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balanced tension sets in 2013

#41
markanini said:
What would be the rationale for it?
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Simply because different players like different things. Assuming that balanced tension had been the reigning string set for decades eventually someone would experiment with string gauges, discover what we presently know as standard sets, post about it here, and a bunch of people would follow suit. Some would genuinely like them (I don't know why but they do and that is good enough for them), some would switch to something else when the next new notion comes along, and some would go back to balanced tension realizing that is what they liked. Whatever you like is good for you, it does not have to please anyone else. There is no right or wrong, only what you like. Tension data can be a tool to help you get to what you like quickly.

Ken
 
#42
To Ken's point... Many players read specs, tension charts, Talk Bass forums, YouTube demos and the New England Journal Of Metallurgy, and then make their decision based on that info (and various ASSUMPTIONS)... not to mention Manufacturer's advertising claims: "The last strings you will ever need in your life", "Your search for low-end sonic perfections ends with our ball-ends", "The only strings made from depleted Uranium and coated with dried Camel snot!!!!" etc. To this day, I still can't understand why I don't like certain strings that so many others do... but I still rely on the information, I just modify the way I USE it.
 
#43
Ian_Flash said:
made from depleted Uranium and coated with dried Camel snot
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Depleted uranium, gold, platinum, and tungsten are all quite dense (lead is a featherweight by comparison) and if used for string cores would give you either very high tension or let you use very light gauge strings. I don't think any of them are magnetic however so you might want to skip the Camel snot, attractive as it sounds, and use a steel or nickel steel outer winding instead....

Ken :D

PS: There is, or was at one time, some kind of "tractor pull" contest for model railroad locomotives. The all time champion N scale locomotive was built by a gentleman who worked at some kind of a nuclear facility and he actually fabricated the locomotive frame out of depleted uranium for weight and embedded diamond grit in the driving wheels for traction!
 
#44
"Locomotive Breath" sounds like my kind of guy! Gotta respect that level of dedication and ingenuity... he may be the #1 Tweaker I've heard of to date! Then again, I'm a guy who carries a portable air pump in the car so that I can balance my tire pressure 3-4 times a day. Every 10 degree difference in ambient temperature causes a 1 lb. PSI difference in your tires, and THAT makes me ANGRY!;)
 
#47
Ian_Flash said:
"Locomotive Breath" sounds like my kind of guy! Gotta respect that level of dedication and ingenuity... he may be the #1 Tweaker I've heard of to date! Then again, I'm a guy who carries a portable air pump in the car so that I can balance my tire pressure 3-4 times a day. Every 10 degree difference in ambient temperature causes a 1 lb. PSI difference in your tires, and THAT makes me ANGRY!;)
Click to expand...

You realize after driving a few miles you've changed the temperature that much and at different rates from front to back, and even left to right depending on your route?

Poke, poke, poke...
 
#51
I put the new daddario xl nickels (balanced tension) on my fender GL j bass a week ago and let them break in before posting. Results? I love them. I especially notice the even tension when doing slap and pull. I like the thicker e. (107) it feels better than the 100 that comes in the old ex170 normal light tension pack and sounds super rich. One last plus - the difference in tension with these strings was not significant enough to warrant truss rod adjustment.
 
#52
I used use D'Addario. I used them for many years. I'm going to have to try a set of the "balanced" strings. I notice slight differences in the standard sets, but it doesn't bother me at all.

I'm a fan of Dunlop, now. They feel and sound better to me.
 
#53
mmbongo said:
Funny thing is...if Leo Fender would have started putting balanced tension sets on his basses in 1950, people would be starting threads here today titled "Why does nobody use a 45, 65, 85, 105 set????"
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No. People start asking because the feel is uncomfortable. If the sets were balanced there would not be uncomfort...
Its not subjetive. Basically, there´s not any benefit from a unbalanced set...
 
#56
Absolutely! That's why I never check a hot tire if possible. If I DO, however, I also check each tire's temp with a surface thermometer and adjust the pressure accordingly. Then, when they a fully cool and not heated up on one side due to sunlight, I will check the contact patch by driving over cornstarch.
FourBanger said:
You realize after driving a few miles you've changed the temperature that much and at different rates from front to back, and even left to right depending on your route?

Poke, poke, poke...
Click to expand...
 
#58
"After many hours of research, we developed an evenly weighted bass set that sounded quite miserable. Oddly enough, what seemed would work wonderfully on paper didn't work out in application. The output of the strings was far from balanced. Only by altering the gauging, as we have in our string lines, have we been able to maintain a balance of gain and gauge."

That's disconcerting. Maybe after a few more hours they figured it out and forgot to change their FAQ.
 
#59
3234718 said:
"After many hours of research, we developed an evenly weighted bass set that sounded quite miserable. Oddly enough, what seemed would work wonderfully on paper didn't work out in application. The output of the strings was far from balanced. Only by altering the gauging, as we have in our string lines, have we been able to maintain a balance of gain and gauge."

That's disconcerting. Maybe after a few more hours they figured it out and forgot to change their FAQ.
Click to expand...

In fairness to them, they never claim the BT sets sound better, only that they are doing it because people want it.

But, that is all one really needs to know on the topic of D'Addario balanced tension strings.
 
#60
Ian_Flash said:
Absolutely! That's why I never check a hot tire if possible. If I DO, however, I also check each tire's temp with a surface thermometer and adjust the pressure accordingly. Then, when they a fully cool and not heated up on one side due to sunlight, I will check the contact patch by driving over cornstarch.
Click to expand...

You need help, brother;)

Better make sure when doing your gas laws math to compensate pressure for temperature you know the precise oxygen and nitrogen content of the air in your filling sources, it makes a difference.
 

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