• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Circle K strings...

#604
Link Removed is back online with new gauges, sets and lower prices. Note: More site updates coming, the tension chart has not yet been updated.

Plain: .008 to .023 in steps of .001

Wound:
.025 to .029 in steps of .001
.029 to .067 in steps of .002
.067 to .082 in steps of .003
.082 to .106 in steps of .004
.106 to .142 in steps of .006
.142 to .190 in steps of .008
.190 to .210 in steps of .010
.222
.232
.244
.254

Sets:
Balanced piccolo sets for any number of strings from as light as .045 .031 .020 .014 .010

I counted 41 different sets of gauges for 4 string balanced sets ... amazing.

:)
 
#610
Thanks, Skip, for answering my previous questions via email. I figured I'd post this here for others to chime in as well.

The updated site is fantastic, what an incredible variety of gauge combinations! Although my initial interest was in a traditional set, I think now I will experiment with a balanced set first and see how it goes.

My delimma is whether to go with a .142 five string set or a .136. With my old bass, I found that heavier strings provided me with more sustain (specifically the B) when I had a D'Addario ProSteels medium set (.135 B, .105 E) instead of a DR DDT set (.125 B, .105 E). I didn't notice much difference with the higher strings between the two sets.

When I got my custom I found that it produced much more sustain, so I put a set of the ProSteels on it. Fretting the B even up to the 12th fret gives good results. However, the top string is much louder in volume than the others (although having a shorter radiused fretboard and flat pup's don't help) and I don't want to have to take it in to have the brass nut filed for the larger B.

Do you think I'll get the results I'm looking for with the lighter set due to the higher quality of my current bass? I liked the better sustain, am intrigued at how a .142 would sound, generally play with a heavier hand and try to set up my bass for the lowest action possible with minimal fret noise. It's 34" scale, strings sit about ~2.1 mm above the top of the 12th fret.

I'm open to going to the larger gauge and filing the nut - never to go back to mediocre strings - if that's what I need to do. :bassist:

Thanks and regards,

Eric
 
#612
I usually recommend to go with one gauge heavier than you normally would think to use (unless you are playing something like an old Rick that cannot reasonably handle extra tension). The reason is that Skip's strings are incredibly flexible, so even if there is greater tension with the thicker set, they feel like they have less tension.

If your bass is set up for a .135, you probably wont need to do much, if any, filing for the nut slot to accommodate the .142.

As far as the volume issues are concerned, it's possible that it's due to the unbalanced tension, but you may also need to do some pickup adjusting to balance out the volume.
 
#614
Razman said:
Thanks for the responses so far. Tension is not an issue so I think I'll go for the heavier set. The .150 set looks interesting too, but I think I will let someone else review it first. :)
Click to expand...

You're in luck - the .150 set is what I used for a B-string on two of my basses. :)

I absolutely love the tension and the string sings like no other bass I've ever played. Mine has about 3 lbs more tension on it because I use a 35" scale, but I'd use it for a 34" scale as well. It is heavy, but it's not much different in feel from your average hex-core medium set (the ADG strings, anyway), and it's especially useful if you have to down tune on occasion. I don't usually throw it out as a recommendation because I feel that I like the strings heavier than most, but that .150 set is the best choice I ever made for my fingerstyle playing.

If you're a slapper/tapper/near-bridge-picker, I'd recommend the .136 set. I sat there for a while down-tuning my bass and found that ~40 lbs of tension with Circle K's is absolutely ideal for that situation.
 
#615
FunkMetalBass said:
I usually recommend to go with one gauge heavier than you normally would think to use (unless you are playing something like an old Rick that cannot reasonably handle extra tension). The reason is that Skip's strings are incredibly flexible, so even if there is greater tension with the thicker set, they feel like they have less tension.

If your bass is set up for a .135, you probably wont need to do much, if any, filing for the nut slot to accommodate the .142.
Click to expand...

Agree. I went with a balanced set of the same guage I normally use and the "feel" like a lighter set due to the lesser tension (i.e. a 100 feels like a 95, etc). Already sounds fantastic and my next set will be a bit heavier to see what that will do.
 
#616
Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't notice a big difference in tension in these strings--but maybe that's because I play with a really low action to begin with. I'm perfectly content with the balanced standard 100 (now 102) set for four string. 106 felt a bit tight for me--for really fast runs I was sometimes getting a finger caught trying to pluck a note after it was time to have moved on to the next one, so I went to the lighter set and liked it a lot better. I guess it averages 38 lbs/string which is normal for me.
 
#617
cassius987 said:
Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't notice a big difference in tension in these strings--but maybe that's because I play with a really low action to begin with. I'm perfectly content with the balanced standard 100 (now 102) set for four string. 106 felt a bit tight for me--for really fast runs I was sometimes getting a finger caught trying to pluck a note after it was time to have moved on to the next one, so I went to the lighter set and liked it a lot better. I guess it averages 38 lbs/string which is normal for me.
Click to expand...

Big difference in tension as compared to what, thicker gauges of CK's?

I too like to play with very low action, but I have a heavy plucking hand on (moreso on stage where it's less controlled) and occasionally downtune, so the heavy gauges work best to keep my action low and click-free.
 
#618
New Circle K Strings tension chart is up: Link Removed

The tension chart is for a 34" scale, to calculate tension for scales other than 34", multiply the tension value by:
(your scale in inches / 34)squared

The tension values are divided into diagonal regions, each diagonal region corresponds to a particular octave. Starting from the small triangular region in the bottom right corner and working upwards, the octave numbers are: 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back