B String Question

[Wookieonbass]

I like a little thicker B because it has more tension and feels less floppy so less fret rattle. As far as being more boomy I just lower the pickup a bit to balance it out.

[Randyt]

Have you tried an exposed core B string?,,,I find the B the best Ive ever heard....

[madbassplaya]

I tend to prefer a taper'd B string unless it's a .125 or less.

I've had a number of different basses 34 and 35 inch scale and on all of them I've preferred a smaller B string. I was just curious if it was the number of wraps or what that causes such a difference tonally between a .125 and a .130.

Also, my technique is fine. If anything the .125 would sound worse than the .130 if I were playing them too hard.

[FunkMetalBass]

There are a lot of things that affect the tone of a string, so it's hard to say. Are you comparing .125 and .130 strings by the same manufacturer and set (like both sizes in D'Addario XL's)?

Assuming the manufacturer doesn't change anything other than wrap size between the two, the larger gauge will have more tension. It will be slightly less flexible, and that reduced flexibility will decrease the amount of energy transferred into the fundamental and increase the amount of energy transferred into the harmonics. The result is that the .130 will have slightly more upper-mid focus and clarity than the .125, which will be more pronounced in the bass and lower-mid frequencies than the .130.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by madbassplaya

Been playing a while now and I started with a 5 string bass with a low B, so i'm not a 5 string noob.

I see a lot of guys going bigger in the B string world .135 plus. I've tried a .135 one time and it was HUGE to me. I've been using a .130 for a while now but I'm just not satisfied with the tone of the string as I have been with a smaller B string (.125). I've used three different brands with a .130 and none of them satisfy me as much as the tone of a smaller string.

Why is this? it's only .05 of a difference.

I have played a 5 with the following string gauges. .115, .125, .128, .130, and .135

As per which is best ... it depends on the bass.

[Mushroo]

Lower-tension strings are becoming very popular on Talkbass; I think it is a sound that many of us are growing to love. All other factors being equal, I find that high-tension gives more attack, highs, and high-mids; while low-tension gives warmth, bass, low-mids. As a side benefit I also find that lower-tension seems to reduce finger noise.

Believe it or not, I have recorded with a .95 E string downtuned to B or even A, and it was a wonderful sound. A light touch is necessary!

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by Mushroo

Lower-tension strings are becoming very popular on Talkbass; I think it is a sound that many of us are growing to love.

It's because everyone is playing flats on a P-bass (with tort guard) these days, so they need lower tension strings to make them as flexible as rounds.

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

The worst B I tried was a .135. The best was a .136. It's not just about the gauge.

(If you hadn't guessed, the .136 is a Circle K.)

I have a .136 low B from Circle K and with less windings and the taper sitting well in the groove of the saddle, it is BY FAR the single best low B I've ever played.

It isn't floppy (part of a balanced 6 string set) and it is just as musical as all the other strings. In a word CLARITY. Best of all? No need to adjust my technique just to play that one string.

For a bass string it is simply beautiful in every way. IMO of course.

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by Sundogue

I have a .136 low B from Circle K and with less windings and the taper sitting well in the groove of the saddle, it is BY FAR the single best low B I've ever played.

It isn't floppy (part of a balanced 6 string set) and it is just as musical as all the other strings. In a word CLARITY. Best of all? No need to adjust my technique just to play that one string.

For a bass string it is simply beautiful in every way. IMO of course.

And IMO as well! Very well described.

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

And IMO as well! Very well described.

I've had a love/hate relationship with low B strings since I started playing 5 strings basses many years ago. I've almost always had 34" scale basses too, so maybe that's part of it.

But since jumping up to a 6 string bass (still 34" scale), it was imperative to find a balanced set of strings, from the low B to the high C. Since I put on my Circle K's I went from struggling with the low B (and the unbalanced tension with others strings overall) to being able to play evenly (in a very unconscious way). I can even "dig in" to the low B without fear of choking it, or clanking it against the frets.

[ixlramp]

Originally Posted by madbassplaya

So what do you think the difference between the two? Is it the core, or the number of wraps?

Flexibility is the key (flexibility at zero tension), CKs are made to be ultra flexible. They have less wraps and thinner cores, but there are many other factors in string construction: winding formula, winding tension ...

It's possible that the larger gauges you tried had an extra wrap layer, 4 instead of 3. This really makes the string structure more rigid. CKs are only 3 layers to .190 and all their E strings are 2 layer.

The B string of a bass is at a critical gauge where the width of the string becomes significant in proportion to it's length. No matter how flexy a B string is made to be, it's width creates an inherent inflexibility, this makes the tone darker and more inharmonic (harmonics out of tune with fundamental). This is why even a CK .190 F# has a dark tone.

The key is an ultra flexy B string, this allows you to use a larger gauge for more tension and brightness but without the disadvantages of inflexibility. Also, the flexibility creates a lower perceived tension so it will not feel overly big or tight.

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by Sundogue

I've had a love/hate relationship with low B strings since I started playing 5 strings basses many years ago. I've almost always had 34" scale basses too, so maybe that's part of it.

But since jumping up to a 6 string bass (still 34" scale), it was imperative to find a balanced set of strings, from the low B to the high C. Since I put on my Circle K's I went from struggling with the low B (and the unbalanced tension with others strings overall) to being able to play evenly (in a very unconscious way). I can even "dig in" to the low B without fear of choking it, or clanking it against the frets.

Absolutely. I never found a B that played as well on my 35" as the .136 does on my 34". I don't know how much is down to the higher quality of the bass, but I do know this B is so much better than the stock .130. As you say, it's the ability to play through B like a regular string rather than only being able to stroke it.

[klokker]

Interesting. I play a G&L L-2500. Best B I've tried came with Sadowsky Blue Labels with tapered B .130.

Those big huge B's are a mystery to me. Before the Sadowskys the best B I had was a .119 TI Powerbass string.

But I don't want thud or huge, I want clean and clear.

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by klokker

Interesting. Best B I've tried came with Sadowsky Blue Labels with tapered B .130.

Those big huge B's are a mystery to me. Before the Sadowskys the best B I had was a .119 TI Powerbass string.

But I don't want thud or huge, I want clean and clear.

Perhaps the taper helps. While one can file a nut to accommodate a larger B string, most B strings are so thick that they don't sit in a saddle very well. Tapered ones allow the string to ride in the groove of a saddle better. Perhaps therein lies a difference.

[DrumsAndBass]

Question for you all. Will a GHS Contact Core -exposed core- move around in the bridge saddle groove ? Because this set has exposed cores on both E and B strings.

Thanks

[Solarmist]

I like the taper wound B strings as well - they seem to have just a touch longer sustain than regular strings, and sit in the saddle better. I've been using 130tw for a while now - tried a 125, but was way too floppy.