Size of Strings

[John Deacon]

What difference do they make on sound?

[Mingus]

Are you talking gauge, or in general?

[enderwaves]

it's not the size the matters, but how you use them.

really, who could resist

[John Deacon]

Haha, Im just speaking in general. Im guessing that smaller gauge strings give a brighter sound and larger gauge strings give a deeper sound? How do I figure out what gauge my strings are on my bass that I bought from a music store?

[Dave R]

If you have a caliper, or know someone who has a caliper, you can use it to measure the width of each string. That'll tell you the gauge.

I'm a handloader, so I have a caliper. If you know anyone who handloads ammo, they will almost certainly have a caliper. Most machinists would, too.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by John Deacon

Im guessing that smaller gauge strings give a brighter sound and larger gauge strings give a deeper sound?

Not exactly. Lighter-gauge strings generally sacrifice a little power, due to the decreased mass relative to heavier-gauge strings. But they tend to be more supple and flexible.

Heavier-gauge strings are by contrast generally stiffer, and hence, require a little more physical force to play. But they do tend to emit a more powerful signal.

Gauge isn't so much a factor in the timbre/tone of the strings. It's more relevant to one's preferred playing style - and by extension, one's preference of musical genre...

MM