Circle K strings...

[SoVeryTired]

I think this boils down to preference and perception. The stated flexibility of Circle Ks was the one thing that worried me a little. I've only tried a few strings in my short bass-playing career, with XLs and Pro Steels being the most used. In my head, higher tension meant less buzz and clank from strings flopping and bouncing around. In reality I've found the Circle Ks... comfortable. Certainly not stiff but also not floppy. To my fingers it's a great balance but we all have different playing styles and preferences. Hence why there are so many makes and models of strings out there.

[hihat]

Hi, I did a search of this topic but couldn't find an answer.

Anyone transition from .045 - .100 DR Sunbeams to Circle K strings? I'd like to try Circle K's .043 .059 .079 .106 set. Can anyone share their experience? Like how they compare tension wise, sound wise? Thanks.

[cableguy]

Originally Posted by 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!

Skip is a cool guy. I picked my strings up at his shop in the U-District and he was nothing short of generous with his time. He also showed my some of his Quake basses which are tuned to a low E. I believe his E string was something like a .250, although it really looked more like a cable than a string....

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by Jaco who?

16 different gauge choices in 4 string sets, but no 45-100? Seems odd.

Seems exactly as I'd expect, given the balanced tension focus of the company. Check out the individual string tensions in a 45-100 set and see how unbalanced that is.

[MarkA]

I have a .102 balanced set on a couple of my 4 strings and like it, and I've used the .136 set on my six-string to good effect (same gauges as the 4 string set with an added low B and high C). Comes out like this:

B .136
E .102
A .076
D .057
G .041
C .029

What gauges would one get to maintain a similar feel and overall tension if tuned down a whole step (A D G C F Bb, low to high)? How about two whole steps (G C F Bb Eb Ab)?

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by MarkA

I have a .102 balanced set on a couple of my 4 strings and like it, and I've used the .136 set on my six-string to good effect (same gauges as the 4 string set with an added low B and high C). Comes out like this:

B .136
E .102
A .076
D .057
G .041
C .029

What gauges would one get to maintain a similar feel and overall tension if tuned down a whole step (A D G C F Bb, low to high)? How about two whole steps (G C F Bb Eb Ab)?

If you look at the tension chart listed on the Circle K page, you'll see that the the .136 tuned to B has 39.3 lbs of tension. The .158 string tuned to A has 39.6 lbs of tension and the .174 tuned to G has 39.3 lbs of tension, so I'd recommend the balanced .158 set for A and .174 for G.

[MarkA]

Thank you! I'll remember to check the tension chart.
--------------------
EDIT: So, I'm thinking to start this experiment off with 4-string, where it will be (for me, potentially) more useful. My main 4 string has a slender jazz neck (as does my backup Peavey Grind, the other candidate for this) and I want to avoid putting too much tension on it. The current, .102 Balanced set is right about at 160 lbs total tension. (I had the .106 set on before, and the bass was less happy with that.) The .118 Balanced set comes in right around 175 pounds, the 112 Balanced set right around 150 pounds. Looking at the tension chart...

118 D 42.2 lbs tension
-------------- 102 E 40.4
112 D 38.2
090 G 44.4
086 G 40.7
-------------- 076 A 40.2
082 G 37.2
067 C 44.6
065 C 42.0
-------------- 057 D 40.4
063 C 39.2
061 C 36.9
049 F 43.4
047 F 40.8
-------------- 041 G 38.5
045 F 36.9

112, 82, 61, 45 DGCF: 149.2 lbs (This is the .112 Balanced set.)
102 Balanced Set EADG: 159.5 lbs total tension (My current set.)
118, 86, 63, 47 DGCF: 162.9 lbs (Custom set... 158.9 lbs with a .112 D, 164.7 lbs with a .065 C, 166.3 lbs with a .065 C and a .049 F)
106 Balanced Set EADG: 172.1 lbs (This is the one I found a bit too much for my jazz.)
118, 90, 67, 49 DGCF: 174.6 lbs (This is the .118 Balanced set.)

While all of the balanced sets are closer in string-to-string tension than your typical prepackaged set, there is still a little variation, and it looks like there's room to play around and still make a pretty balanced set of your own, depending on where and how you want that variation to occur, whether you like a little more tension down low, up high, etc.

I think one of the custom .118 sets in the middle could work well and be pretty consistent string-to-string. I might try the balanced .112 set as well, though it's a little lighter.

I post this in case anyone else finds it helpful. On the other hand, if you spot any mistakes, let me know!

[alec]

What's the caper with gauges for 8 string octave course basses? I'm getting one soon and it's being strung BEAD with SITs in a 25/60 35/75 45/95 55/120 configuration. That sounds pretty light to me, but maybe because of the eight strings they need to be lighter?

[spector_boogie]

Just ordered a set of the .142 balanced 5 string setup to play in E standard for the first time in probably, I dunno, 5-6 years? Lol. Hope I still remember everything in that tuning!

[ixlramp]

Originally Posted by alec

That sounds pretty light to me, but maybe because of the eight strings they need to be lighter?

Yeah twice as many strings on a neck not much wider than a 4 means a lot of stress. With CK you can buy 2 balanced 4 string sets, one set being a little under half the gauge of the other. Thinner strings have less mass and therefore don't need as much tension for good tone and no floppiness, so you can choose the octave strings to be a little looser than the fundamental strings.
I suggest first choosing the fundamental set, going as light as you are comfortable with, then adding a slightly looser octave set.
That SIT set looks very unbalanced i think you'll find a twin balanced CK set an improvement.

[spector_boogie]

Shouldn't we have a Pt. 2 of this thread now? Been over 1K posts for some time!

[SoVeryTired]

I think we're seeing how long we can keep going...

[bunkaroo]

I think we need a coupon code to celebrate part 2!

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by bunkaroo

I think we need a coupon code to celebrate part 2!

Check their FB page...

[bunkaroo]

Originally Posted by Grateful

Check their FB page...

Not seeing one.

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by bunkaroo

Not seeing one.

There is a post about support being down for a few days. In the post, at the bottom is a code good through the end of the week. I think.

[bunkaroo]

Expired.

[andreiscv]

How often does Circle K have discounts on facebook?

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by andreiscv

How often does Circle K have discounts on facebook?

I've seen instances of three per week, and sometimes a month or more between them. It's pretty sporadic, but (IMO) often enough that it's worth clicking "like".

[bunkaroo]

They had mentioned introducing bulk discount soon so I had been holding off, but I needed some stuff now for work I have to do in the next week or so, so I placed an order yesterday. Hopefully they ship today - would love to have them for the weekend.