Do bass strings get narrower as they stretch?

[ardgedee]

Do bass strings get narrower when they're tuned up, the way a rubber band gets skinnier when it's stretched?

I assume that if they do, the change is likely to be minuscule, so this isn't a question of whether everything we know about string gauges is wrong. I'm just curious whether there's any change at all. It would be cool if somebody's already measured this in a materials science lab and has an answer.

Asking because I woke up this morning with this question stuck in my head, and now it's after lunch and I'm still thinking about it so I figured other people should think about it too.

 

[JimmyM]

I think it's a legit question, but I'd have to think the difference is miniscule at best.

 

[jthisdell]

I think they must. I play an eub in one of my bands. Monday night at rehearsal I was tuning up and there was a loud pop and one of the tuners sheared off. When that happened the string suddenly lost all its tension and came off. When I picked it up it was covered in a greenish goo. My theory is that when the string lost tension it's core expanded due to not being stretched (synthetic gut core strings with a thin steel over wrap). So when the core expanded it pushed this goo, which must have been some sort of dampening material, out through the wrap.

 

[Jeff Scott]

I think they must. I play an eub in one of my bands. Monday night at rehearsal I was tuning up and there was a loud pop and one of the tuners sheared off. When that happened the string suddenly lost all its tension and came off. When I picked it up it was covered in a greenish goo. My theory is that when the string lost tension it's core expanded due to not being stretched (synthetic gut core strings with a thin steel over wrap). So when the core expanded it pushed this goo, which must have been some sort of dampening material, out through the wrap.

That goo was biohazard.

 

[Vinny_G]

Yes, just like the flapping of a butterfly's wings in one part of the world could create a hurricane on the opposite side of the globe (butterfly effect). So be careful the next time you tune your instrument

 

[staurosjohn]

That goo was biohazard.

 

[JRA]

I woke up this morning with this question stuck in my head, and now it's after lunch and I'm still thinking about it so I figured other people should think about it too.

dear abby:
do bass strings get narrower as they stretch?

thanks,
anon. @TB


dear anon:
mine don't but yours do!

love,
abby

p.s., anon: TB is full of old wives' tails --- but also a lot of misinformation and creepy false assumptions about the P-bass ...get a fretless and a subscription to esquire and call it a day!

 

[saltydude]

I imagine it wouldn't even be a thousandth of an inch at best. Perhaps certain sections of it. Maybe near the tuners where the string tapers down.

Also I can see the core stretching more than the winding. It probably stays more in tact size wise.

 

[Killing Floor]

Wire will narrow as tension increases. You can measure it. Would that be linear to the winding? Not exactly. But it could be measured with the right tools.

 

[Cliff Colton]

I wanted to buy Pure Blues 45-100s to replace the Pure Blues 45-105s I am currently using, just to compare and determine if there is a noticeable difference in sound and playability. But if you're saying I can thin the .105 E string by tightening it, then I guess I'll just do that.