhelmed to be honest.
Because of the nature of the strings they're supposed to have increased high end frequency response because of the way they interact with the pickup (the strings themselves are magnetic). Well, to be honest they sounded a bit dull and muddy when I put them on. I realized after I got it tuned up that I had moved the bridge up a bit, so I re-adjusted it and that improved things a lot but still left a lot of be desired. I put them on a LP. Immediately they sounded louder, and more responsive. I actually liked the way they sounded. As far as feel, I thought they felt kind of sticky.
Kind of like a coated string. I also didn't think they bent better than the steel slinky's, which is what I read in a review that they were suppose to. I also broke the D string at the bridge. I rarely break strings, and haven't since I put a steel pair back on.
It kind of pissed me off, because they had only been played an hour total over a couple days. It was probably just a fluke, it would be interesting to hear more reviews. Surlybastard wrote:A buddy of mine made an interesting point that even though they're magnetic (the strings) they likely don't have the same size 'field' as standard steel strings which is why I was probably getting such a muddy sound and why it changed so drastically when I moved the pickups up slightly.I tried a couple of sets as well and didn't care much for them.on a Floyd they were hell to intonate.
They gave me a strange mid-range resonance.might be fine for Hi-Gain applications but I prefer my Boomers for overall play. Surlybastard wrote:Ya the cost is pretty ridiculous as well. I've always liked the GHS TNT's because I find they last a really long time.Lately I'm not too keen on GHS. I've used them off and on for many years and they are by far the brand I've used the most. But, I recently got a 3-pk of Boomers. I figured they'd be packaged separate per set.
No, there were just 6 envelopes. OK, I figure they're saving cost on packaging so inside would be 3 coils of that gauge. Kinda, all 3 strings in each gauge were coiled around each other. So I had to uncoil the strings to get 1 out, then coil the others back up.Then it ended up, each set had at least 1 string that was kinked. OK, I won't buy the 3-pk again, no big deal.
Then I open a set of GHS Nickel Rockers, again I find a string has a kink. I open another set and it also has a kinked string. So I'm laying off GHS awhile.Side note: I slapped a set of DR Black Beauties on my SG. I'm impressed.
They don't sound like a coated string. Now to see if they last 3 times as long like they claim. Yikes that's no good, hopefully just a bad couple of packs. I've always found that GHS' have the nice big full sound like the Gibson strings do, so I like them on my LP. I will say I'm much happier with the Cobalt's now, I tinkered a lot with the height of my bridge and pickups and I seem to have found the spot where they really shine. I also think there was a bit longer break in period than the GHS strings, they seem to really sing now.
I still don't think the additional cost is justified but we'll see how long they last, I have a couple of packs of GHS strings that I need to use, after those are used up I'm going to try the Cobalt's again. But I'm not impressed enough to just chuck my GHS'. Surlybastard wrote:A buddy of mine made an interesting point that even though they're magnetic (the strings) they likely don't have the same size 'field' as standard steel strings which is why I was probably getting such a muddy sound and why it changed so drastically when I moved the pickups up slightly.Probably not, the pick-up produces the magnetic field, the string just moves within it.
Since Cobalt is a magnetic metal, it should make no difference.I've got them on one of my guitars, tbh there is only a slight difference sound wise, although, they feel a little smoother than your average strings. I don't hate them but, I dont think they are worth the extra cash.I got mine from Steve.Peace.
To my ears, there's more than a slight difference in sound. It's most apparent on the lower strings, as well as the overall 'liveliness' when plugged into a cranked amp. Greater clarity, more punch, and a wider dynamic range from various levels of pick attack.They also stay in tune incredibly well, the tuning stability is truly remarkable. I can play fairly aggressively for several songs as the only guitarist in my trio, bending strings like mad, then check with a tuner and every string is perfectly in tune.