Tension?

[A Spotless Mind]

A lot of people talk about string tension; low, medium, high.

What exactly do those terms mean and how do they effect the playability of the bass?

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Tension refers to how tight the string feels, and is a factor of a number of a number of variables, including:

- the thickness of the string.

- the construction (materials) of the string.

- the height of the string above the fingerboard.

- the severity of the angle between the tailpiece and the bridge although (this is the aspect I understand least well).


Here's the thread which contains several string tension charts. It's very fitting that at the end of it, the conclusion is that "none of this will determine how the string feels or sounds on your bass".

There are a lot of physics calculations involved in determining the string tension, but for practical purposes, I think of three factors that determine how tense the string feels on the bass:

1) the string tension as listed on the charts from the linked threads (this is a basic starting point).

2) the "stiffness" of the construction of the string. Some strings feel floppy when detensioned, and some feel stiff - you can tell a stiff string because it tends to straighten when you take it out of the package and lay it on the floor.

3) the height of the string above the fingerboard. With any string, lower string heights will produce the least amount of perceived tension, and higher height will produce the most.

I tend to like a higher tension on my strings, as this produces a very quick and punchy sound that cuts through the mix. Each person has their preference, and finds their own way by instinct and a lot of very expensive experimentation.

[Eddue]

Originally Posted by A Spotless Mind

A lot of people talk about string tension; low, medium, high.

What exactly do those terms mean and how do they effect the playability of the bass?

I have asked that question here before and never got a straight answer, only the usual montra: it depends on your bass, personal preference, setup, do a search, etc.

I can look up the numbers on the tension charts but it seems that when strings are said to be high or low tension here there are no relation to the tension specs. I find that some specific strings are referred to as being both high and low tension.

I don't think anyone one here will commit to a specific range of tension for high, medium or low tensions.

[Eric Hochberg]

In addition to Chris' points, IMO, perceived tension is not necessarily string specific, but is related to how individual strings respond on a bass under many different conditions, some environmental. Simply put, a bass can play differently when humidity is high or low, temperature is cold or hot, etc. Some basses are more sensitive to this than others. The same set of strings may feel "tight" or "loose" on the same bass at different times under different conditions. In addition, the same set of Spiro Mittels may feel tight on one bass and loose on another no matter what else is happening. Hence, in practice, there is no "straight", one size fits all, answer to this question.

[Nathan Parker]

I think the reason you didn't get a "straight" answer, is that there is not one. Different basses respond differently to different tensions as do different people. I think Chris's answer breaks it down about the best way possible, other than that, you are just going to have to experiment like the rest of us. Sorry.

[Eddue]

Originally Posted by Nathan Parker

I think the reason you didn't get a "straight" answer, is that there is not one. Different basses respond differently to different tensions as do different people. I think Chris's answer breaks it down about the best way possible, other than that, you are just going to have to experiment like the rest of us. Sorry.

If it was just about how different basses and bassists react to different strings, I would agree.

But string tensions, represented in the string charts here, doesn't change regardless of the bass or player. To tune a string up to pitch will take the same amount of tension, it doesn't matter which bass it's on or who the player is.

When someone inquires about a string being high, medium or low tension it should be directly related to the string chart tension and not how feels on a certain bass or who is playing that bass.

A Spiro stark E takes 83.8 lbs, according to the Thomastik string tension chart, to tune to pitch. We should be able to agree that this is a high tension string, regardless on which bass it is on or who is playing it.

The same logic should apply to all strings.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Eddue

If it was just about how different basses and bassists react to different strings, I would agree.

But string tensions, represented in the string charts here, doesn't change regardless of the bass or player. To tune a string up to pitch will take the same amount of tension, it doesn't matter which bass it's on or who the player is.

When someone inquires about a string being high, medium or low tension it should be directly related to the string chart tension and not how feels on a certain bass or who is playing that bass.

A Spiro stark E takes 83.8 lbs, according to the Thomastik string tension chart, to tune to pitch. We should be able to agree that this is a high tension string, regardless on which bass it is on or who is playing it.

The same logic should apply to all strings.

It does, but only as a starting point. We don't play the bass with math, and how the string feels is an important aspect that many people are trying to convey as an addendum/caveat to the information in the tension chart. A spiro stark E set 1mm above the fingerboard will feel much less tense and floppier than a spiro weich E set at 12mm above. The zero-to-60 time of any muscle car is also mitigated by the incline it is driving on; a 400 horsepower car's time going up hill could be easily beaten by a 200 hp car going the same distance downhill. With the bass, the evil begins with the tension of the string, but the devil is in the details.

[davpal]

Another factor that no one ever mentions is the mensure, string length, of the particular instrument. With a shorter string the tension will not be as high to achieve the same pitch as a longer string would. Imagine how much you'd have to tune down if you held down the E string F note and made that the E note. That would result in lower tension.
When someone talks about tuning strings meant for solo tuning down to orchestra pitch they are doing that to lower the tension for ease of playing. ( just mentioning this for the benefit of any newbies that may be reading this - all you old timers already know it.)

[Eddue]

I agree with you Chris.

Maybe referring to how a string feels and plays as tension is misleading. I just can't relate string tension to how it plays and sounds on different basses played by different people. The numbers should speak for themselves. And be consistent. Just like weight and size, tension should be what it is and not what it is perceived to be.

I still think that saying a Spiro stark E at 83.8 lbs has more tension than a weich E at 68.3 lbs makes more sense than saying that the same string on different basses will be loose on one bass and fell tight on another Or a Dominant string is high tension on one bass and low tension on another.

Maybe Eric has the better term: PERCEIVED tension

[Nathan Parker]

Originally Posted by Eddue

I agree with you Chris.

Maybe referring to how a string and plays as tension is misleading. I just can't relate string tension to how it plays and sounds on different basses played by different people. The numbers should speak for themselves. And be consistant. Just like weight and size, tension should be what it is and not what it is perceived to be.

I still think that saying a Spiro stark E at 83.8 lbs has more tension than a weich E at 68.3 lbs makes more sense than saying that the same string on different basses will be loose on one bass and fell tight on another Or a Dominant string is high tension on one bass and low tension on another.

Ahhh...I see what you're saying. I am in agreement with you there.

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by Eddue

I agree with you Chris.
Maybe referring to how a string and plays as tension is misleading. I just can't relate string tension to how it plays and sounds on different basses played by different people. The numbers should speak for themselves. And be consistant. Just like weight and size, tension should be what it is and not what it is perceived to be.

True, except those figures are only partly applicable to the problem of finding strings that work well for our needs. If you just go by the numbers, you may miss out on a string that could work well for you. Those Spiro numbers are only good on 43.3" SL basses, BTW. I think it's been said before that much of these string comparison discussions are pretty useless.

[Eddue]

I am not saying that the specs are the only consideration, they aren't. It's just that facts and specs are being mixed with opinions and perceptions and after a while it seems to become mostly opinions. I can respect anyone's right to an opinion but feel and tension are not the same thing. Feel of a string is subjective and personal, more dependent on the instrument and the player.Tension, for any given pitch and sting length, is designed into the string and should be consistent.