What strings to use for BEAD/AEAD?

[Levin-esque]

I have a Fernandes Tremor 4X, and I've kept the stock strings on so far, since they were okay and I was mostly in EADG & DADG. Now they've worn out, and I have to get myself a new set. But this time I figured I'd get myself a set that'd let me to play in BEAD and AEAD. I know I'll have to resize the nut. So could any of you help me choose a good, durable and warm-sounding set of strings? =D

[Roland777]

Warm? Wouldnt know about that... though Elixirs are a bit more mellow than your average crisp roundwounds (though they hold that tone for a lot!). Make your own set from singles, I'd say. 60-80-105-135 should do!

[lemur821]

If you're looking for even tension, try 55-70-95-130. 100 is acceptably close in tension to a 130, but the 80 will have nearly 10 lbs more.

[PilbaraBass]

ingles are hard to find except online...

easiest way is to get a 5-string set and use the lower 4 ...

I use D'Addario XL nickels on a BEAD P-bass copy of mine. gauges are 0.130, 0.100, 0.080, 0.065
Not a "warm" sounding set, rather a great all around round wound...

if you want something really warm, may I suggest Nylon Tape wounds? They're a whole different string than a steel round-wound, however, and you may not like...
I have them on two of my basses, because I love them.

The Labellas also take detuning quite well...on my wishbass, I can actually detune my EADG set all the way to BEAD and it's STILL quite playable, but I would STILL recommend going with the 5-string set thing...

best prices for LaBellas are at Carvin.com...

[SGT. Pepper]

D'Addario XL's 160-5 or 170-5. Ditch the G string.
DR Lo-Rider Nickels 45,65,85,105,125's or 130. Ditch the G string.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by PilbaraBass

I use D'Addario XL nickels on a BEAD P-bass copy of mine. gauges are 0.130, 0.100, 0.080, 0.065

Yeah, but this ends up with insane tension on the D string. Over 50 lbs, right? That's just barely acceptable when the overall tension is greater (as in when there is a G with nearly that much and possibly no B string), but I consider it completely unacceptable for the strings to just ramp up to ludicrous levels like that. YMMV, of course.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by lemur821

Yeah, but this ends up with insane tension on the D string. Over 50 lbs, right? That's just barely acceptable when the overall tension is greater (as in when there is a G with nearly that much and possibly no B string), but I consider it completely unacceptable for the strings to just ramp up to ludicrous levels like that. YMMV, of course.

...they're gauges from a normal BEADG (0.130, 0.100, 0.080, 0.065, 0.045) set (4/5ths of the D'Addario EXL170-5 set)....

tension is 34.5, 36.5, 32.9, and 51.3...

yes it's 51.3 lbs...but its not "insane" tension at all...the G-string does not feel exceptionally tight...and if you feel it's "completely unacceptable", well that your perogative...but there's not much difference between the 0.065 @51.3 and the 0.060 @ 42.9...other than the fact the the 0.065 is much more balanced sounding in the set...

D'Addario did not throw set gauges together willy-nilly...they did it for a reason...the reason is a good, balanced tone...

[lemur821]

I find that the extreme tension is much less noticeable when it's in the company of more high tension strings. In an EADG set those gauges are all right. In a 5-string set they're a little funny. When you take off the G I think that 51.3 lb. D string sticks out like a sore thumb. In my opinion, that's absolutely insane compared to the other strings.

[*smb]

Originally Posted by lemur821

In an EADG set those gauges are all right.

I don't think they are, to be honest. I like the d'Addarios but the tension in the different strings are so out of line I'm looking for something different to use myself.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by *smb

I don't think they are, to be honest. I like the d'Addarios but the tension in the different strings are so out of line I'm looking for something different to use myself.

"Just barely all right," I meant.

Obviously this is just my (and your) opinion, but I think it's a very valid position if you care about balanced tension. A nine pound difference between adjacent strings is sub-par, in my opinion, and a 15 lb difference between the greatest and least tensioned string just won't fly at all.

[*smb]

One thing that amazes me is that Troy from Mastodon uses d'Addario ProSteel 165s for AGCF tuning. How loose must that A be? According to d'Addario the bottom string only has 37lbs tension tuned to E!

[Levin-esque]

Alright, I saw a D'Addario 5-string set that had gauges of 70-85-105-135 for the four lower strings. Would this set be a good one to use?

[Levin-esque]

*sigh* I hate to do this, but,

BUMP!

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by Levin-esque

Alright, I saw a D'Addario 5-string set that had gauges of 70-85-105-135 for the four lower strings. Would this set be a good one to use?

Not for me, anyway. The 70 would have around 60 lbs. of tension on it when tuned to a D. That would be a full 24 lbs. less than the B string. I'd take a 65 to 130 set over that, if I didn't want to put together a custom set.

[PilbaraBass]

ok...do what the geektar players have been doing for years....

mix and match...

in terms of D'Addario strings....

here's your chart

http://www.daddario.com/Resources/JD...sion_chart.pdf

you choose...

I'll stick to my "go to" XL170 and XL170-5 sets...they've worked for me for years...not changing just because the D string has "insane", "unacceptable" tension

[Levin-esque]

Damn! I wish I knew how you guys can understand the proper amount of tension that a bass can handle without having its neck bent. Is there a specific amount of overall tension from the combined tensions of all the strings that a bass can handle?

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by Levin-esque

Damn! I wish I knew how you guys can understand the proper amount of tension that a bass can handle without having its neck bent. Is there a specific amount of overall tension from the combined tensions of all the strings that a bass can handle?

I'm just going by the amount of tension difference that I can handle.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by Levin-esque

Is there a specific amount of overall tension from the combined tensions of all the strings that a bass can handle?

yep...sure is....thing is...most basses can handle...a LOT!...

6 basses, some really cheapo...and I've never had a problem with a neck...except for one where the truss rod was damaged and I couldn't get a tool on it to adjust the tension...

my cheapest bass...a $65 ebay auction special is strung BEAD with 0.130, 0.100, 0.080, 0.065 (yes that "unacceptable" 51.3lb D string)...and the neck is straight as an arrow...since I leveled the frets a couple of weeks ago and tweaked the action some more, I'm really diggin this bass...has vintage P-bass tone and very good playability in such a cheap package...

[Levin-esque]

So is it okay to string my Fernandes with a set of .135-.070?

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by Levin-esque

So is it okay to string my Fernandes with a set of .135-.070?

yes...if that is what you want... why not?