I'm beginning to understand 40-95 and 45-100 strings

[GretschWretch]

I use to put an unlit blow torch and an angled grinder on the desk when I am practicing and on boy I got some highly tense strings. They sounded trembly

So now I have aromatherapy scents and a mini Zen sandbox nearby and ask Alexa to play me some soft nature sounds before practicing. My strings are now relaxed,

The last thing you want is for your strings to be strung out.

 

[80jazz]

I thought, for many years, that it would be a trade-off. Lower gauges do not sound less powerful. To me.

About half of my basses are 35-90 and my tone is just fine.

40-100 is my idea of heavy.

 

[Swerve]

I will never understand the love of light gauge strings on here, but that’s okay. Heavy gauge just feels better and more substantial under my fingers. The tension can be a problem, but round core solves this for me.

50-110 DR Pure Blues ftw.

 

[DuluthDank]

Rick Beato did a comparison video with different gauge guitar strings, and came to the conclusion that they sound just as good or better, and are of course easier to play, so why not. I"ve been using light guitar and bass strings since then with no concern.

 

[80jazz]

I will never understand the love of light gauge strings on here

I am not sure I got it either until 2014 when I had a bass with a stripped truss rod nut (yes, this problem was eventually fixed with a replacement nut). I put 30-110 on that bass (5-string) and discovered it was only the .030 gauge I couldn't get along with. I moved up to 35-90 upon seeing Rotosound had that option and haven't even considered the usual 45's since. Another side benefit: no more finger pain after gigs (I still have to be careful with 40-100. I have some basses with that gauge that I just need to try 40-95 with).

I am not giving you grief for using 50s; my fingertips just couldn't take it at this point.

 

[logdrum]

The last thing you want is for your strings to be strung out.

Roger that. The glass plate and the razor are now out of sight.

 

[MovingPitchers]

I'm a heavy right hand player and always used 45-105s but for once I thought I'd try 45-100 NYXLs and see if that forces me to have a lighter touch.

I think it sort of worked but not by much.

 

[Swerve]

I am not giving you grief for using 50s; my fingertips just couldn't take it at this point.

Maybe it's my age or luck or both but I don't have any pain or fatigue. I use low action and generally play with a light touch. I can still bend strings and play slap without any fuss. Anytime I've tried light gauge strings they just seem to slip from underneath my fingers and mess up my playing.

I guess we are fortunate there are so many options out there to meet our preferences.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Lighter gauge strings have greater amplitude due to lower tension. If you halved the gauge of a string and go up an octave you double it's amplitude at the same tension. and conversely, if you double the gauge and go down an octave you, the tension remains the same, but the amplitude is halved. In other words, the excursion of the waves when a lighter gauge string is plucked is greater, and the string sounds boomier, not brighter. A taughter string at same pitch is inherently brighter due to less amplitude

 

[Rayjay]

Generally speaking:
-lighter strings and/or less tension = more fundamental
-heavier strings and/or more tension = more upper partials

 

[LowWay]

I’ve switched to 7s on my guitars. Gonna try lighter on my basses as well. After finding that Stanley is putting 30s on a shortscale bass, I’m thinking I should try that too.

 

[Lo-E]

For years I played 45-65-85-105. Then I started using a lighter A: 45-65-80-105 and I preferred both the feel and tone. Then the D dropped to 60 and I liked that even better. 45-60-80-105 or sets that come close to these gauges seem to be working well for me these days but it also depends upon the bass. I’ve got some instruments strung 40-100 or 40-95.

 

[Paul New]

Lighter gauge strings have greater amplitude due to lower tension. If you halved the gauge of a string and go up an octave you double it's amplitude at the same tension. and conversely, if you double the gauge and go down an octave you, the tension remains the same, but the amplitude is halved. In other words, the excursion of the waves when a lighter gauge string is plucked is greater, and the string sounds boomier, not brighter. A taughter string at same pitch is inherently brighter due to less amplitude

Low tension strings move through a wider arc than high tension strings when the same force is applied to each. But, we can apply more force to the higher tension set and get just as much amplitude. And, when we apply more force to the higher tension strings, the decay from maximum is quicker, giving the impression of astronger attack.

And that’s just skimming the surface of the different possibilities and variables.

I like higher tension flats, 1954s are my favorites, but have learned to adapt to TI flats. A lot of players think those are very loose and floppy, but I don’t think they are looser than most 45-105 roundwound sets. I play them with a medium action, not the lowest possible action, and I can get more punch when needed by muting a little and digging in a bit more.

Nothing wil ever sound as good to me as a broken in set of LaBella Originals, probably, but I can compensate.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Low tension strings move through a wider arc than high tension strings when the same force is applied to each. But, we can apply more force to the higher tension set and get just as much amplitude. And, when we apply more force to the higher tension strings, the decay from maximum is quicker, giving the impression of astronger attack.

And that’s just skimming the surface of the different possibilities and variables.

I like higher tension flats, 1954s are my favorites, but have learned to adapt to TI flats. A lot of players think those are very loose and floppy, but I don’t think they are looser than most 45-105 roundwound sets. I play them with a medium action, not the lowest possible action, and I can get more punch when needed by muting a little and digging in a bit more.

Nothing wil ever sound as good to me as a broken in set of LaBella Originals, probably, but I can compensate.

I should have added 'all things being equal' including the same plucking force variable and lighter strings at same octave. To name a few things.

 

[MrAB4003]

A thinner, less stiff string may help with giving more tone and less thud. A less stiff low string may sound more similar to higher strings that are less stiff in themselves. Tension balance is key, though, or the string may get too loose to vibrate properly.
This rationale can be confirmed by guitar strings: lighter strings sound brighter and more vocal while heavier strings sound fuller and more "chuggy". It may also explain why Rotosound makes their short-scale bass strings in very light gauges: a short scale needs less stiffness to reduce inharmonicity and dullness.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned lower alternate tunings yet. I tune to D Standard (a whole step down) for both bass and guitar. So I need heavier gauge strings to get the same sound and feel as I would get with lighter gauge strings in standard tuning.

For example, I have heavy gauge (55-110) D'Addario NYXLs on one of my Rickenbacker 4003s. But they work well because of how I tune my bass. I get lots of tone without sounding too thuddy even with heavy gauge strings. Here's a comparison of string tension with the light gauge (45-100) set in standard tuning:

34 inch scale length (e.g. FSO, Ibanez SoundGear, etc.):
Heavy Gauge (55-110) NYXL Tension in D Standard:
F2: 48.1 lb/ft
C2: 48.0 lb/ft
G1: 39.9 lb/ft
D1: 33.4 lb/ft
Total: 169.4 lb/ft

Light Gauge (45-100) NYXL Tension in Standard:
G2: 40.3 lb/ft
D2: 47.6 lb/ft
A1: 38.4 lb/ft
E1: 34.3 lb/ft
Total: 160.6 lb/ft


33.25 inch scale length (e.g. Rickenbacker 4003):
Heavy Gauge (55-110) NYXL Tension in D Standard:
F2: 46.0 lb/ft
C2: 45.9 lb/ft
G1: 38.1 lb/ft
D1: 31.9 lb/ft
Total: 161.9 lb/ft

Light Gauge (45-100) NYXL Tension in Standard:
G2: 38.5 lb/ft
D2: 45.5 lb/ft
A1: 36.8 lb/ft
E1: 32.8 lb/ft
Total: 153.6 lb/ft

All figures above acquired from the D'Addario Guitar String Tension Calculator. The difference in total tension and the tension for the lowest three strings is not that much for both 34 inch scale and 33.25 inch scale basses. The biggest difference is in the highest strings (F2 or G2).

This is the source of "floppy B strings on 5's" - it's not the bass that makes the string not have enough tension, it's the string. A 130 B has the same tension as a 95 E (about 35 pounds, which is pretty light tension) - that fact that string makers put 120's and 125's into string sets with 105 E's (they should be putting 140's in there) is why so many folks talk about "floppy B's".

This is one reason why I haven't acquired a 5+ string bass. I haven't found a low B that I like. It's even harder to find a string for a low A0 unless I go custom or get a single thick string from D'Addario or Kalium.

 

[micguy]

This is one reason why I haven't acquired a 5+ string bass. I haven't found a low B that I like. It's even harder to find a string for a low A0 unless I go custom or get a single thick string from D'Addario or Kalium.

A tapered B string really helps it sound more like the rest of the set. Other than that, if you use a B string from a brighter set (A stainless B with the rest Nickel plated steel), that also helps.

 

[Iristone]

It would be great if all 4 or 5 strings are tapered, too!

 

[ardgedee]

It would be great if all 4 or 5 strings are tapered, too!

Not really necessary on the higher strings unless you're dealing with inharmonicity or problems getting the string to thread properly through the string anchor or stay in the saddle. Which would be pretty unusual but I suppose it's not impossible.

I've never heard of a set with a tapered D or G... FretNation has a blog post about tapered strings.

The other way to fix problems with tone and inharmonicity on large-diameter strings is, instead of removing mass near the bridge, you add some...

Kemp Strings sells these, although you can experiment with lead tape or similar.

 

[Iristone]

Not really necessary on the higher strings unless you're dealing with inharmonicity or problems getting the string to thread properly through the string anchor or stay in the saddle. Which would be pretty unusual but I suppose it's not impossible.

I've never heard of a set with a tapered D or G... FretNation has a blog post about tapered strings.
View attachment 7435998

The other way to fix problems with tone and inharmonicity on large-diameter strings is, instead of removing mass near the bridge, you add some...
View attachment 7436000
Kemp Strings sells these, although you can experiment with lead tape or similar.

The E and sometimes A strings also often benefit from the taper for clarity and intonation. And thank you for the lead tape method! I'll try it on my low B and E strings that I'd like to fine tune a bit. I may try tin, though, since I often play with palm muting and I'm afraid of lead poisoning.

 

[Ritter667]

Indeed lower gauge strings makes for clearer less thuddy tone.

Just adjust your technique accordingly to the lower tension, and fret and pick lighter.

Gauge .090 to .030 here.

Plenty of punch too, it's just a matter of using the right plucking technique.

In fact you can sound much more aggressive with thinner gauge strings.