OK, here you go for all you 5/8 fans. I took the stated specs off the Thomastik pdf, did the math, and came up with the tension of every set of Spiros as if strung on a 5/8 scale bass, 102 cm, 40.16 in. scale length. Now, mind you, unless the particular bass in question has an Eb or D extension on the low E string, or has an extraordinarily long afterlength, a player is probably not going to use the 4/4 S42 sets, although a 4/4 mitt E string on an Eb or D extension would coordinate well with the 1/2 light set. And unless the particular bass has a really short after length, and needs a really heavy string, a player is not going to use the 1/4 set. But the 1/2 sets are 48 3/4 inches from ball to the tuning silk (thanks to Gollihur Music for taking the time to measure them for me), so using a 1/2 light set is a viable alternative, depending on the afterlength and tailpiece setup on any particular bass.
I would recommend using either an Upton-style setup on tuners (reversing the stagger, with the G on the nut instead of the E on the nut), or swapping the E and A, so there is less "break" for the E-string on the primary windings.
This chart has not only the tension per string, but also the total tension for each set, and also the difference in tension between the E string and the G string. Those who need to "dig in" to support an ensemble may want a heavier E string; those who do more solo or small ensemble work may want a more even tension.
5/8 players don't get all they need to properly set up their basses with proper strings, so here is the chart.
Code:
Set G D A E Total Delta
4/4 S42 W 51.2 54.9 56.8 58.7 221.6 7.5
4/4 S42 M 56.8 60.6 64.5 64.5 246.4 7.7
4/4 S42 S 68.3 68.3 70.2 72.1 278.9 3.8
4/4 S43 solo 51.2 51.2 51.2 52.7 206.3 1.5
3/4 3886 solo 51.8 53.5 53.5 53.5 212.3 1.7
3/4 3885 W 56.1 57.1 59.2 61.2 233.6 5.1
3/4 3885 M 62.2 63.3 65.3 67.4 258.2 5.2
1/2 3887 L 60.3 61.5 62.7 64.0 248.5 3.7
1/2 3887 M 66.5 67.7 68.9 72.6 275.7 6.1
1/2 3871 solo 49.8 53.7 55.7 57.6 216.8 7.8
1/4 3874 70.0 70.0 72.8 77.0 289.8 7.0
For the sake of comparison, The published tension specs from TI on 3885 Spiros on a 3/4 scale (106 cm, 41.73 in) are as follows:
Code:
Set G D A E Total Delta
3885 W 60.6 61.7 63.9 66.1 252.3 5.5
3885 M 67.2 68.3 70.5 72.8 278.8 5.6
Now if only Pirastro would publish their tension specs....
