Broken Low B

[lburton2]

Here's the problem.. I'm a long time DR fan.. As of recently (the past couple months) I can't manage to put the Low B onto my Mexican 5-string Dlx without snapping the wrap near the tuning peg.. I have no spurs, but have pretty much narrowed it down to the fact that the string can't physically bend around the tuning peg or else it'll snap..Oddly enough.. The DR Hi-beams don't break (I assume steal being stronger than nickel). So i need help.

I'm a nickelwound fan.. and don't necessarily like a tapered B because I like a punchy and defined low B. I contacted Elixir and they don't do a cloth wrap near the headstock, but only do a standard taper like DR.. Do you have ANY suggestions? I've tried pretty much everything except for the Elixirs. Rotosounds drag too much, D'addarios don't last.. Ernie balls die fast. Fender is alright, but not as balanced as i like.. PLEASE HELP..?

[tylerwylie]

Have you tried NakedStrings? They're nickel roundwounds that might work. Otherwise...Circle K!

[mmbongo]

Does the outer wrap go around the tuning peg? If so, you need to mod it for through-body stringing to prevent that. That or find a shorter string.

[KingRazor]

Circle K strings.

B is tapered, though, which isn't a con for me, but may be for you.

[lburton2]

i haven't tried circle K or nakedstrings actually.. what do you mean by the outer wrap going around the tuning peg?.. And my bass doesn't allow for through-body.

[mmbongo]

You want balanced, then Circle K is the way to go. However their standard length is made for both 34" and 35" scales just like DR, so you might have the same problem with them.

An alternative is do what I do...buy your B strings separately. On my Brubaker I use DR Sunbeams because of their round core and overall awesomeness, but I actually found the B a little TOO loose because of the round core. So, I buy nickel LoRider B strings for it.

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by lburton2

i haven't tried circle K or nakedstrings actually.. what do you mean by the outer wrap going around the tuning peg?.. And my bass doesn't allow for through-body.

The outermost string wrap should not go around the tuning peg, only the tapered part. This is a problem when you put long scale strings on a normal scale bass that has the B string tuner right at the nut.

[lburton2]

then if i allow more slack on the string so the outermost wrap can sit on the strings themselves.. that may help?

[lburton2]

The sunbeam/lorider 5 sounds like an AWESOME idea.. I mostly play finger style and that seems like the perfect scenario

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by lburton2

then if i allow more slack on the string so the outermost wrap can sit on the strings themselves.. that may help?

Might be worth a shot. Generally you don't want the strings wrapping around each other (might cause tuning problems) but it may be okay. You can always go back and cut off the extra if it doesn't work.

[lburton2]

i don't want to keep buying sets of strings when they're going to fail on me. I already had DR send me two sets within the past 4 months because of it.. They definitely have great customer service. I can say that much.

My only problem with a tapered B is that the Fender 5 is a standard 34" scale.. And at that length it's hard to get a well defined low B without getting a lot of "flop"

[KingRazor]

Originally Posted by lburton2

i don't want to keep buying sets of strings when they're going to fail on me. I already had DR send me two sets within the past 4 months because of it.. They definitely have great customer service. I can say that much.

My only problem with a tapered B is that the Fender 5 is a standard 34" scale.. And at that length it's hard to get a well defined low B without getting a lot of "flop"

You could get a circle k .150 gauge B string. You won't be hearing ANY flop from that, I guarantee.

[lburton2]

i notice that circle K has a drastic change in gauge as opposed to traditional bass strings.. for instance "37-130" or "43-150".

Do the Circle Ks do a cloth wrap at the headstock?

[lburton2]

you read my mind KingRazor lol

Any idea about a wrap at the headstock or not?

[KingRazor]

Originally Posted by lburton2

i notice that circle K has a drastic change in gauge as opposed to traditional bass strings.. for instance "37-130" or "43-150".

Do the Circle Ks do a cloth wrap at the headstock?

No cloth. They taper at the headstock.

The reason the change is so drastic is that the strings all have very similar tension. What that means is that your B and E strings will be as tight as your D and G strings.

With most traditional sets, the D string has the most tension, then the A and G strings and finally the E and B strings have the lowest tension.

[lburton2]

i think im going to risk it and place the order. Circle Ks are all steel right?

[KingRazor]

Originally Posted by lburton2

i think im going to risk it and place the order. Circle Ks are all steel right?

It's a "nickel-steel hybrid".

"Our hybrid sets are a unique combination of nickel and steel – not quite as bright as steels and not as ‘scooped’ as nickels. This mix of materials gives our strings a tonality that shifts less over time and lasts longer." - from the site

They're not quite as bright as a lot of SS strings, but they're at least as bright as most nickels.

[FunkMetalBass]

Nope, they are nickel-plated steel. Quite bright, though.

[lburton2]

i could have managed with standard steel strings.. But considering that they're nickel-plated i think i'm sold.. They run VERY thick gauged strings so i sent an e-mail to Circle K to see if they ever have the problem that I do.. Considering they make guages up to around 160-170.. If they have never ran into this problem i'm doing the order today.. I can't thank you guys enough for all of the help.. i LOVE this forum!!!

[mmbongo]

Before you order Circle K's, keep two things in mind:

-They are tapered at the bridge, which you said you don't like.
-The outer wrap measures 36.75", which is about the same as DR's, so that might not fix the outer wrap problem.