For all you 5, 6 or more string dudes out there...

[rumbler]

First off,

I played a Warwick thumb 6 string the other day which had a really nice fat B string. Do any of you know what gauge Warwick throws on their basses B strings?

Second off I am feeling that this string was 135 and had massive chunk to it. But the C string on this bass wayyy too tiny imo.

What gauges are you guys using for your high c's, b strings and any else thats crazy?

Andrew

[Basshole]

Depending on the bass (w/some I prefer a heavier B) I use:

.145/.135/.130 - B
.100 - E
.080 - A
.065 - D
.045 - G
.032 - C

Warwick uses a .130 or .135, IIRC.

[bassteban]

I tend to like a .125 B & .030 C; light gauge for the rest. Different basses seem to like different gauges IME. My 6s are Stambaughs & my only 5 is a Fender.

[Bass Below]

On a standard tuned 5 string, I must have a minimum of a .145 for the B. Anything less than that is floppy to me, and I'm not a very precise player, so... floppy + sloppy = sonic disaster.

At my tuning I use a .175

[rumbler]

Im using the 127 B string from the SR2000s strings.

27 47 67 87 107 127


Andrew

[elros]

The Warwick set I use has IIRC a .025 for the high C. That's thinner than for example the D'addario set which has a .032 (I think)

[Angus]

You guys are nuts! I use a .120 or .115 for my B and a .020 for my C (tuned to B no less)!

[FrigginChris]

i like a .130 for my low b

[King David]

Warwicks have a .135. I like em!
D'addario sells one in a taper. You can get the individual string at juststrings.com

[rumbler]

Originally Posted by Angus

You guys are nuts! I use a .120 or .115 for my B and a .020 for my C (tuned to B no less)!

wow!

when I hear some of you dudes talk about gauges that light I wonder how refined your touch is?

to each his own I guess. I am in such a dilemma of whether to get a 135 or to stay with my 127?

The 135 is custom gauged and extra and will cost more..so will a seperate high c string. speaking of those too I can't decide on keeping the 27 or changing to 30 or 35

ahhh decisions decisions

Andrew

[stoo]

I'm still running the stock strings that came with my OLP MM32 'Ray5 HH clone - Ernie Ball Regular Slinky 5's (.045 - .130).

It doesn't feel quite right, but I'm not sure that the problem is down to the string gauge yet. The action on each string is as low as it'll go without buzzing on the frets when played fairly gently. Still high enough that trying to play quickly often results in unintended hammer-ons.

I'm tempted to go with a heavier gauge set to tighten things up a bit, but I suspect I'll bet better off giving some money to a luthier to get the frets properly levelled so I can lower the action a little more. Still, I think the Power Slinky 5's go down to a .135 so there is an option for more chunk if getting the frets and action sorted isn't enough to compensate for my clumsy fingers.

[Basshole]

Originally Posted by rumbler

wow!

when I hear some of you dudes talk about gauges that light I wonder how refined your touch is?

Actually, my touch is so refined that I've NEVER used a compressor. I also have a 7 string which has a .155 F# (subcontrabass). Conversely, I have an original Tobias, and that wears a .145 low B

String gauges really depend on the particular bass for me, and they are each set up appropriate to that instrument.

[James Hart]

Originally Posted by Angus

You guys are nuts! I use a .120 or .115 for my B and a .020 for my C (tuned to B no less)!

.118 B on both my 6 and 7.
.029 C (tuned to B as well)
I run a .022 E on the 7

[rumbler]

Originally Posted by James Hart

.118 B on both my 6 and 7.
.029 C (tuned to B as well)
I run a .022 E on the 7

Holy Crow James!

Well I aint arguing about tone with you guys, cuz I have seen some of James vids and stuff and hes got nice tone. And hes got Delanos too though

I'm starting to think maybe I should just stay with a 127 low B since everyone here uses less than that. I have a fairly good touch on the strings, its just that there are certain dude who have huge B string tones and use 135s like Willis, Todd Johnson and Steve Bailey. Then theres guys like Trujillo, Sean Malone and Armand Sabal Lecco using stuff that is smaller than 130 and it still sounds like a thunderclap!

I guess the tone is in the fingers!

Andrew

[stflbn]

I think it's also very important to know what genre you're trying to primarily play when dealing with string types and guages.

[rumbler]

Well I play mainly metal, but that is only with my band. On My own actually I rarely play metal. In fact I love every style of music equally it's just the metal hits the spot for me in a band context. Alot of guys in metal are using 130s, but thats not much difference from a 127. The 135 is still tempting, but for an extra 12 dollars for it I don't know if I really want to get it and end up hating it.

I forgot to mention that I have been pretty poor after buying my new Eden stack

Andrew

[rumbler]

Hey Guys,

My 135B and 30 C came in from juststrings.com

These are SR2000s. I got a 4 string Medium set to compliment it which is 48 67 84 106. I put the whole set together and the 135 B string is alot tighter than my previous 127 but it sounds anemic, almost like it has no low end response to it. The 30 C barely has any more tension then the 27 c, and the 35 c seems to big to me which is why I didn't order that

It could be because the strings are new, and SR2000's are fairly bright new. I usually use the Will Lee or now MC gauge which is 27 47 67 87 107 127 and maybe it is because I am used to that, but I seem to like that gauge better.

Any more opinions. I like the tight feeling B string, and I know as it mellows out it will have more of a bassy tone. But the thing is getting those strings from juststrings to me is 22 dollars in total plus the 28 dollar 4 string set, plus taxes, it ends up costing quite a bit for custom gauges.

Do you guys feel custom gauges are worth the quite higher price tag? or do you guys just live with store stocked gauges?

Alot of players I talk to recommend 135 gauge B's like Todd JOhnson, and Gary Willis. And then all these other dudes use these 125s, even smaller and most of the time nothing above 130! what is the verdict?? bigger is better? or is it all in the touch and the player?

I actually remember when I played my 127 through a sonic maximizer the B string sounded MONSTROUS!!, but I never got to play a 135 through that.

Oh well, any opinions?

Andrew

[Bass Below]

A lot is in the touch of the player. I can't get anything useful out of a B string that is less then .145, but then you have guys like Jauqo III-X who uses a string much lighter than that, tunes it down to C# and gets a great sound out of it.

[MarkMyWordsXx]

Originally Posted by Basshole

Depending on the bass (w/some I prefer a heavier B) I use:

.145/.135/.130 - B
.100 - E
.080 - A
.065 - D
.045 - G
.032 - C

Warwick uses a .130 or .135, IIRC.

i go

B 130
E 110
A 85
D 70
G 50
C 35

or there abouts

[Andrew.Glose]

100
80
60
40
28

Pretty simple, easy to remember, and one of the best things I've done to cater to my playing.