so without even trying a matched set i put ddarrio nickel wound strings on my bass and a ddarrio half round high C string after the recommendation of someone who does this and has a huge sounding C string. he's also an upright player, and in the upright world we mix and match sets all the time. im not sure this is a good idea with electric bass. the half round is .32 gauge , which is what the nickel set would call for, but it sounds more quiet than the rest of the set, particularly in the upper register, which is where im going to play that string the most. would i be better off getting a matched string to the set? i really want it to be strong in the upper register. i played a friend's bass who has smith strings but not sure which. they have purple silks at both ends so that makes only 2 possibilities. the smith site says .28 high C string. it sounded pretty strong which is opposite what i would have expected. it seems to ring nicely high up. is this because its thinner gauge? should i try a set of smith compressors?
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Have you tried raising the pickup under the C? You might as well buy a different C anyway. They're cheap. Get a few.
the pickups are even but seem to be set correctly. im thinking that the different make up of the strings cause them to respond differently. also, would a thinner gauge C string ring out (be less choked) more in the upper register than a thicker string?
Half rounds are a little like flats, stiffer and duller, especially on the higher frets. I would say the first thing to do is try a matching C and go from there.
A thinner C will be more flexible on the high frets, so clearer and brighter, but the reduced mass means possibly less volume, you may need to tilt the pickup a little closer to the C (and/or tilt the pickups aways from the lower strings). However, less tension means more string excursion which may compensate against the loss of volume.
A thinner C has less tension which has the opposing effect of reducing brightness.
Equal tension G-C pairs are .045 .032 and .040 .028 if you want equal. I prefer a drop of tension from G to C for playability. Higher strings feel tighter for the same tension. A .032 C really is very tight, and seems mainly for those who don't like the sound of thin strings so have to have their high strings as fat and tight as possible.
A thinner C will be more flexible on the high frets, so clearer and brighter, but the reduced mass means possibly less volume, you may need to tilt the pickup a little closer to the C (and/or tilt the pickups aways from the lower strings). However, less tension means more string excursion which may compensate against the loss of volume.
A thinner C has less tension which has the opposing effect of reducing brightness.
Equal tension G-C pairs are .045 .032 and .040 .028 if you want equal. I prefer a drop of tension from G to C for playability. Higher strings feel tighter for the same tension. A .032 C really is very tight, and seems mainly for those who don't like the sound of thin strings so have to have their high strings as fat and tight as possible.
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Wow great post. I'm going to digest it and get back to you. I just put on a .32 tension matching string with a .45 g string. Will report back. I'm pretty sure my friends bass that had the Smith strings on that I liked have a .45 g string and a .28 C string. I just wish I knew which Smith strings they were. Also it seems like set up is going to be a consideration in the sound that I want up top
