GHS Strings Big Core Bass Review

One of the big – nay, gigantic – perks of working at GHS Strings is the fact that I can not only participate in Research and Development, but also demo whatever strings I want. You’d think I was that proverbial kid in a candy store, and to a point, you’d be correct. With that, I grabbed one of the new sets of ours, the Big Core Bass set and ran it through some gigs.

According to the packaging, the “Big Core Bass strings provide maximum playability and durability while featuring nickel iron alloy cover and core to cover ratios that have been optimized for bright tone.” For those bassists that have a 24 fret neck on their bass and intend to use every single fret on every single string, this set is designed for optimum articulation and note definition over the entire fretboard.

Immediate impressions are that the teal silk on the strings is, by far, the coolest color I’ve ever seen. Tonally, they remind me of the clarity of stainless steel strings, but with the lower fundamental feel and punch of nickel. The E string is tapered, so it did take a couple minutes to properly set up the bridge, but once we did, I ran off for a handful of studio sessions and gigs.

What I like about this set is that the tone is big and meaty, but yet the note definition is there. Oftentimes you get either/or; a set that is articulate but very bright and thin, or a thick sounding string that may border on being muddy. In the recording, the tone I got from these was very nice, and able to sit a bit lower in the mix while still punching through. When I brought this bass to a couple of live gigs, the same results were found; great fundamental tone that was consistent across the entire fretboard. I even used some of the second octave on the E string, just to see if it really was that good; I personally don’t have a need for anything that high up, but if you do, these will do the trick.

The Big Core Bass set from GHS Strings is currently only available in a 4 string, medium gauge (45-65-85-105) set. If you’re looking for something new and different to try on your never-ending quest to find that “perfect” set of strings for your bass, I encourage you to try a set of these. You may be hooked.