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Ernie Ball Slinky Strings Tension Question
- Thread starter lowplaces
- Start date
Yes for sure. That’s pretty common, regardless of the brand.
Ok thanks, after I posted I figured it was a silly question. I've never tried EB Slinkys so I wanted to make sure.
Hey no such thing as a silly question. Sometimes what seems obvious can be totally wrong so it’s worth throwing out there.
Not throwing any shade on your question, but... unless a person has a particularly... delicate... neck on their bass (and, I personally do have a couple), I've never understood the concern with actual, pull-to-pitch, pounds of tension. Stiffness I can understand; but, that isn't the same thing - usually. Personally? I've been playing basses with stiff flats (which are usually also higher tension than most rounds) for 50+ years. However... I've also used Hybrid and Regular Slinky's quite a bit; usually, as "benchmark" strings, to see what a particular bass was going to wear as "forever" strings. However...
Yes, most times the actual, pull-to-pitch tension does increase with the increase in string gauge - all other things being equal. If all other things are NOT equal? Sorry. all bets are off... There are way too many other factors in the way strings are made, to make blanket statements...
I just tune n go with the brand strings I use. They will be the right tension when in tune.
Where did he say anything about worrying about his neck?Not throwing any shade on your question, but... unless a person has a particularly... delicate... neck on their bass (and, I personally do have a couple), I've never understood the concern with actual, pull-to-pitch, pounds of tension. Stiffness I can understand; but, that isn't the same thing - usually. Personally? I've been playing basses with stiff flats (which are usually also higher tension than most rounds) for 50+ years. However... I've also used Hybrid and Regular Slinky's quite a bit; usually, as "benchmark" strings, to see what a particular bass was going to wear as "forever" strings. However...
Yes, most times the actual, pull-to-pitch tension does increase with the increase in string gauge - all other things being equal. If all other things are NOT equal? Sorry. all bets are off... There are way too many other factors in the way strings are made, to make blanket statements...
In general, that is correct. The mass of a string affects at what frequency it vibrates best. A higher mass string vibrates slower than lesser mass string at the same tension, so the higher mass string takes more tension to bring it up to pitch, but there are other variables….
The reason six-string guitar strings have two or three plain steel strings and the rest of them are wound is to vary the mass of the strings to help equalize how all vibrate at their designed pitch. Windings add mass without making the string stiffer. If the larger diameter strings were solid wire, they would have mass from being larger diameter, but would be very UN-flexible & wouldn’t vibrate well at all. String core diameter & winding wire diameter are varied to make the string vibrate best within the range of pitch for which it was designed.
So, string tension can be different in equal gauge strings due to differences in core wire and winding wire, meaning larger gauge doesn’t always require higher tension to bring up to pitch than a smaller gauge, it just usually requires higher tension.
I didn't say anything about worrying about a neck, but I do have a bass that has a minor neck relief issue.
The bass is one I bought used yesterday and I made a quick check on the relief or the neck. Just wanted to make sure there was no backbow, which there isn't. But the neck was very close to flat.
But when I got home and took a closer look the relief is .002"
So again, it's not back bowed but I prefer more relief.
When I went to add relief the truss rod nut was already loose. Not enough for the rod to rattle. And the truss rod does work when I tighten the nut.
Strings on it are 40-90 rounds. So the plan * Was, find a set of rounds that will have enough tension to increase the relief. Plus I prefer heavier strings anyhow.
I have two of the exact same model bass. I want one with flats and one with rounds. The one I already had has flats in it and the truss rod on it is fine.
* Above, I said the plan was to get heavier rounds but the only shops open today don't have anything in stock to try. The basses are short scale Mini P @ 28.6" scale.
So I'm anxious to get the one with rounds set up and thought I'd try taking the LaBella DTF set (specialty set made for the Mini) off the one and putting them on the bass with the relief issue.
Well, all done and with the flats the relief on the bass in question now has .015" / .38mm relief, up from
.002". I checked the truss rod nut and it's snugged up now. Not tight at all but not nearly as loose as it was. I'll back it off 1/4 turn and re-check the relief oner the next two or three days.
For now I can finish the setup. Then put the rounds on the bass that had the flats on it and set that one up.
No biggie or offence, It was a neck relief issue. I should have mentioned it in the op.Not throwing any shade on your question, but... unless a person has a particularly... delicate... neck on their bass (and, I personally do have a couple), I've never understood the concern with actual, pull-to-pitch, pounds of tension. Stiffness I can understand; but, that isn't the same thing - usually. Personally? I've been playing basses with stiff flats (which are usually also higher tension than most rounds) for 50+ years. However... I've also used Hybrid and Regular Slinky's quite a bit; usually, as "benchmark" strings, to see what a particular bass was going to wear as "forever" strings. However...
Yes, most times the actual, pull-to-pitch tension does increase with the increase in string gauge - all other things being equal. If all other things are NOT equal? Sorry. all bets are off... There are way too many other factors in the way strings are made, to make blanket statements...
I wanted to add tension as explained in post #9.
I have used Slinkies more than any other kind of string for around 30 years so I wouldn’t steer you away from them based on my subjective preferences or any objective quality issues, but even their short scale strings might be too long for a 28.6” scale instrument. I remember liking them on a 30” scale instrument and assumed they would work on my 28.6” Ibanez MiKro, but I found a whole lot of the full diameter of the string wrapping around the tuning post. While I have done this and not run into issues on a few instruments, I have since learned of potential problems arising from that. From my limited experience, Dunlop short scale strings should fit just right and GHS should come close enough. I suspect TalkBass has a thread dedicated to those Mini P basses, and I know at least one exists for the MiKro, so a bit of poking around in those places should reveal some options for strings that fit properly.
Yesterday I got back from my last resort repair tech guy a '23 4003 that I was at my wits end in trying to get a setup to my liking. It came to me with Lo-Riders, and I switched to the factory RIC strings almost immediately. ..... still could not get it where I wanted it. The necks on these new ones are very thin, and can be a bit wiggly it seems. The guy I had service the bass did some fine tuning to the fret level in the lower fret region, made his usual relief and saddle adjustments, and strung it up with a set of Hybrid Slinky's 45,65,85,105. This guy always pushes a new set of EB strings when he services an instrument. As much as that irks me, I go along with it since he actually has a good eye for, and does pretty good guitar work. I don't. So unless I can do it with a screw driver, wrench, or soldering iron, other than for sharp fret ends, the files stay in the drawer.
It could be that the Ball's higher tension helps overcome fretbuzz that come with lower tension light gauge or round core strings, but he was able to get the thing within the orbit of acceptability. I'll keep these strings on this bass at least during this set's life cycle. I'm usually fitting my basses with either TI Flats or DR Pure Blues, and RICs normally get the factory strings. These Hybrid Slinkys are kind of stiff feeling by comparison. But they're working on this bass for now.
It could be that the Ball's higher tension helps overcome fretbuzz that come with lower tension light gauge or round core strings, but he was able to get the thing within the orbit of acceptability. I'll keep these strings on this bass at least during this set's life cycle. I'm usually fitting my basses with either TI Flats or DR Pure Blues, and RICs normally get the factory strings. These Hybrid Slinkys are kind of stiff feeling by comparison. But they're working on this bass for now.
Yes, there are Mini and Mikro club threads. The Mikros are said to work ok with most 30" scale round sets because the E string tuner is far enough from the nut. Seems the Mini's have fewer options.
I've been using flats so long that I don't know which rounds sets taper past the nut and which don't.
The stock rounds on the Mini appear to be D'Addario and they are not tapered. Iirc some say the full diameter on the E isn't a problem on the Mini but I suspect it depends on the gauge. The 90 E isn't a problem as far as I can tell on mine.
Anyhow since I solved my issue of the Mini with too little relief with the truss rod slack by putting the LaBella flats on it I'm no longer in need of finding the highest tension flats to deal with it.
I'll still take a look at the Dunlop and GHS rounds. If they don't look like they'll work I won't cut them and I'll have an excuse to get a Bronco or Mustang. I've not been buying gear for a few years now so no biggie.
The rounds have sparked my interest in playing more. Had a blast with them last night after setting up the Mini I swapped them over too.
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Not necessarily. Tension is a mathematical function of the square of the mass of the string times the square of the pitch of the string times the square of the scale, all divided by a constant. The next comments are based on having strings of similar brand, model, gauge, and construction. So if you increase the mass, say going from a 40 to a 45 on a G string, yes, tension will increase. But if you lower the pitch, say to F#, then the 45 tuned to F# will have a similar tension to the 40 tuned to G. Likewise, a 60 D string will have similar tension to an 80 A string, due to the difference in pitch. That is why you have some manufacturers' "balanced tension" sets, for example the D'Addario 170BT and the GHS Balanced Nickels.
Now, if you change the core/wrap ratio or any other parameter from string-to-string, all bets are off. Finally, a couple of observations of "traditional" string sets: 1) The D string on conventional sets is usually thicker than the math might otherwise indicate, resulting in more mass and tension, because tonal output to the pickup is an inverse function of the square of the mass and the square of the distance from the string to the top of the pole piece. 2) The E string is usually thinner than the math might otherwise indicate, resulting in less mass and tension, to retain more flexibility in vibrating in its overtones, and therefore tonal consistency.
