P Bas users What gauge

[Laserman]

Hi,

I just bought my first P Bass. What gauge string should I be using for hard rock- 80s metal? I play both with a Pick and With my fingers. I've always used Light Gauge on my Peavey and Ibanez basses but with the thicker neck of the P Bass I wonder if I should move to a thicker gauge?

[GeneralElectric]

Play what you like.

[JustOpenYourMind]

String gauge and neck thickness have absolutly nothing with one another, you can have heavy gauges on a thin Ibanez SR neck or light gauges on a thick P-bass neck, it's all about the sound you want.

[P-BASSLOVER]

Originally Posted by JustOpenYourMind

String gauge and neck thickness have absolutly nothing with one another, you can have heavy gauges on a thin Ibanez SR neck or light gauges on a thick P-bass neck, it's all about the sound you want.

This is true but, what about string tension and neck thickness?
Usually 8 out of 10 times a heavier guage string also has more tension. Have you ever switched from a set of roundwonds to Rotosound Flats on a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass? It bends the neck
so far down you'll be afraid it's going to snap! Samething with Fender flats and even some heavy guage rounds. Where as a 62 re-issue P-Bass could handle those strings a lot better.
Why? Fatter, more sturdy neck!
You have to watch the tension!

[GeneralElectric]

More like "who knows how to adjust a truss rod"

I think the Geddy necks suck. They're prone to failure IME.

[seanm]

I generally like heavier gauges... but my main gigging bass has LaBella 760FLs and I love them. Go figure.

Really, you have to work out what you like. For example, with Chromes I hate the thinner gauges, especially the G string. But many (most?) people love them. They seem to be the only ones local stores will stock.

What strings are you using now? And more importantly, are they flats

[JustOpenYourMind]

Originally Posted by P-BASSLOVER

This is true but, what about string tension and neck thickness?
Usually 8 out of 10 times a heavier guage string also has more tension. Have you ever switched from a set of roundwonds to Rotosound Flats on a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass? It bends the neck
so far down you'll be afraid it's going to snap! Samething with Fender flats and even some heavy guage rounds. Where as a 62 re-issue P-Bass could handle those strings a lot better.
Why? Fatter, more sturdy neck!
You have to watch the tension!

That's why they install truss rods in bass necks, of course a bass with a bigger neck will be more stable to changes in tension but you can adjust any neck to any string gauges.

[P-BASSLOVER]

If you would see what Heavy Flats do to a Geddy neck, I guarantee you would change
your opinion! Yes it has a trussrod, but you need to give it a about one and a half turns to compensate. Which means a short neck life because your only going to have about
one full turn left!

[P-BASSLOVER]

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

More like "who knows how to adjust a truss rod"

I think the Geddy necks suck. They're prone to failure IME.

I totally agree! The neck on the Geddy Bass is a way to thin! That neck should have the Graphite stiffening rods like the American series.
When they decided to use that neck what were they thinking?
Ibanez necks are thin, but they are strong! Probably stronger than the Geddy. I still wouldn't use
Rotosound or Fender flats on it though. On the Geddy and
an Ibanez SR for example, if I wanted flats I would use
medium light Chromes or TI Flats. Now Roundwounds I would use 45-105's or 50-150's but I wouldn't go higher than that.

[GeneralElectric]

Its usually not the truss rod maxing out where I've had problems. Its the neck twisting to either the bass or the treble side.

[drden]

i say ernie ball super slinky's. 100 gauge E and i'm not sure about the rest but they're in the pink package

[Honk'n_down-low]

I would suggest starting with a Medium Gauge Set 45-105 -if they seem to thick go one size Lighter next string change or heavier if you think you need it. I think you'll find the Mediums will work for most situations.