How strong are bass strings

[BlueTalon]

How strong are bass strings? Strong enough. Probably.

Unless you're thinking of doing something stupid with them. In which case, probably not.

 

[Rabidhamster]

Usually you can break the instrument with the bass strings if you’re determined

 

[ole Jason]

OP's special interest in this is pretty wild, so many threads and postings about it over the years. I'd love to hear you talk more about why you find the subject so fascinating. I can't say that I've ever given it much thought.

 

[BlueTalon]

If I was really interested in testing bass strings to the breaking point, I'd use a method that didn't involve an instrument.

 

[GC34]

OP's special interest in this is pretty wild, so many threads and postings about it over the years. I'd love to hear you talk more about why you find the subject so fascinating. I can't say that I've ever given it much thought.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/my...on-stringed-intruments.1398087/#post-24430404 Here is why. I want to know how many notes away each string is from breaking.

 

[gln1955]

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/my...on-stringed-intruments.1398087/#post-24430404 Here is why. I want to know how many notes away each string is from breaking.

OK, but why?

 

[GC34]

OK, but why?

I want to know how many notes above standard I can get away with.

 

[sean_on_bass]

strings most frequently break at the bridge, which can be due to burrs or angles where the string sits. they can also be defective. it generally has nothing to do with brute force.

 

[GC34]

strings most frequently break at the bridge, which can be due to burrs or angles where the string sits. they can also be defective. it generally has nothing to do with brute force.

I find most strings break at the tuning post.

 

[Discount Bassy]

There is a point where raising the tension on a string is counterproductive (wear on bass contact points and mechanisms). If you E is going to be tuned higher than a fourth up, why not just use an A string and lighten all of the gauges accordingly across the bass?

 

[gln1955]

I want to know how many notes above standard I can get away with.

Help me understand why you need to increase the chances of breaking a string in the middle of a gig, put more stress on your neck and hardware and make your bass a bit harder to play?

There is a point where raising the tension on a string is counterproductive (wear on bass contact points and mechanisms). If you E is going to be tuned higher than a fourth up, why not just use an A string and lighten all of the gauges accordingly across the bass?

This.

 

[BlueTalon]

I want to know how many notes above standard I can get away with.

Again, why? Are you planning on up-tuning and playing that way? Or do you just want to know how much of a fudge factor you have in the event you accidentally tune high?

 

[WRM]

Surely someone has an Instron in their garage/shop?

https://www.instron.com/en/resources/glossary/tensile-strength

There's a Calibrated 50kN Instron in the lab at my old job, but they probably won't let me play with it anymore....

@fdeck We had "stand alone" load cells available, too - very handy. Each Rotor blade static balancing fixture we built incorporated three in the design. Avion

OP - fairly easy to design a measurable test, if you're so inclined. Could be as easy as hanging a bucket by the string - add sand/weight until it breaks, then weigh the bucket.

Good luck,

 

[GC34]

So far found one for guitar and violin. Still nothing for bass though this came up

 

[jamro217]

Factor in the controlled environment: temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. After doing that, consider the area of concentration of the stress. The nut and saddle are fulcrums. The tuning posts have edges and naturally cause the strings the bend around them. These are the points where the strings usually break. Now consider the strings on a molecular level. Are all strings consistent down to the unseen molecules? How consistent is metal ore? After processing, is there much in the way of testing for uniformity? Now consider alloys. You are combining two or more types of metal that have undergone the previous possible lack of scrutiny. This is even before the manufacturing process where errors can occur. Then you have the packaging, shipping, and whatever handling the retailer does to the product before you buy it. Now, after all that, consider it a miracle that strings last for even a few minutes after installation. Feel better?

Actually, some strings fare better than others. Many can and do last decades on an instrument. Hope this helps.

 

[andruca]

The closest thing to a miracle I've ever witnessed involves a guy I was imparting some beginner coaching to, some 20+ years ago. He came with a ~30" scale SG/EBO knockoff bass from the '70s/'80s (probably Japanese, don't remember the brand). It was strung with a light .030" set, tuned EADG, just IN THE SAME OCTAVE AS A GUITAR. Action was outrageously high, but the guy still had the muscle to get something resembling (primitive) (piccolo) bass lines out of it. Strings were holding on, bass held on eventually. Those .030" gauge strings were his "solution" once he found out regular .045" was "way too stiff" (sic, can't imagine how, with the .030s it felt beyond preposterous -and SCARY-), meaning, he had tried the same thing before, just way tougher on that poor axe (that neck is my hero). Those strings were useless once we tuned the bass to standard pitch, at such short scale, so he went back to .045". Amazingly it only required minimal truss rod adjustment once properly strung and tuned. Curiously nobody in his "band" had a clue about the tuning mishap. Punkest of kids

 

[jamro217]

^ Wow. Does OSHA know about this?

 

[Spectre Gunner]

The one and only time I broke a string was when I was in a bit of a hurry and not paying close enough attention to my tuning. I developed a habit of simply trusting my tuner pedal and thinking why bother with unmuting? I recall trying to bring the G sting up to pitch when all of sudden the G string snapped! I was shocked but immediately realized what I did wrong. I was just lookin at the tuner pedal on mute and not paying attention the sound of the string. I no longer do that.

I lost a nice set of strings that day but looking back on it, the lesson I learned taught me to not waste a set of new expensive strings. I now listen to the pitch as I tune and if anything I might actually improve my vocal pitch perception.

So snapped a string but in the end I learned a valuable lesson the hard way.

"When you learn it the hard way, the lesson is so much more reinforced.

 

[Rabidhamster]

I want to know how many notes above standard I can get away with.

In that case first you need to invent a bass that won’t be made unplayable or destroyed by the strings at their highest possible tension. There will be safety issues. You could shoot your eye out.
If you sign up for mechanical engineering classes you’ll eventually get to play with a machine that can test this for you, but again it won’t be a real world example til you build the instrument to support it.

 

[BAG]

So far got the 100 low E up to A and 80 A up to D. Stopped because the tuners were becoming hard to turn.

Again, like others I have to ask "why"?

I'd actually be a lot more concerned about damaging my bass by putting excessive strain on it. If the tuners were hard to turn you've possibly already done some minor damage.