How do you choose your string gauge?

[Nicolas Moreno]

I've been wondering, I imagine many people probably just used what their favourite bassists used or something but how do you guys choose?

 

[michael_t]

Once I select the brand/type of strings according to what kind of tone I want, I experiment with different sets. Or, at least I did in the past. For me, gauge selection is all about the FEEL and a matter of personal preference. I want a set of strings to be comfortable for my left hand (fretting) but still firm enough for my right hand (plucking) not to be too loose and floppy.

After countless experiments over the last 10 yrs, I've settled on light-gauge sets (40-95/40-100) of hex-core strings.

 

[Karl Kaminski]

I would agree with michael_t, it's a 'trial and error' thing but all about the balance of how they feel in your hand(s) and how they sound in your gear setup. You gotta experiment and think about where you want to go with it. A little research and alot of experimenting will go a long way to finding the right balance.

I too found (for my style and needs) light sets (and depending on brand/core material) sometimes Ultra/extra lights on round core are my preference. In general, when searching out new strings I start with a simplified formula of:

• material = sound Nickel
• core = LH feel Round core
• gauge = RH feel <.100 E

 

[markanini]

I've found my tuning dictates this, I've gone different drop and down tunings and find using an online tension calculator and aiming for 38 lbs per string works right for me. 38 lbs isn't a hard target, more important is that the strings line up with each other tension wise.

 

[GIBrat51]

In my case, it depends on the bass - sometimes; and it depends on the strings I decide would be best for what I want from a particular bass - sometimes. Examples...
- My MIK Rogue VB-100 violin bass doesn't like to tune up and intonate with most strings that it could wear. But, it does tune up easily - and, surprisingly, intonate perfectly, - with medium scale Roto TruBass88 Tapewounds. They only come in one gauge; 65-118s. So, that's what the VB-100 wears.
- My Danelectro Longhorn can wear pretty much any short scale strings out there. But, I want "that Dano sound" from it - which means, light gauge strings. Since I don't much care for anything but flats, my choices were either the La Bella 760FDs (the original Dano flatwounds), or the slightly different - but still very light - 760FXs. The 39-96 gauge FX's work great on my long scale Dano DC59 Pro, so... I went with those on the Longhorn, too.
- My '01 COY Rick 4003 could wear pretty much any long scale strings, but I want to duplicate the sound of the original 42-100 (IIRC) Maxima Flats that came on Rick basses until the early '80s. Optima, who bought Maxima out some years ago, kept all their spec sheets. Their 4440L RB (Rickenbacker Bass) Flats (45-100) are very, very close duplicates of those original Maximas. I learned to play bass in 1968 on a Rick 4001 with its factory Maxima Flats, so... That's the bass sound I've had in my head for... well, a very long time. So, the RBs are what my Rick wears. And,
- My '95 Alembic Epic wears TI 344LS Jazz flats in 43-100 gauge. Because I like how the TI's sound on that bass, and because that's the only gauge long scale TIJF's come in. However...
Most of my basses (I have a couple dozen at the moment) wear flat wounds, and most of those flats are "normal" 45-105 gauge. I don't generally like lighter gauges on short scale basses; they aren't quite stiff enough to suit me. The 760FX's on the Danos are a big exception... Of course, they may not always be exactly 45-105s (La Bella 760FLs are 43-104 - I use those on several basses), but, most of my strings are in that ballpark...

 

[iiipopes]

The first P-style bass I ever played in the summer of 1976 (it belonged to my school jazz band) had 45's. I generally liked the way the strings felt, so I've played 45's ever since, for 47+ years. I guess you play what you were either introduced to or get used to, or both. I have played different brands and models over the years, including Boomers, Progressives, Balanced Nickels, Super Steels, Pressurewounds (because the 44 being compressed has about the same tension as a 45), D'A XL's, La Bella 760FL (because the slightly lighter 43 flat has essentially the same mass and tension as a 45 round) and so forth, including Fender 9050CL before that particular set was discontinued. And I always thought traditional D strings felt too stiff, usually a 65, so I experimented with what we now call balanced gauges, D-60 & A-80 with the G-45, thirty years before it became a thing, and so I have gigged with D'A 170BT strings since their introduction.