"Light" Strings

[BassManClay]

I need some short scale low tension strings for a homemade bass. What are some good ones and does "Light" mean low tension?

[fretlessguy]

That depends. As a general rule, most lighter gauge strings are not quite as high tension as their larger gauge counterparts. However, the construction of a string can make quite a difference as to it's stiffness or tension.
For short scale users I would suggest a .40-.95 or .40-.100 gauge set if you want slightly less tension. The fact it's short scale in and of itself will make it a little less in the tension department. A good roundwound set for what you need would be the short scale .40-.95 set that SIT makes, which is sold on www.juststrings.com website. I have a set on my Epiphone Allan Woody that really sounds very good. A good set of flats in short scale would be GHS Precision flats.
www.bpstrings.com also has a wide selection of GHS short scale strings at a decent price. Good luck with your search.

FG

[Bassamatic]

ALSO -you can get the T.I. Jazz Flats. I have these on my Hofner to protect the neck and they are VERY low tension. Great sound as well.

[megadan]

I bought a set of .30 - .90 Hi-Beams and they are comically light. The G looks like a guitar string. They were very low tension.
I'd recommend these if you need very low tension. I'm not sure how well they would work on a short scale, though. You'd have to try 'em and see.

[dchan]

Corellis make some nice, thin, low tension strings - they're pretty good for arco and some pizz. I've never really used Corellis extensively before, but some bassists say that they're not loud enough (which is understandable).

Another popular option is to go for solo strings and tune them standard E-A-D-G.