How do you know what gauge your bass use??

[Dardas92]

This may seem like a stupid question, I've been playing bass over 3 years and i don't know how to tell what gauge strings a bass has. Is it based upon preference or the type of bass you have?

Can someone please clarify this for me?

[perkidan]

Most of it is what you are comfortable with. I use light gauge DR Nickel Lowriders on my Lakland and love them. Try some different guages as you get the chance and you will eventually come across a good fit for you, your instrument, and your playing style.

[Dardas92]

Alright thanks, I recently bought a lighter gauge for my Washburn because i dot need it to sound heavier, but for my 5-string, i want a lower gauge... i understand now, so it really doesnt matter as much to what bass you have, it matters what type of music you play and how lower/higher sounding you want it, correct?

[FunkMetalBass]

It's all about the tone.

[guroove]

I started with standard gauge (.045 - .105) strings on a 34" scale neck. I've tried heavier strings, and found them to be too heavy; and light strings, and found them to be too light. Every now and again, I try light or heavy strings for some stupid reason, but keep coming back to standard gauge.

[guroove]

Originally Posted by Dardas92

Alright thanks, I recently bought a lighter gauge for my Washburn because i dot need it to sound heavier, but for my 5-string, i want a lower gauge... i understand now, so it really doesnt matter as much to what bass you have, it matters what type of music you play and how lower/higher sounding you want it, correct?

It has nothing to do with the kind of music. For me, it was mostly about being able to have the right amount of tension where it was comfortable to play, and still not buzz with the action set low. Light strings tend to have more "twang" to them and let you dig in and snap the strings against the neck. Heavy strings have a little more "meat" to the sound, but I've found that when you go too heavy, the sound gets very mid-heavy and loses some life.

[darkstorm]

Entirely personal preferance.

[omnimutant]

It has much to do with how you tune and the tone your trying to achieve. If you down tune your bass, for metal etc... you want thicker gauge strings because they hold the tension better when tuned lower. Less sloppy. They also sound a little better, and chunkier, the bigger gauge you go, which again correlates to tuning lower.

If your tuning standard, and have no specific tonal needs then standard gauge strings are probably the right fit for you.

Its the same reason that your strings are different gauges for different notes. Your A string is smaller because that size works better as an A and holds the tension just fine, but for your E you need a thicker gauge because it's a lower note and requires more to hold the tension.

[eyecandy]

+1

[Dardas92]

Im getting new strings today for my 5-string... im prolly either getting DRs at med gauge.

[kreider204]

It's all about personal preference and experimentation. Most of us probably started with "standard" strings: round-wound, nickel, gauge = .045/.065/.080 (or .085)/.100 (or .105). Then we just started trying things out - heavier, lighter, steel, flatwound, etc. Eventually, we found what sounded and felt best to us. It takes time, and you end up spending some money on strings you hate, but eventually, you find what you like.