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Originally Posted by Ken McKay Ken, what are you saying? I am under the impression that guage only relates to tension IF the strings are made from identical winding, core materials. Many manufacturers vary the windings to keep the strings about the right guage at the correct tension. I am confused about the practicality of your statement. Help me.  |
I recently measured the reg. flex gauges and the E was about .007" lighter than I would expect. It also feels and sounds as if it is too thin and weak in volume. Perms match better within the set as does the Orig flex brand , orig flat chromes and obligatos. I recently tested all these sets for Pirastro using my Martini, Gilkes and Morelli Bass as the demos in performance. The Gs on the Orig 2 brands are a bit scratchy. The Oblig E turns a bit and the Perms sound too thin on the G and D. The Flexes have the best tone and smoothest G. The E however sounds and feels as if it's from a lighter set which they do not make but if tuned up a bit would be better but wrong pitch. I recommended to Pirastro to make the E slightly heavier to help balance the set. So many people around the world have taken off the E and uses the Helocore E only. A few use the Perm but the tone is not as sweet. Deep, but different and the Helicore sounds a bit duller but the gauge and tension match better.....
Then, I get this Bass from the UK. The Action is for KING KONG. I order a new set of Starks from a US Dist/wholesaler and compare. The Strings on the Bass are old and feel thick. I measure them and they are way heavier than the reg Ruby Flexes with the exception of the G. The new Starks are just a tad heavier than the Reg thickness averaging onluy about .002-.003" bigger with the G .001" which seems in order. The E however is about .009" bigger than the reg gauge set but balances great. This makes sense to me and supports my conclusion that the reg E needs to be bigger. Too many Pros in the world have taken off tha E in favor of the heavier Helicore or Perm E. The Orig flex and orig flat chrome sets are similar in gauge to the Stark Flexs. It seems the reg ruby flex set is the lightest they have with the E being about 2 steps lighter.
BTW, The Ruby flexes (92s) feel to me closer to the old orig flexes of the Flexs made 30 years ago. This Orig brand is something new but thicker like the stark rubys but brighter to my ear. The Orig Flat chromes remind me of the old Eudoxa Steels of 30 years ago as well....
This is my findings after about a year of testing. I hate the work of changing strings but love finding the right ones for each Bass. I did this back in the late 70s when I tested strings for Labella. I was the guy on the package back then playing a tri-tone/dom 7 in thumb position across the a,d and g with my old Italian Bass. I also did the same thing with their electric bass strings until I strated my own brand in 1982 but working with a different company. Designing and testing strings has been one of my hobbies for the last 30+ years. I love good results but hate the work..
I hope this helps answer your question. I am willing to discuss this here or any other thread. I also recently put a set of Forte Jaegar Reds on my Dodd in place of the Stark Flexs. Slightly darker but THICK sounding.. yummy.. My Bultitude Bow dances on these strings.. The Gilkes had the Stark ruby Flexs on it now and they balance great. They help bring out the bottom which was weak in the past with the reg 92s rubys in the past.
Es.. 
