How do you know what gauge strings you need to buy?

[bigbutes89]

How do you which gauge strings you need to buy?

Do you have any tips on putting on strings to make it easier?

THANKS!!!

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

It's just a matter of personal preference to me. The average gauge for a G string is 045. Less than that is considered "light gauge" and more is "heavy gauge". Of course, the bass' neck reacts differently to string gauges, so you must check the relief after putting them.

As for changing strings, the best tool for that is a string winder/cutter.

[ignignok]

Lighter strings are easier to play on, heavier strings give a fatter tone.

[bannedwit]

A couple things will help you out. It all depends on what you are looking to achieve:

TO KEEP YOUR BASS THE WAY IT WAS WHEN YOU BOUGHT IT:
Look on your bass' website and sometimes they post what strings they use from the factory. Probably a set of their own strings is on there and probably 45's to 100's.
To keep the string gauge and try a different company do the above and just get the information on the size and buy that from another manufacturer.

IF YOU DETUENE YOUR BASS:
A lot of bands are in drop D tuning or even lower.
For this you need heavier strings to keep the tighter feeling at these lower tunings. Otherwise, the light strings will flop around like a shoe lace. For Drop tunings, some manufacturers sell a normal set with a 115 low E string to hold its own... They also sell heavier strings in general and not just the low E string.*

*note: (for drop tunings lower than drop D) you would probably need to do some adjustments to the action, truss rod and even intonation.