Do you lose tone with a lighter gauge?

[Bass-desires]

I was talking to another bassist about trying light gauge strings because I have a 10 year old's hands. He stated that I would lose a lot of tone. I have never heard this but though "Hell, I don't know everything. I should ask."

So what is the consensus? Will I lose tone by going light?

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Nope. You'll be fine.

 

[PBnJBassist]

Not at all. I think the only difference is a "fuller" sound with thicker strings than with thin ones. Tone-wise, you're good. By the way, I also have small hands, not 10-year old hands but I'm sort of within range - I personally use medium gauge sets (.050-.105 with D'Addario Chromes & .045-.105 with GHS Precision Flats) - if anything, I'd recommend switching brands with lower tensions while keeping the gauges the same. I recall going from light to medium and trying lights again; it felt awkward to me. But hey, that's just my experience and 2 cents.

 

[knuckle_head]

It'll change but a difference of 3 to 5 pounds won't kill tone.

I bet you'll find that it has fewer upper transients - it will emphasise the fundamental a bit. You may find as well, particularly if you are an aggressive player, that looser strings will pitch dive from attack on resolve.

 

[jonathanhughes]

What do you mean by "tone"? To me, "tone" is the overall sound (the mix of low, mids, and highs), so you can't have less tone, you can only have better or worse tone. If you switch to lighter strings, you'll probably get a bit less low end, but whether the overall tone is better or worse is subjective.

 

[Spaldo]

It depends...

When I was touring America, I used .40 -.100 gauge strings, but I had a really high action and was playing through a 2x15 cab, and I was really happy with my tone.

But now I like .55 upwards.

 

[Mystic Michael]

No. I don't even know what "lose tone" means...and I suspect that your friend really doesn't either...

If anything, lighter-gauge strings will yield more tone. Not only are they more supple and flexible, and therefore easier to play (at least with a suitably light touch), but they also generate a richer set of overtones - IF you know how to play them correctly.

What heavy-gauge strings lose in harmonic richness, they make for in sheer attack and power: all that extra metal vibrating through the pickups' magnetic field had got to amount to something. Perhaps this is what that guy actually meant. Who knows?

Experiment with some lighter-gauge strings, and find out for yourself. That's how I learned - well before TalkBass ever existed. Heck, long before the Internet ever existed...

MM

 

[Bass-desires]

Tone, to me is the over all sound of the note. Like you said every little frequency and harmonic around the fundamental. I guess he was thinking less mass means less 'extras' freq-wise? (maybe?)

 

[KwinS]

I think "maybe" is a pretty good response. I use light strings, with a light attack, but a lot of power. If you lose anything from the string gauge, it's made up for in articulation, and volume.

I know folks who use thick strings, and a heavy attack that have great tone, but it looks to me like they are working way too hard, and developing hand issues.

 

[Mystic Michael]

I know folks who use thick strings, and a heavy attack that have great tone, but it looks to me like they are working way too hard, and developing hand issues.

Yep. As I've been saying over and over, 'music is not a contact sport'. It's not supposed to be physically difficult. If you have to continually fight your instrument in order to achieve your sound, something is very wrong. It's only a matter of time before your body begins to suffer...

MM

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Jauqo should chime in in a few I know he uses very light strings but gets massive tone.

 

[KwinS]

Yep. As I've been saying over and over, 'music is not a contact sport'. It's not supposed to be physically difficult. If you have to continually fight your instrument in order to achieve your sound, something is very wrong. It's only a matter of time before your body begins to suffer...

MM

Truth. Cheers.

 

[seungkoo]

I use 40-100's and I have no issues with 'tone loss'
My basses are set up with very low action and I play with a very light touch and the harmonics ring out clearly. Not the best set up for slapping IMHO but I don't slap much anyways

 

[ingo62]

"Yep. As I've been saying over and over, 'music is not a contact sport'. It's not supposed to be physically difficult. If you have to continually fight your instrument in order to achieve your sound, something is very wrong. It's only a matter of time before your body begins to suffer..."

Tell that to a double bass player..

I prefer 40-95 gauge with 125 Low-B.
For me, it's got a bit more "snap" and attack than the usual 45-130.

 

[Jay2U]

Hi, I tried many different types and gauges of strings on my bass. There are so many differences in sound and feel, that it's almost impossible to list them all. What I do want to emphasize, is that thicker strings only require a little more muscle power, not bigger hands. Maybe a 38 mm neck (Ibanez SoundGear at the nut) would be more helpful. What also might help, is a set of smooth flatwounds, which enables you to slide to the next position, in case you just can't reach it. The benefit of a short scale bass is only some 12% compared to a 34"er.

 

[MadMark5]

I switched to lighter gauge and it actually forced me to play better with my right hand. it really enhanced my attack and I didnt lose and ounce of "tone"

 

[odin70]

My experience is that lighter strings equals lighter tone. Lighter strings will give you more harmonics and is great when playing melodies, high register solos, chords etc.

 

[Thunder Pulse]

The original question was about going to a lighter gauge, but assuming we're talking about sticking with strings from the same maker we're also unavoidably talking about going to strings with less tension, and that's something I'm curious about.

Is there a certain 'window' of tension that strings sound good in? For example, take two popular gauges of strings, both tuned EADG. A 40,60,80,100 set and a 45,65,85,105 set. The 40-100 set will be lighter in tension by a few lbs. per string, but it's a popular gauge that a lot of players use so obviously there's nothing 'wrong' with how they sound.

But what if you change the tension more drastically? Regardless of the gauge being used, it's kind of universally agreed that you don't tune down too much because your tone will suffer. In other words, you wouldn't take that same 40-100 set and tune down to BEAD (which would be the same as a 20,40,60,80 set tuned EADG). They'd be too floppy and would sound pretty 'rubber-bandy.' We've all experienced this when we change the strings on our basses, right? You've got your bass plugged into your amp and you start tuning the strings down and they go from sounding normal to having that dull thunk of a sound. Then you put the new strings on and they have the same dull thunk until you get enough tension on them. That's what I mean about having a 'window' or range of tension that strings will sound good in.

But what about going to higher tension? (assuming you adjust your truss rod to compensate for it). This is something I never see brought up. What about a 55,75,95,115 or 60,80,100,120 set tuned EADG? What does having higher tension do to the tone?

 

[iunno]

"Yep. As I've been saying over and over, 'music is not a contact sport'. It's not supposed to be physically difficult. If you have to continually fight your instrument in order to achieve your sound, something is very wrong. It's only a matter of time before your body begins to suffer... "

Well anything was physically difficult when I first started playing. Besides, it's impossible to get the same tone as playing hard if you're playing soft. And don't say "turn your amp up" because it isn't about volume.

 

[Jay2U]

The original question was about going to a lighter gauge, but assuming we're talking about sticking with strings from the same maker we're also unavoidably talking about going to strings with less tension, and that's something I'm curious about.

Is there a certain 'window' of tension that strings sound good in? For example, take two popular gauges of strings, both tuned EADG. A 40,60,80,100 set and a 45,65,85,105 set. The 40-100 set will be lighter in tension by a few lbs. per string, but it's a popular gauge that a lot of players use so obviously there's nothing 'wrong' with how they sound.

But what if you change the tension more drastically? Regardless of the gauge being used, it's kind of universally agreed that you don't tune down too much because your tone will suffer. In other words, you wouldn't take that same 40-100 set and tune down to BEAD (which would be the same as a 20,40,60,80 set tuned EADG). They'd be too floppy and would sound pretty 'rubber-bandy.' We've all experienced this when we change the strings on our basses, right? You've got your bass plugged into your amp and you start tuning the strings down and they go from sounding normal to having that dull thunk of a sound. Then you put the new strings on and they have the same dull thunk until you get enough tension on them. That's what I mean about having a 'window' or range of tension that strings will sound good in.

But what about going to higher tension? (assuming you adjust your truss rod to compensate for it). This is something I never see brought up. What about a 55,75,95,115 or 60,80,100,120 set tuned EADG? What does having higher tension do to the tone?

I suppose that the higher the tension, the more interaction takes place. So, playing an A on the E-string will agitate the A-string more than would be the case with lower tension. The increased force will make the neck and body resonate more than would be the case with lower tension. The frequency produced is a matter of mass, length and tension. Within the concept of an average long scale bass, I would say that a tension from 12 kg (6.5 lbs) to 25 kg (13 lbs) might be about the range.