Differences between regular and upright bass strings

[GC34]

Are the gauges the same?

 

[HaphAsSard]

Are the gauges the same?

For steel-core* double-bass strings, the range of gauges is indeed similar, to wit: between 045 and 055 for G strings, between 090 and 115 for low E strings.**
Remember that part of the gauge is due to a silk inlay between core and winding(s), which contributes to diameter but adds very little mass.

Another difference is that the steel core in many of them are now multifilament, braided - usually known as "stranded core" or "rope-core", for reasons of increased flexibility, which in turns impacts tone besides feel.
Not all of them, though: some have solid cores like in BG strings. Conversely, the recently introduced Dogal Hellborg signature rounds and flats for bass guitar are rope-core like those DB strings.

Minor differences are the longer silk length at the tailpiece side, so as to tame sympathetic resonances of the bridge-tail afterlength; and the bigger, solid (not empty in the middle) ball-ends.

Oh: they're flatwound, of course, in order to facilitate bowing.



* [Partly or entirely synthetic upright-bass strings can be a lot fatter than the above, precisely because of their lower density.]
** [Strings for very small sizes - 1/8, 1/10 - have larger gauges (similar to BEAD-tuning bass-guitar gauges) so as to compensate for the significantly shorter scale, but only so much: they're meant for children, after all, so tension is on the light side.]

 

[MarkA]

When you say "regular," do you mean "electric/bass guitar" strings?

If so, there are a few differences, gauges aside.

First, upright bass/double bass strings are designed for a much longer speaking length (generally in the ballpark of 42" from nut to bridge) than electric bass (34" for a standard Fender scale, with some variation).

Construction tends to be different -- upright bass strings often have a layer of some sort of damping material among the layers of metal core and windings (I believe that Thomastik Jazz flats for electric bass are similarly constructed -- Thomastik also make doublebass strings, notably Spirocores, which have been popular among both Classical and Jazz players for decades).

Upright basses have much higher string tension than electric basses do (though this is due mostly to the longer scale length, I think). 65 or 70 pounds for a single string is not out of order (this would be a good deal lower on a 34" scale, though I haven't done the math).

Double bass strings have a longer silk-wrapped portion at the bridge end than electric bass strings do (look at a photo of a DB -- there's a long "after-length" of string between the bridge and the tailpiece. You'd have to account for that, somehow).

Finally, upright strings tend to be more expensive -- for a 3/4 size set (most adults play a 3/4 bass, which is different than the other bowed strings, where adults usually play a 4/4 or "full-sized" instrument) of decent strings, you might pay $150-$300+.

That said, I'm pretty sure that I've seen a video or two of electric basses strung with upright bass strings -- and it might be that using an 1/8 or 1/4 size string set (which would be in the 34"-35" scale length ballpark) could work okay for electric (while being cheaper than a 3/4 size set), if you account for the silk-covered after-length somehow. (Maybe an even smaller set would work better?)

I don't know about the gauges (though I'm sure you could find out); I wanna say that most DB string listings specify tension (either as light/medium/heavy or in pounds). I suspect that they might be a little heavier/thicker than most EB strings -- might need to modify your nut -- but I don't think they're worlds different.

Might be fun to give a shot (if you do a little research first and watch your truss rod), but I might be more inclined to give a set of flats and maybe a foam mute a shot, first -- guess it depends on what, exactly, you're trying to accomplish. ;-)

 

[MarkA]

For steel-core* double-bass strings, the range of gauges is indeed similar, to wit: between 045 and 055 for G strings, between 090 and 115 for low E strings.
Remember that part of the gauge is due to a silk inlay between core and winding(s), which contributes to diameter but adds very little mass.

There you go, OP!

Again, you'll have to account for the silk at the bridge end and the length of the string before it tapers at the tuner end if you want to use them on EB.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

When you say "regular," do you mean "electric/bass guitar" strings?

If so, there are a few differences, gauges aside.

First, upright bass/double bass strings are designed for a much longer speaking length (generally in the ballpark of 42" from nut to bridge) than electric bass (34" for a standard Fender scale, with some variation).

Construction tends to be different -- upright bass strings often have a layer of some sort of damping material among the layers of metal core and windings (I believe that Thomastik Jazz flats for electric bass are similarly constructed -- Thomastik also make doublebass strings, notably Spirocores, which have been popular among both Classical and Jazz players for decades).

Upright basses have much higher string tension than electric basses do (though this is due mostly to the longer scale length, I think). 65 or 70 pounds for a single string is not out of order (this would be a good deal lower on a 34" scale, though I haven't done the math).

Double bass strings have a longer silk-wrapped portion at the bridge end than electric bass strings do (look at a photo of a DB -- there's a long "after-length" of string between the bridge and the tailpiece. You'd have to account for that, somehow.

Finally, upright strings tend to be more expensive -- for a 3/4 size set (most adults play a 3/4 bass, which is different than the other bowed strings, where adults usually play a 4/4 or "full-sized" instrument) of decent strings, you might pay $150-$300+.

That said, I'm pretty sure that I've seen a video or two of electric basses strung with upright bass strings -- and it might be that using an 1/8 or 1/4 size string set (which would be in the 34"-35" scale length ballpark) could work okay for electric (while being cheaper than a 3/4 size set), if you account for the silk-covered after-length somehow. (Maybe an even smaller set would work better?)

I don't know about the gauges (though I'm sure you could find out); I wanna say that most DB string listings specify tension (either as light/medium/heavy or in pounds). I suspect that they might be a little heavier/thicker than most EB strings -- might need to modify your nut -- but I don't think they're worlds different.

Might be fun to give a shot (if you do a little research first and watch your truss rod), but I might be more inclined to give a set of flats and maybe a foam mute a shot, first -- guess it depends on what, exactly, you're trying to accomplish. ;-)

When I was in high school back in the 60’s, I had a DB given to me that had string on it from 30’s. It also had a pretty good crack an warpage in the looker bout. So I took in to a store that specialize in top end symphonies instruments. The repair tech recommended a string gauge and cat gut strings. Talk about lipstick on a pig…anyway about 6 years ago I was in a different store in a different town, and got a look at what good set of guts cost these days. Yikes!