Acoustically quietest strings?

[K'Ching]

Maybe a bit of a strange question but I work night shifts watching a guy on a ventilator as he sleeps, making sure nothing goes wrong and helping him with whatever he needs during the night. Most of the time though I just sit around and do whatever I want, so I decided to buy a fingy bass (tiny half scale bass) so I can sit and practice on my night shifts.

However I'd like to make the instrument as quiet as possible as to not be making too many annoying noises.

So which strings would you recommend in order to make the bass as acoustically quiet as possible?

 

[michael_t]

What type of strings are on it right now? What kind of choices in strings are you expecting to find for a half-scale bass?

Any pic of this fingy bass you speak of?

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I suspect your choice in strings for a tiny half scale bass will be limited to whatever strings the bass comes with from the factory...

On a normal scale bass I would say mellow flats to get rid of metallic sounding zing/clank/string noise. The lower frequencies won't disturb anyone with a solidbody. Even tapewounds will have a bit of "clacking". A mellow set of flats will be the most quiet you can get.

I guess an old set of "dead" sounding roundwounds could work too... and that's probably your only solution with a tiny half scale bass. Play the strings until they're DEAD. Hand cream or chicken fat can speed up the process. Which one to choose will depend on you personal view on hygiene.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Maybe a bit of a strange question but I work night shifts watching a guy on a ventilator as he sleeps, making sure nothing goes wrong and helping him with whatever he needs during the night. Most of the time though I just sit around and do whatever I want, so I decided to buy a fingy bass (tiny half scale bass) so I can sit and practice on my night shifts.

However I'd like to make the instrument as quiet as possible as to not be making too many annoying noises.

So which strings would you recommend in order to make the bass as acoustically quiet as possible?

You could try the cheapest (emphasis on "cheapest", because of the "try" element) double bass set you can find. If the inner damping (a layer of silk between core and winding) is optimised for bowing, pizzicato should sound very quiet.

What type of strings are on it right now? What kind of choices in strings are you expecting to find for a half-scale bass?

Any pic of this fingy bass you speak of?

GIYF:
FingyBass – MihaDo Guitar Studio

 

[K'Ching]

Thanks for the suggestions! I should have made clear that you can use any normal set of electric bass strings on it, and just cut them as needed. Right now it has round wounds but I have no idea which ones.

Interesting with the double bass strings, but I assume they are generally thicker than electric string? Never played double bass.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Interesting with the double bass strings, but I assume they are generally thicker than electric string? Never played double bass.

It depends. A non-nylon-tapewound steel-core double bass low E can be anywhere between .083" and .115" thick, whereas tapes and synthetic-core strings can indeed be a lot larger:
String gauges
Dropbox - Talkbass - Simplify your life
Dropbox - baen.tamu.edu - 105 cm.pdf - Simplify your life

These, for example, are 040 065 082 108:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Thanks for the suggestions! I should have made clear that you can use any normal set of electric bass strings on it, and just cut them as needed. Right now it has round wounds but I have no idea which ones.

Interesting with the double bass strings, but I assume they are generally thicker than electric string? Never played double bass.

Just be aware that many flatwound strings can't have the fully wound part of the string around the tuning peg so cutting longer scale strings for a shorter scale bass won't be a good idea. The windings can unravel and ruin the string. LaBella specifically warns against this and I personally wouldn't do this with any stiff old school flats. I guess flexible low tension flats like TIs MIGHT work but don't take my word for it.

I personally think an old, worn, dead sounding set of roundwounds is your best option.

I have never tried double bass strings on an electric bass so I have no idea if that would work. You would definitely need to cut the string in the fully would part and my instinct tells me you could end up with a broken set of expensive double bass strings.

At least check tension figures to make sure you don't damage the neck. Also, the core in double bass strings isn't made from a magnetic material so I suspect they would be close to useless with a magnetic pickup (if you ever plan to use the bass with an amp).

 

[HaphAsSard]

Also, the core in double bass strings isn't made from a magnetic material so I suspect they would be close to useless with a magnetic pickup (if you ever plan to use the bass with an amp).

I have used cello strings on a short-scale (solid-body, electric, mag-pickupped) bass and they worked. Also, there are double bass players that use magnetic pickups: steel-core upright bass strings absolutely work with them because of the steel cores. Now, depending on wrap material, which indeed can be non-magnetic (aluminium, for example), they may be quiet when amplified. However, cheap double bass strings are usually steel-on-steel (EDIT: or nickel-on-steel).

@K'Ching: pictures of both the tuning system and the anchoring area at the end of the neck would be useful. Do you clamp and cut the strings at the latter?

 

[K'Ching]

It actually doesn't have tuning pegs. It's quite a strange system. I definitely should have added some pictures so I've done that now.

It sounds like old worn out string are my best bet. I would also assume that the lower tension the quieter they would be, right?

Thanks for all the suggestions!