Need Help With Flatwound Guage Idea

[jessicabass]

Hi all, I recently picked up a couple of cheap used pbasses that need strung up. I love the flats sound and want to put another set on one of these basses. I currently use 45-65-85-105
I want to go to a 55-75-90-105 set or in the case of labellas give or take a few (.01-.03)
What I need to know is can you make a custom set of strings with different guages like this without harming the bass?
Will the tone from string to string be out of whack?
Any help would be great.

[fretlessguy]

As long as you have properly set your bass up in regards to the neck relief, intonation, and your string height then it should be okay. The string-to-string balance will be what you need to look out for.
If you have not set up a bass before, then take it to a guitar tech in your area that is trustworthy. If you want an opportunity to learn yourself, try this:
http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_setup/
Best of luck with your experiment. P basses are so cool!

[ixlramp]

I recommend downloading the daddario tension chart pdf to design sets. You can then choose gauges to give you the tensions you want. You can use the D'Addario chart to approximate the tension of other brands, 2 strings of the same gauge from 2 different brands may have slightly different tensions.

Looking at the Chromes (flatwound) table, your proposed set would have these tensions:

55 65.2 pounds of tension
75 64.8
90 53.9
105 41.5

The high strings are extremely tight and there's 30 pounds more tension on the 2 high strings than on the low 2. I doubt this will damage anything but this imbalance is not a good idea, it will create a tonal imbalance and might twist the neck a bit. Also your technique will need to be different for each string. Better to choose gauges with more balanced tension and spread the stresses more evenly across the neck.

[Krucial]

The new Fender Flats and the GHS precision flats come in sets with the gauges you discribe (.055, .075, .090 and .105), the Chromes and James Jamersons sets come close to those gauges.

The manufactures of those strings aren't stupid, they know there not balanced tension.
But they know, and I know (allthough I haven't tested the Fenders yet) those sets sound tonally even. The thicker D and G give those strings the impact they need.

Any good bass must be able to handle those gauges, so have a nice try on your P-bass! Like said on talkbass before: a classic combination!

[jessicabass]

What is considered proper tension??
If strings come in different sizes per set, what makes them correct tension?
I need to know.

[ixlramp]

Originally Posted by jessicabass

I want to go to a 55-75-90-105 set .....
What I need to know is can you make a custom set of strings with different guages like this without harming the bass?

Sorry jessicabass, to answer your question, that set won't harm the bass. Two strings of the same gauge from two different manufacturers will have similar tension, so you can use any brand, as long as you choose gauges close to an existing commercial set you'll be okay.

About proper tension, it's a matter of taste. 75 D and 55 G are the tightest I've seen so I'd say the upper limit is 65 pounds. The lower limit is about 20 pounds when the tone really suffers and they become unbearably floppy. However an ultra light set (35-90) is about 30 pounds.

[jessicabass]

Originally Posted by ixlramp

Sorry jessicabass, to answer your question, that set won't harm the bass. Two strings of the same gauge from two different manufacturers will have similar tension, so you can use any brand, as long as you choose gauges close to an existing commercial set you'll be okay.

About proper tension, it's a matter of taste. 75 D and 55 G are the tightest I've seen so I'd say the upper limit is 65 pounds. The lower limit is about 20 pounds when the tone really suffers and they become unbearably floppy. However an ultra light set (35-90) is about 30 pounds.

Thank you