DR Sunbeams 45-105 approximative tension?

[KoalaBass]

Hi all!

Just swapped the Gibson flatwounds I had on my early 70s musicmaster bass for a set of sunbeams (45-105, only gauge available in short scale). The Gibson were the 40-95 set and felt and sounded almost identical to Daddario chromes, with the same exact gauges as the ECB80 set (worthwhile to check them out if you like short scale chromes but would like to go down in tension, pretty cheap too). I think the ressemblance has already been addressed in other threads.

The thing is, I didn’t need to adjust the neck at all while putting on the sunbeams, which surprised me since I thought they would be higher tension than the Gibson.

Having said all that, I’m going to assume that the long scale set of 40-95 Gibsons should be really close in tension to the Daddario ECB80, which I know I like and can handle. Daddario lists them at ~163lbs.

So here’s my question to you, sunbeams (or other DR roundcore roundwounds) users: would you say that the 45-105 long scale set are similar in tension to the ECB80 set or an equivalent ~165ish lbs set? Which is kind of what my musicmaster situation is telling me.

I only have experiences with the 40-100 Pure Blues, which I know I can work with but feel a bit too light at times.

Please enlighten me with your words of wisdom

ps: I know I am comparing hex core flats to round core rounds, which are different things. I am aware of the whole stiffness vs tension thing too.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Some manufacturers publish tension data for at least some of their sets, some will provide it if you contact them directly, and some for reasons I will never understand won’t share that information. For nickel roundwound strings, I use Stringjoy’s string tension calculator to get an idea. Fortunately you know the approximate tension for the whole flatwound set in your specific scenario, so this might be enough to confirm your hunch.

 

[Riff Ranger]

My own hunch is that the heavier set probably has a higher total tension but you either have a remarkably stable neck or the additional relief one would expect is taking some time to materialize, but those are hunches of a dude with an interest in basses and strings who can do a decent setup, not a luthier or qualified technician

 

[KoalaBass]

My own hunch is that the heavier set probably has a higher total tension but you either have a remarkably stable neck or the additional relief one would expect is taking some time to materialize, but those are hunches of a dude with an interest in basses and strings who can do a decent setup, not a luthier or qualified technician

I actually waited 3-4 days before posting, but no difference still. So yeah maybe the neck is really stable haha?

 

[J-Mags]

Sunbeams have a pretty relaxed tension for their size. I can use the 105s in situations where I'd ordinarily use 100s. This is anecdotal for sure. I'm not a physicist.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Some manufacturers publish tension data for at least some of their sets, some will provide it if you contact them directly, and some for reasons I will never understand won’t share that information. For nickel roundwound strings, I use Stringjoy’s string tension calculator to get an idea. Fortunately you know the approximate tension for the whole flatwound set in your specific scenario, so this might be enough to confirm your hunch.

GHS numbers for hex core Boomers don’t seem too far off from the Stringjoy calculator, which I’ve heard isn’t far off from D’Addario’s numbers, so it would seem any one preferred chart or calculator will get you a decent idea if the construction is similar.

 

[michael_t]

So here’s my question to you, sunbeams (or other DR roundcore roundwounds) users: would you say that the 45-105 long scale set are similar in tension to the ECB80 set or an equivalent ~165ish lbs set?

I once tried Sunbeams 45-105, Nickel Lo-Riders 40-100 and D'A EXL170BT (45-60-80-107) back-to-back-to-back on my Fender Jazz with very little truss rod tweak in between.

The total tension on the EXL170BT is 162.88, so yes, 165 lbs. for the SB 45-105 would be a pretty good guesstimate.