A Question about Kalium (and other stuff)

[Fender05]

OK, so little back story. I have a Dingwall Combustion, I play in a heavy metal band, drop tuned to G-C-G-C-F. I'm pretty interested in Kalium strings, but has anyone used them for drop tuned bass before? What strings would you compare them to, if any?

My other question is, what gauge strings would you guys recommend? I'm thinking about going to a .135 on the low C, then .95, .75, and .55 on the "A", "D", and "G" strings. What about the "B" string, which is down to a G? .155? Thicker?

Thanks in advance. If anyone has a better idea not mentioned here, I'm all ears. Search turned up nothing I was looking for, but apologies if I missed it.

 

[Furious_Man77]

I don't drop tune, but recently I went with the Kalium balanced tension .142 .106 .079 .059 .043 set, from a normal off the shelf 45/65/85/105/130 set. I can tell you the string to string feel is superb, the E/B strings are infinitely more articulate and way less floppy. I don't notice the size difference in the B at all because it plays so well. Oddly enough the first review for the .142 medium set on Kalium's site is a guy with a Dingwall Combustion.

 

[Kenarius1]

Hi. If your scale is 35 inch, then you will get 30.8 lbs tension with 150 gauge and 33.3 lbs with 158 gauge. Standard low B string is ~32.5 lbs, so 158 for G is closer to it. Also, if you or someone from your friends have iOS device, you can use my app to find out what string tensions will you get with certain strings. But your tuning is uncommon, so it can be a bit tricky. Or you can say what gauges do you prefer for B and E strings and I'll find gauges with similar tensions for your tuning.

Here is thread with my app:
iOS app for strings selection | TalkBass.com

 

[iiipopes]

Contact them directly and tell them what you want. Tell them the make, model, gauge and pitch of a bass string that feels the best to you so far, as well as what you don't like about it, and they will know how to take it from there to recommend a balanced tension set with gauges suitable for your particular tuning.

 

[ixlramp]

Link Removed
Use the bass tension chart here, it's for 34" scale but for other scales multiply the tension value by:
( your string scale / 34 ) squared
Kalium recommend you always exceed 30 pounds (extra-light tension) by a little bit for a good tone.
You can use that chart to roughly approximate the tension of any brand of roundwound, so you could apply it to your favourite current string sets to see what tension you like per-string.
Then you can design a custom set of Kalium singles that has equal tensions or whatever 'tension profile' across the strings you prefer.

 

[winegamd]

Well Adam Getgood (Nolly from Periphery) uses Dingwalls exclusively and is also a Kalium endorser. I believe he uses it tuned down to low F.