Dano 6 string bass - need help w/strings

[hagstrom71]

I have a 2004 danelectro 6 string bass/baritone made in Korea that I like to use for 60's style tic tac (E-tuning) bass
recording. It has the larger tuners and the adjustable saddles.

Unfortunately I have never been able to get the low 'e' string to intonate correctly. I even changed the saddles.
with adjustable wood ones from CJ tooling as they
can be adjusted further back which seemed to help.
Currently I have the D'addario xl155 strings
(24-34-44-56-72-84) that were made for Jerry Jones instruments.

I'm thinking I should try some strings with more tension
on the Low 'E' string and I'm looking at the
labella hellcat strings (.026-.095) or maybe
the Ernie Ball 2837 Slinky silhouette 6 set. (.020-.090)

Anyone here have luck with a Dano 6 string and getting the
low 'E' intonation good enough for recording?

I'm also wondering if I should go with the Labella hellcat flatwounds rather than roundwounds.. same gauge 26-95,
but assume they will have more tension.
Still confused as to whether the Dano bass 6 came with
flats or rounds back in 60's.
And finally should I be concerned with string tapering
on any of these for a 30" dano?

Appreciate any advice or tips..
Thanks

 

[hagstrom71]

I ended up getting the Labella round wound strings
from bassstringsonline.com that are made for the
Schecter hellcat VI with the gauges
(.026, .035, .044, .055, .075, .095).

The higher tension is much better for my DANO VI
as it keeps the low E intonated and is less floppy.
On top of that, they are smoother and less brittle sounding
than the D'addario set (jerry jones) I've had on it.
not bad for $10.. I bought the flatwound set as well,
but don't see myself using them at this point as the
roundwounds are more appropriate for the
60's 'lonely surfer' sound I'm after..

 

[dhsierra1]

I used to stack washers between the ball end of the E string and the back of the bridge to increase the tension of a medium gauge bass. Really helped tighten things up.

Try 2 or 3 first and then go from there if you think you need more tension.

Old ball ends work well, too, if you can't find small enough washers.

 

[hagstrom71]

I used to stack washers between the ball end of the E string and the back of the bridge to increase the tension of a medium gauge bass. Really helped tighten things up.

Try 2 or 3 first and then go from there if you think you need more tension.

Old ball ends work well, too, if you can't find small enough washers.

Thanks for the tip.. with the labella/schecter strings
I don't have tension issues anymore.. but I have thought
about getting lighter strings and tuning as a Baritone
to A or B just for experimentation..
that might require your washer solution.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

The only things that affect a string's tension are the length of the string between the nut and saddles, the frequency it's tuned to, and the mass of the string - adding washers will not affect the tension at all.

If you need to beef it up at all, D'Addario makes the XL170 (.100-.045) set that comes in a short scale size. They also sell individual strings so that you can buy the B and E separately (probably a .029 and .019 to match the set).

Circle K Strings also makes guitar strings (in guitar scale lengths) up to a .102, so you can piece together your own set if needed, though you should email them first to make sure that they will fit your bass' scale length.

 

[t77mackie]

Tic Tac - is that doubling an upright bass with a picked electric?