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Circle K strings...

#244
alec said:
I just bought myself an NS/Stick for a combination of tapping and regular bass playing. I guess I'll be tuning it in fourths up from a low B. Any suggestions on gauge and tension?
Click to expand...

Hi alec, I'm not part of the Circle K team but I can help you with gauges.

So BEADGCFBb on a 34" scale. See the Link Removed.

I would recommend a light tension set to make tapping easier. knuckle_head (Circle K tech) recommends keeping wound strings above their manufacturing tension of roughly 30 pounds for a good tone.

I would recommend using a wound .025 for C because a plain .022 will be inherently very stiff and less responsive to tapping. Also I find strings increasingly harder to tap the higher they are, which is why I would recommend a .025 even though it is slightly under 30 pounds at 27.2 pounds. I expect the .025 is manufactured at less than 30 pounds so should be fine at that tension.

Working downwards from C, choosing gauges just above 30 pounds:

C .025
G .037
D .049
A .068
E .092
B .124

The top F and Bb will be plains, and so do not have to be above 30 pounds. These high strings are much more difficult to tap so I would recommend dropping the tension of these down almost to guitar level, roughly 20 pounds. I find this also mellows their tone for a smoother tonal transition from the wound strings. Also the thinner plains such as .016p are more flexible and therefore have better tone.

Bb .012p
F .016p
 
#248
I have 2 , 4 string jazzes and a 4 string P/J. Our band tunes down a 1/2 step. The Circle K Balanced standard .150 4 string set works perfectly on 34" scale bolt on neck basses strung BEAD (all down a 1/2) Bb Eb Ab Db . They sound great, easy on the fingers, and last a long time.
 
#249
Just played with these strings on both my 6ers last night at our show. Bloody amazing. I'm so happy I've found them.

I realize now where my basses fall short and have inadequacies, so they may end up going (or being modded to correct the issues), but the strings are here to stay.

Also, the strings on my Spector sit farther forward than I thought they would, and I play on the bridge pickup which is located farther back. The result is that I played on the taper of the B and E strings quite a bit. It was not uncomfortable, and I still think they sounded consistent and great. They are so flexible that I didn't have any problems whatsoever.
 
#250
CircleK users:

I don't drop tune much and I play 4 string passive Jazz basses. I think I might like to try these strings but it seems that everyone using them either plays 5 and up or drop tunes. Should I stick with regular strings or could I benefit from a balanced tension set?

Thanks.
 
#251
madbassplaya said:
CircleK users:

I don't drop tune much and I play 4 string passive Jazz basses. I think I might like to try these strings but it seems that everyone using them either plays 5 and up or drop tunes. Should I stick with regular strings or could I benefit from a balanced tension set?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Balanced tension would definitely be something you benefit from. I am noticing something though, that is that I think I prefer stiffer strings like Lo Riders or Slinkies. The sound of these is great I just have to keep my action a little higher because of this. The tone is great though, and the balanced tension feel is definitely something I'd consider on a 4 stringer. I probably just need to try a thicker gauge to get my action a little lower.
 
#252
madbassplaya said:
CircleK users:

I don't drop tune much and I play 4 string passive Jazz basses. I think I might like to try these strings but it seems that everyone using them either plays 5 and up or drop tunes. Should I stick with regular strings or could I benefit from a balanced tension set?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The hip hop show I did that went so well was with a 4-BS104 set tuned EADG. So I'd say go for it. These are my favorite rounds and I use them mostly for EADG. They do handle drop tuning well though.
 
#255
My 142 and 136 sets arrived and I strung up the 142 last night - very nice! The B has a lot more authority than the Elixirs I was suffering with.

I like the feel too. Even thought the 142 is bigger than the DDT 135 I installed on another bass, it doesn't feel like a big inflexible cable.
 

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