A big thank-you

[hags2k]

I just wanted to thank the TB-ers, especially in the Strings section, for turning me onto the idea of looking at the tension of my strings. I've found myself switching between gauges (usually 40-60-80-100 and 45-65-85-105) back and forth for years and years, never consistently comfortable in either set.

I started reading the threads on balanced tension string sets, and I started to think about it, so I grabbed some single strings from some old sets I had and made myself a 45-60-80-105 set out of some DR Lo-Riders. I know it's not necessarily perfectly balanced, but it's more balanced then what I was using and I also just wanted to see if going in that direction would make a real difference.

Well, it's been a few days, and I'm convinced - it made a real, noticeable, and very positive difference. It's so strange to have that nice, soft feeling on the D and A strings, but then to have a non-floppy E string! Everything feels more even, and my attack is more consistent - my E got a bit quieter, and I actually ended up raising the bass-side of my p-bass pickup because I had lowered it previously to compensate for the volume difference between E and A.

I have to get used to it a bit more - the E string seems rather larger compared to the other strings, but it feels more consistent to my right hand. I think I can deal with it.

Anyway, I ordered a custom set of 45-60-80-105 DRs from bassstringsonline, and I also got a set of the 45-60-80-107 D'Aaddario balanced tension sets and we'll see how they work. I'm looking forward to it.

[JimmyM]

I just ordered a set of balanced tension D'addario XL's. I really only get annoyed at the D string, but it does annoy me greatly.

EDIT: Referring to the regular sets of D'addarios, not the balanced tension set which I haven't received yet. Just got a PM that makes me think I wasn't clear about that.

[hags2k]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

I just ordered a set of balanced tension D'addario XL's. I really only get annoyed at the D string, but it does annoy me greatly.

The D string is the worst offender, by far. It just didn't occur to me until recently that the way most strings are packaged wasn't the ONLY way you could do it. I always assumed there was a reason everyone uses pretty much the same gauges all the time, and that mixing and matching was somehow a bad idea.

[JimmyM]

Ya, mixing and matching is cool, although it does take experimentation to get it 100%. But sets are cheaper and easier to get, so I always just got sets.