Circle K strings...

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by chucko58

I'm a big fan of the .136" low B balanced sets for 35" scale basses. I prefer the .142" for 34" scale.

Too funny. I am the exact opposite. Bigger on the long bass, smaller on the shorter.

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by Grateful

Too funny. I am the exact opposite. Bigger on the long bass, smaller on the shorter.

That's interesting. I can understand it the other way round as the tension would be more equivalent with the heavier gauge on the shorter scale. But feel is very subjective, and this is music rather than maths!

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

That's interesting. I can understand it the other way round as the tension would be more equivalent with the heavier gauge on the shorter scale. But feel is very subjective, and this is music rather than maths!

I don't get it either.

[SoVeryTired]

They've arrived. I was going to let the stock nickels on the new bass have some play time but I'm itching to try the Circle Ks. I'll be fitting them tonight.

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

They've arrived. I was going to let the stock nickels on the new bass have some play time but I'm itching to try the Circle Ks. I'll be fitting them tonight.

Or not - I forgot that my allen keys, ruler, feeler gauges etc are in my other bass bag which I won't see until Thursday. Looks like a weekend job.

[SoVeryTired]

Strings fitted. I'll be playing them properly tomorrow but first impressions are very very favourable. I've never been able to play every string the same way before - the B has always needed a lighter touch .and closer to the bridge. With this balanced set I can attack each string the same way without getting variable less of buzz and clank. Very nice!

[SoVeryTired]

One interesting thing I noticed last night... my tuner likes these strings. It sometimes struggles to lock onto the B, and especially the E. This has been common across all strings (nickel and steel roundwounds) and basses. I don't know whether the Circle Ks have a stronger fundamental and reduced harmonics, but my tuner certainly likes them.

[Ewo]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

I've never been able to play every string the same way before - the B has always needed a lighter touch .and closer to the bridge. With this balanced set I can attack each string the same way without getting variable less of buzz and clank. Very nice!

Yep. My experience also. That, the clear tone, and the long service life sold me on this brand.

[ixlramp]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

One interesting thing I noticed last night... my tuner likes these strings. It sometimes struggles to lock onto the B, and especially the E. This has been common across all strings (nickel and steel roundwounds) and basses. I don't know whether the Circle Ks have a stronger fundamental and reduced harmonics, but my tuner certainly likes them.

Larger and thicker strings are inherently more inflexible, which causes inharmonicity: harmonics out of tune with fundamental. So perhaps it's the super-flexibility of CKs producing a more harmonic tone, which means less confusion for the tuner?

[SoVeryTired]

The oft-mentioned flexibility of Circle Ks did give me some fear of floppy strings buzzing and clanking on the frets. Not a bit of it. To my fingers it's more like a bass string that behaves like a really good bass string, despite looking thicker than the usual.

[~M.o.M~]

Does the packaging prevent the strings from wearing out?
I wanna buy four sets to make up for the shipping and I won't be needing other ones for a year or so!

[bunkaroo]

Originally Posted by ~M.o.M~

Does the packaging prevent the strings from wearing out?
I wanna buy four sets to make up for the shipping and I won't be needing other ones for a year or so!

They come in long clear plastic sleeves and are meant to be stored uncoiled. I have all mine hanging on a clothes hanger.

[willsellout]

I put in my order today around noon for a set Skip recommended to me. I live in the Seattle area and Skip sent me an email asking if he could just drop the strings off at my house. He came by as I was bringing groceries in and I was mean mugging this guy in a Utilikilt, wondering why he was parking my driveway

He dropped my strings off and was gracious enough to show me his fretless Cascadia model, which was gorgeous (and super light!).

This is obviously a unique situation, but I thought it was cool that he thought of my order when he knew he was going to be in the area. Thanks again Skip, I'll let you know how everything turns out with the Ric in a week or so when it's all back together!

[Jim Nazium]

Originally Posted by ixlramp

... the super-flexibility of CKs ...

Is that the general consensus, that they are super flexible? I tried a set of these strings yesterday, and found them to be very stiff. Even as I was installing them, before playing a single note, I could feel they were much stiffer than the nickel rounds I normally use (D'Addario XLs, GHS Progressives). Maybe y'all are comparing them to stainless steel rounds?

Anyway, FWIW, I didn't like them. Not saying it isn't a quality product, I just didn't like the sound. Too clanky for me.

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

Is that the general consensus, that they are super flexible? I tried a set of these strings yesterday, and found them to be very stiff. Even as I was installing them, before playing a single note, I could feel they were much stiffer than the nickel rounds I normally use (D'Addario XLs, GHS Progressives). Maybe y'all are comparing them to stainless steel rounds?

Anyway, FWIW, I didn't like them. Not saying it isn't a quality product, I just didn't like the sound. Too clanky for me.

They are way more flexible than like gauged XL's and especially Pressurewounds. For instance if you normally use a .100, they recommend going up to a .105 CK to keep the same stiffness you're used to.

[Jim Nazium]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

They are way more flexible than like gauged XL's

Then either I got a bad set, or we are using the word 'flexible' to mean different things. The set that I installed was much stiffer than the XLs that I replaced them with.

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

Then either I got a bad set, or we are using the word 'flexible' to mean different things. The set that I installed was much stiffer than the XLs that I replaced them with.

That's very strange!

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by Jim Nazium

Then either I got a bad set, or we are using the word 'flexible' to mean different things. The set that I installed was much stiffer than the XLs that I replaced them with.

This is the first I've heard of somebody thinking that the D'Addario XL's (of equivalent gauge, I presume) were actually more flexible than the Circle K strings.

[KhzDonut]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

This is the first I've heard of somebody thinking that the D'Addario XL's (of equivalent gauge, I presume) were actually more flexible than the Circle K strings.

I concur. Not that I'm denying the validity of anybody's subjective experience, but I'm not really sure how I would be able to assess the flexibility of a string in a way that the conclusion would be that the D'Addario's are more flexible for an equally sized string.

But, that's why there are multiple manufacturing styles for strings; not everyone wants the same thing.

[ixlramp]

Well many people use "stiffness" "flexibility" to mean the perceived tension at pitch, i use those words for the inherent stiffness or flexibility of the string structure at zero tension. Causes misunderstanding