I'll do some research, cheers.
Now, if I'm not asking for a secret sworn in blood oath to the Stickerati, could you please tell me the gauges of the strings?
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7 string bass - String spacing question
- Thread starter Logic_11
- Start date
Now, if I'm not asking for a secret sworn in blood oath to the Stickerati, could you please tell me the gauges of the strings?
Thank you, I'd never seen that site before.
Do the strings have a decent life, because at $US50 (probably $A100 factoring exchange, shipping and tax) they're sort of expensive?
In all fairness, the strings (even the lowest ones) are thinner than what you would usually use on a 5 string bass and the higher pitch strings are very thin. If you play with the same force as you would on a standard bass, I can see how strings could break.
Good point. I agree. Trade offs were made, but it does very good for splitting the difference between taping and plucking.
That high B string will break if you look at it funny lol Not to mention stick strings are round core and lack the endurance hex cores tend to have. Emmett won't sell you stick strings unless you provide a serial # anyways, my advice is to list out the gauges and give Skip @ Kalium a call
An SB8 is designed for tapping. If you don't want to pluck, then the SB8 would be fine for you. If you only tap on an NS/Stick, you will not be breaking strings anyway, so why not go with that and keep your options open? I do both on the NS/Stick and have no issue with breaking strings. My action is so low (for tapping) that I have no choice but to play with less force when plucking.
After spending a couple years with the NS Stick I kinda wish I'd gone with an SB8 lol It just looks so satisfying to play! The SB8 is a 8 string stick tuned in straight fourths while the NS is a crazy hybrid instrument.
@A9X: if you don't wanna break that high B don't attempt to play slap on it, it's a chore on an NS anyways
Yes please.I was going to post up one of @rwkeating 's fantastic stick videos but I could not find any. My search-fu is apparently not up to snuff.Perhaps he will be so kind as to share one?
It's really dependent on the pickup design.
A standard issue single coil Jazz will have pretty even output across it's entire sensing width. The double poles end up so close to each other that the magnetic field is very similar to what you would get on a blade design.
Some other pickups with discrete pole pieces do have very slight valleys between the poles, usually on pickups meant for wide spacing with very small poles and generally weaker magnets (reliant on coil turns to get good output).
Then there's split coils, ie humbuckers with two short coils such that each is under half the strings. These have a very significant valley between the coils, often dropping off to effectively zero output. This is why you can't use a split coil 4 string pickup on a 5 string bass - the center string is silent.
Without knowing the pickups in the OP's bass, it's hard to say if there will be a problem or not. It's definitely true that most people freak out wayyyyy too much about pole to string alignment, and for the most part small misalignments are absolutely harmless, but swapping string count or making huge adjustments to spacing are the cases where you can actually run into problems depending on the pickup design.
Thanks @Beej 
Here is my Youtube page so if anyone is interested, they can pick what they want to check out https://www.youtube.com/user/rqkeating The Stick videos are older than the 8 String tapping videos, so you need to scroll to find the Stick videos.
Here is my Youtube page so if anyone is interested, they can pick what they want to check out https://www.youtube.com/user/rqkeating The Stick videos are older than the 8 String tapping videos, so you need to scroll to find the Stick videos.
yes, exactly, excellent info, well said and good info assembled here!
The specific case I was responding to was a rather infamous 5 string pickup that is used in some affordable 6 string basses (and some that really are pricey enough that they shouldn't be skimping like this), and it's furthest out pole pieces are literally not widely enough spaced to handle a 6 string bass. Hence my question about which string was quiet.
Thanks
It's definitely possible for there to be confusion about this subject given how varied the offerings from pickup makers are and there really isn't a one size fits all answer. There are many legitimate cases where a manufacturer sells a single model of a given pickup that works great for multiple string counts or spacings. And then there are cases where a manufacturer offers two (or more) totally different versions of the same "model" of pickup, in the same exact case size, that are tailored for specific string counts or spacings. And then there are cases where a manufacturer is selling something for X application but it has been adopted into Y application and now everyone assumes that's the legitimate application.
Take Bartolini for example. They designed the first BC sized pickups for 5 string applications, but boutique builders just went ahead and used them on 4 string basses, too. And now everyone seems to take it for granted that BC is a 4 string case size. Some of the pickups they now offer in both 4 and 5 string versions ("Original" voicing for instance) even though they work on both, as long as you're not out of bounds on sensing width. Other versions they offer as distinct models (P soapbar, J soapbar, J squared quad) and you HAVE to use the "correct" version for each string count or else there's a string on a dead zone.
Take Bartolini for example. They designed the first BC sized pickups for 5 string applications, but boutique builders just went ahead and used them on 4 string basses, too. And now everyone seems to take it for granted that BC is a 4 string case size. Some of the pickups they now offer in both 4 and 5 string versions ("Original" voicing for instance) even though they work on both, as long as you're not out of bounds on sensing width. Other versions they offer as distinct models (P soapbar, J soapbar, J squared quad) and you HAVE to use the "correct" version for each string count or else there's a string on a dead zone.
