How much tension does it take to break bass strings

[GC34]

I know they have about 40 or more pounds of tension. How much would take to break. I heard the low e and a can go an entire octave.

[FunkMetalBass]

Some fellow user did a test on this with some lab equipment, and I believe he concluded that a .105 E-string can handle about 75 lbs of pressure (you might do a search to see if you can find it). Mind you, this was the tension handling while idle, and not during play, which would knock it down a few pounds.

The largest determining factor is the size of the core, and since all manufacturers vary in the sizes of cores used their strings, it's hard to give an accurate assessment. For safety, and ease of playing, it's recommended to stay below 55 lbs on your thicker strings, and less as the strings get thinner.

[GC34]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Some fellow user did a test on this with some lab equipment, and I believe he concluded that a .105 E-string can handle about 75 lbs of pressure (you might do a search to see if you can find it). Mind you, this was the tension handling while idle, and not during play, which would knock it down a few pounds.

The largest determining factor is the size of the core, and since all manufacturers vary in the sizes of cores used their strings, it's hard to give an accurate assessment. For safety, and ease of playing, it's recommended to stay below 55 lbs on your thicker strings, and less as the strings get thinner.

75 ibs That's a ton of tension. Even my low e on guitar would snap at that tension. How much tension can a.065 d string handle.

[FunkMetalBass]

No idea. Got a spare one? If so, throw it on, plug the bass into a tuner, pluck the string lightly, and slowly uptune until it snaps. Throw the info into a tension calculator and find out where it snaps.

[hoketus]

Seems like a moot issue, doesn't it? If the tension is anywhere near high enough to snap the string, it's likely causing damage to the instrument.

[two fingers]

I pop A strings all the time and get an E every now and then. So I guess about a middle finger's worth of tension gets it done.

[VeganThump]

Originally Posted by two fingers

I pop A strings all the time and get an E every now and then. So I guess about a middle finger's worth of tension gets it done.

I would say you probably have an issue with your saddles then, are you using a bad ass bridge?

[GC34]

Can the bass low e and a tune an entire octave without snapping? I got my guitar low e up eight to nine semitones.

[unclebass]

I recently got my hands on a bass from a pawn shop and failed to notice that someone had put a set of BEAD strings on it, and I tried to tune it to EADG. Very difficult to turn tuners because of all the tension, and D string popped right when it got to G. I think that is somewhere between 70 and 80lbs of tension. FWIW, all that tension bowed the heck out of the neck, took new strings and alot of truss rod adjustment to correct bow.

[GC34]

Originally Posted by unclebass

I recently got my hands on a bass from a pawn shop and failed to notice that someone had put a set of BEAD strings on it, and I tried to tune it to EADG. Very difficult to turn tuners because of all the tension, and D string popped right when it got to G. I think that is somewhere between 70 and 80lbs of tension. FWIW, all that tension bowed the heck out of the neck, took new strings and alot of truss rod adjustment to correct bow.

Thanks for the info. What was the scale length? Was the d string the same guage as a standard bass? I think it broke between 90 and 100 pounds of tension. Assuming it's a standard .065 and 34 scale you would be between e and f if you where between 70 to 80 pounds of tension. I'm looking at the d addario string tension chart.

I just checked the guages of a BEAD set and a D is a 65.

[GC34]

How far are bass strings from failure point from standard? Is a .105 low E and A 25% of breaking tension if tuned to stamdard.

[Texan]

I did some testing with the tensile testing machine in my lab over a year ago and posted the results here. The strings that I tested all had the same diameter core and all broke around 162 lbs +/- 7 lbs IIRC. The wrap around the core had no real influence on the tensile. Another thing to consider is the possibility that a sharp edge on your bridge saddle could contribute to string breakage due to greater stress concentration.

[GC34]

Originally Posted by Texan

I did some testing with the tensile testing machine in my lab over a year ago and posted the results here. The strings that I tested all had the same diameter core and all broke around 162 lbs +/- 7 lbs IIRC. The wrap around the core had no real influence on the tensile. Another thing to consider is the possibility that a sharp edge on your bridge saddle could contribute to string breakage due to greater stress concentration.

I think most other string sets have thinner cores. That would mean those strings can go an octave above standard.

[Billy K]

E# and my new Marcus Miller snapped between the nut and the peg closer to the peg. brand new. pissed me off.I e-mailed DR and they blew me off.I would consider buying one string I got To ask Jason at Basstringsonline. E# you kiddin me? F_ _ k!

[Billy K]

well DR is taking care of me on that string it just took longer than I thought for them to get back to me that's why I thought they "blew me off"I have been instructed to pay attention to putting a "crimp" on the round core string.And I will.Well there is a company that backs their product. And I am sorry for my comments I need to wait a bit for e-mail reply's the world does not revolve around me.LOLThere Billy Man ed up.

[Texan]

Originally Posted by GC34

I think most other string sets have thinner cores. That would mean those strings can go an octave above standard.

Yes, you are correct. The outer wrap has little to no influence on the yield and tensile strength. Almost every string that I have looked since the testing has used a similar gauge for the core.