Getting my old bass out of the basement and the strings are ancient. I think they are Elixir medium gauge but see Elixir is now offering a "light gauge" and a "light/medium gauge." They appear to be the same except for the B is either .130 or .135 depending on the set. Any recommendations what to re-string with?
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The choice is completely personal. Heavier gauge generally has more tension, lighter gauge less tension.
You may want to check / measure the required string winding length of your Lakland first.
Your 55-01 is 35"er with thru body and thru bridge stringing, right? Can it use 36.5" winding length strings?
IIRC, Elixir .135 is available only in Long Scale (36.5" winding length), so it's not long enough for stringing thru body on a 35"er. But in case of stringing thru bridge, it may or may not be enough.
Just the sake of comparison, my 35" Ibanez needs minimum of 37" winding length, despite there isn't thru body stringing option. So, I opted for the Extra Long Scale when choosing the Elixir and its low B is available only in .130 taper wound.
Yes that is correct. I'm not sure what winding length it needs. Currently the Elixirs on there are strung through the bridge and not through the body. The B on there looks to be tapered. I didn't put the current set on so I'm not sure as to the exact specs. The previous owner said they were "medium" Elixirs and thought the B was a .130. I'm not seeing on Elixir's site where it says if the B is tapered or not.
IIRC, Elixir has only one low B taper string, the .130T Extra Long Scale. So, possibly your bass cannot Elixir .135 which isn't available in Extra Long Scale.
To be sure, you'll need to measure the required string winding length of your bass. There's a sticky thread in TB Strings forum showing how to do it.
To be sure, you'll need to measure the required string winding length of your bass. There's a sticky thread in TB Strings forum showing how to do it.
