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Circle K strings...

#741
FunkMetalBass said:
Crash course:

Accidentals (sharps and flats) weren't around from the beginning - things were done with only the 7 notes. Eventually, sharps and flats were introduced so as to retain the original 7 notes (A through G) and add 5 more for different key options. Thus, a system of sharps and flats came to fruition.

Now, the reason some keys require sharps and some require flats is because every key needs to contain one of each of the letters.

In the key of A#, we get this weird situation:

A# C D D# F G A

We can correct it by calling it Bb and using flats instead:

Bb C D Eb F G A



It's not perfect, but it's better.
Click to expand...

That kinda makes sense.
 
#742
KingRazor said:
I learned bass from a book and at one point it went over the circle of 5ths, and the whole thing just seemed needlessly complicated. And it didn't explain to me why we use sharps and flats in music.
Click to expand...

I learned bass from being thrown into a jazz band in college on a scholarship; they paid me to do it and I wasn't even able to sightread the bass clef when I first joined. I can promise you, knowing about things like the circle of fifths really does come in handy especially as far as integrating your knowledge goes. A lot of things "come into focus" suddenly, when you can integrate things like how a melody is made up, what the harmonic structure of a song is, how the scale relates back to the chord, and what information the song's key tells you.

It all seems like Greek until you learn how to work it into practice and suddenly it seems like your first language, or something even more familiar than that.
 
#743
I just wanted to chime in and say how much I love these string ,they are simply amazing . I am using a balanced 136 5 string set on my brubaker brute and these are by far the best strings ever. my B string is so tight and focused I don't feel I will ever need a 35" scale bass again.They have actually made me a better player(if you can believe that) I used to get hand fatigue in my left hand all the time and this is no longer an issue. Just makes the bass play & feel so much better. These are all i will use from now on. I had a balanced 142 set on my other bass that a friend gave me cause he didn't like them . His loss. so this is my second set on another bass .
 
#744
I have known Skip @ Circle K / Knuckle bass for a number of years. About 3 months ago, I took ownership of a brand spanking new Dingwall Combustion V2 & I have been in love. However, I can't say that I'm a big fan of the sound & feel of stainless steel strings. Given the Dingwall needs specialized strings for the long-scale fanned-fret design, this seemed like a good opportunity to try out Circle K strings. And given Skip's expertise in super long scale design, Circle K looked perfect for what I needed. I ordered up a set & here is my mini review.....


Well, it's official. I'm a Circle K convert. Just amazing strings.

In comparison to the standard Dingwall Voodoo Stainless strings, the Circle Ks seem to have more of an authoritative punch in the low end, just the right amount of mids for attack & less "zinginess" in the high end. And keep in mind, I like the bright sounds of Geddy Lee, Chris Squire & Justin Chancellor. These strings give me all the high end I want, but without being overbearing like stainless strings can tend to be. Even though the Circle Ks are slightly bigger than the Dingwall strings, they still have plenty of spring for expressive bends. And it is amazing how low you can detune the Circle Ks & still have a strong fundamental. Overall, I'm very impressed with the tone, feel & design. Plus, Skip & the guys at Circle K were top-notch in customer service. One perk to living in Seattle is I put in my order & got the strings the next day.

For those wondering about these, try them now.
Grab a "traditional" 5-string set w/ a 130 low B. With the fanned frets of the Dingwall, it turns a traditional set into a very balanced set. Very even string tension. You won't be sorry.
 
#745
shannons said:
I have known Skip @ Circle K / Knuckle bass for a number of years. About 3 months ago, I took ownership of a brand spanking new Dingwall Combustion V2 & I have been in love. However, I can't say that I'm a big fan of the sound & feel of stainless steel strings. Given the Dingwall needs specialized strings for the long-scale fanned-fret design, this seemed like a good opportunity to try out Circle K strings. And given Skip's expertise in super long scale design, Circle K looked perfect for what I needed. I ordered up a set & here is my mini review.....


Well, it's official. I'm a Circle K convert. Just amazing strings.

In comparison to the standard Dingwall Voodoo Stainless strings, the Circle Ks seem to have more of an authoritative punch in the low end, just the right amount of mids for attack & less "zinginess" in the high end. And keep in mind, I like the bright sounds of Geddy Lee, Chris Squire & Justin Chancellor. These strings give me all the high end I want, but without being overbearing like stainless strings can tend to be. Even though the Circle Ks are slightly bigger than the Dingwall strings, they still have plenty of spring for expressive bends. And it is amazing how low you can detune the Circle Ks & still have a strong fundamental. Overall, I'm very impressed with the tone, feel & design. Plus, Skip & the guys at Circle K were top-notch in customer service. One perk to living in Seattle is I put in my order & got the strings the next day.

For those wondering about these, try them now.
Grab a "traditional" 5-string set w/ a 130 low B. With the fanned frets of the Dingwall, it turns a traditional set into a very balanced set. Very even string tension. You won't be sorry.
Click to expand...

The Dingwall compound scale is what skip used to design his traditional sets. Glad to know he got that right too. Circle K is on a roll, I tell you!
 
#748
KingRazor said:
That's what I used on my Ibanez. I liked it. I would go with a .142 in the future for BEADG tuning.
Click to expand...

I did the same, replacing the R Cocco strings on a neck-through Ibanez six string. I thought the .125 with the Coccos felt floppy - at least on this bass. The .136 balanced set tightened up the B considerably while being lower in overall tension than the Coccos (which were very nice sounding strings otherwise). I was worried that .136 would be too much, but I'm curious now to try .142.

Worth noting that different basses with the same scale length seem to do better with different gauge strings. At least that's my experience. I went to a heavier gauge balanced set on my Fender four-string (jumping up several gauges from the very light Smiths I used before) and liked the results pretty well. Stepped back down one gauge when I changed the strings recently (I was worried about all the tension I was putting on the neck) and found that the bass responded even better. Plays and sounds better with the slightly lighter strings, and didn't need the extra tension at all.
 
#750
GODSBASSMAN said:
How advisable is this? .254 for B below C#. Stringing the bass BEADGC, will this yield total octave below regular tuning? Therefore regular 6 string playing begins at the 12th position?
Click to expand...

On a 34" scale, that .254 string tuned to B will sit at ~33.61 lbs of tension. Quite light, but still useable.

I like heavy tension, so I wouldn't touch it for anything lower than D on a 34 or 35", but your preferences may dictate otherwise.
 
#755
GODSBASSMAN said:
This package: .254 .190 .142 .106 .079 .059 in Circle K is the one in question to use
But your answer = D'Addario nickle 120 at a 28.6 lbs is what I have been using.
Click to expand...

Wow. That's really light. I prefer 45-50 lbs per string, and with the flexibility of Skip's strings, it tends to still be very comfortable.

I'm wanting to build a 40" upright tuned B-C, an octave below. You'll have to let me know how you like the .254 B-string.
 
#757
KingRazor said:
I still don't get the whole flat/sharp thing. Seems needlessly complicated.
Click to expand...

Sharps and flats are used in scales to maintain intervals depending on what type major or minor scale you're playing in. For example, the key of "C" needs no sharps or flats because the intervals (made up of whole-steps and half-steps) are "perfect" for the major scale format. A major scale can be described like this:

whole-step/whole-step/half-step, whole-step/whole-step/whole-step/half-step

C(whole)D(whole)E(half)F(whole)G(whole)A(whole)B(half)C

As you can see E-F, and B-C are naturally accurring half-steps.

These are naturally occurring intervals in the key of "C", and that's why it needs no sharps or flats. In any other key, sharps or flats are used to maintain the correct intervals, or "natural" interval of the major scale.

For example, in the key of "A", sharps are used to raise notes to maintain the correct major scale interval, so it looks like this:

A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#-A

This is why the key of "A" is written as having three sharps. Playing it on your fretboard may help you to see this more clearly. the same applies to the "flat" keys. Try writing out the key of "F" for example, and you'll find it uses only one "flat". Which note is flat-ed? How about the key of "Bb"? Which three notes are flat-ed?

Each scale, whether it be major, minor, phrygian, iolian, etc., has it's own set of unique intervals, and using sharps and flats is how those unique intervals are maintained. That's what all the scale practicing is about - learning those intervals! Hope this makes it a tad bit clearer....:bassist:
 
#758
So, I'm sorry if it seems like I'm missing the point, but flats and sharps appear to simply be a notation thing. Something to make it all look right. Am I way off "base"? :D

I understand the major scale inside and out (at least I feel like I do) because that was the first thing I learned when I learned to play bass. I can play it with my eyes closed (I also understand how chords come from it and some of the theory aspects of it).

I know which notes on my fretboard are sharps or flats, and which ones aren't. I understand how they are used. I just didn't used to understand why they were used.
 
#759
It is needlessly complicated, but it ties in with standard notation and the stave which only has positions for 7 notes ABCDEFG. I can't be bothered with standard notation or staves either, but then i don't need to read music. When one moves away from the standard scales of major minor and the modes one has to use double sharps and double flats, perhaps even triple ... . With octatonic scales many accidentals have to be used. Sometimes a common language of music is needed but that language has evolved over centuries and has much overcomplex baggage from past common practice.
 

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