Re: GHS Boomers - Yay or Nay?
I usually play DR TIte Fits, but on my seven strings and anything that gets tuned down any significant amount I actually prefer Boomers for the added brightness.
TBH I only started buying boomers again because mix + matching a 10-60 7 string set and an 11-80 Zakk Wylde set was the fastest way to get my 7 string sets together in the guages I wanted. Just luckily turned out that the results were good, too.
Rocksoldier, have you taken a look @
www.saitenkatalog.de ?
... Anyway, alot is your imagination. If someone put different strings on your guitars as a test you couldn't name the brands. There's only a few string manufacturing companies and they're just packaged differently...
I couldn´t name the brands, but I could tell you exactly what I liked and disklike about each string from both a tactile and aural perspective. And while I agree that there is a lot of snake oil, i think you´re underrstimating the possible differences a bit.
While it´s true there are only a handful of string manufacturing plants IN THE USA (and about another 50 in the ROW IIRC), there are still many, many different ways to choose, mix and match core and wind wraps, I can think of 10 basic ones off the top of my head And I know there are dozens more.. Add on to that things like cryogenic treatment, "compression winding", "tension winding" ( the latter a concept who´s difference to normal string winding remains unfathomable to me, but some swear by it), yaddayaddablabla.... so just by taking those base 10 and applying those 3 we get 40 distinct variants, none with 2 "special" characteristics. if we add on the possibility of combining features, there are suddenly 80 different permutations.
So, if we assume rougly 25 viably unique ways to build a string (a number I know is realistic but still a bit low), and say 5 "special features" for the entire market (also a but lowballed), just repackaged and relabeled to fit reseller Bs marketing vs reseller B´s, we still have a whopping
800 different possible combinations, each with their owh inherent toinal and tensile qualities.
Then there´s the topic of exact alloy composition. Every metal alloy (which essentially all metals are for this purpose, as 100% purity is near impossible.) has an individual tension coefficient, breaking strength, and mass /volume. All of these together with it´s inherent magnetic (or non magnetic ) properties play a defining role in the tone of the individual string, you can heavily alter the tone of a string merely by adding 1% impurities /alloyands to the current slag. As most string companies used to (any some probably still do) draw their own wrap and core wire, there´s already a huge potential for variation right there even without intentional tampering.... and things get really interesting when Dr Winderstein starts wanting a stronger variation of the flux field ("more output") and adding cobalt, or wanting a different tension and mixing in plate of V2A or CrMo steel to the core.... As a result, Nickel plated steel does not necessarily = Nickel plated steel, Pure nickel does not necessarily = Pure nickel, and stainless steel does not necessarily= stainless steel.
But whether "homedrawn" or outsourced, there is enough capital involved and a large enough demand of raw materials that they can get or produce the exact mix thex want for each individual model of string they produce.
And all of this is only just barely scratching the surface. I wrote a 20 page dissentary on the future of string composition during my apprenticeship, and that was 15 years ago.... The overally verdict was that if you truly want absolute perfection every time, you have to either learn abour smelting and draw them yourself or wait another 20 or 30 years until you can say "I want a string that´s..." and it strings itself up automatically (as would my at the time theoretically proposed but currently still technologically unfeasible "laser strings).
However, seeing as technology moves forward many while guitarists steadfastly cling to the past, there should be (and are) more truly different models of string than ever before. As far as choice of strings go, we truly do live in a Golden Age at present, it has never been easier to find the perfect string your each individual player and ear.... but for many it´s still a pipe dream, even my beloved DRs are only there until someone finally makes the perfect string for me
