lighter gauge strings deliver more fundamental

[jellymax]

some may think that upping your string size will make
your sound more fat and bassy. well, it may be more
magnetic action for the pickup, but the tension will be higher
meaning more overtones, less fundamental.
how do i know this?

 

[JKos]

how do i know this?

You have spectrum analyzer data to show us?

 

[jellymax]

You have spectrum analyzer data to show us?

do you?

 

[thabassmon]

some may think that upping your string size will make
your sound more fat and bassy. well, it may be more
magnetic action for the pickup, but the tension will be higher
meaning more overtones, less fundamental.
how do i know this?

How do you know this?

I use light gauge strings (0.100,0.075,0.055,0.042,0.032,0.020P) and I find that I can get a nice full sound out of them and I also find that you can, through hand position, technique and dynamics manipulate the tone quite a lot.

 

[JKos]

do you?

I'm not doubting you. You did ask, "How do I know this?" So, my guess is that you used spectral analysis.

 

[jellymax]

well i played chapman stick for a time. and i play upright
bass. string gauges and scale length are a thing

 

[minimalist freedom]

I went to lighter Daddario chromes and I noticed, could hear a better fundamental on the E string.
Someone else? here also said the same thing about chromes.

 

[jellymax]

them guys what want a fatter sound, might want to think twice about
larger strings. i suggest a lighter touch (which delivers a quicker note)
and light gauge strings. just saying...
i am not your fairy godmother, i am
just trying to help you

 

[gigetto]

Lighter gauge have less tension for that reason I use not too difference from normal strings in sound.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

A more flexible string is more likely to have a clearer and more stable fundamental.

Evidence:
The thread at the following link has an unserious title,
and the article in the Times that it cites in the first post isn't helpful,
but the *Jonathan Kemp research paper* that the article talks about - which includes references to 31 other scholarly articles on the same subject, mostly about piano strings - is very interesting. Please take note of post #8 in which @iiipopes said he verified the effect himself:

Physicists develop bass string theory

Here is a link to the research paper itself:
On inharmonicity in bass guitar strings with application to tapered and lumped constructions

I don't think Talkbass has noticed this material yet. I know I passed over it the first time I saw it only because the thread title looked like a joke. That article in the Times is silly too.

I believe that my understanding of thump and burp also improved after studying this subject.

The research paper appears to be legit but it isn't easy reading.

Here's another link here on the subject:
New revolutionary strings?

 

[iiipopes]

A more flexible string is more likely to have a clearer and more stable fundamental.

Evidence:
The thread at the following link has an unserious title,
and the article in the Times that it cites in the first post isn't helpful,
but the *Jonathan Kemp research paper* that the article talks about - which includes references to 31 other scholarly articles on the same subject, mostly about piano strings - is very interesting. Please take note of post #8 in which @iiipopes said he verified the effect himself:

Physicists develop bass string theory

Here is a link to the research paper itself:
On inharmonicity in bass guitar strings with application to tapered and lumped constructions

I don't think Talkbass has noticed this material yet. I know I passed over it the first time I saw it only because the thread title looked like a joke. That article in the Times is silly too.

I believe that my understanding of thump and burp also improved after studying this subject.

The research paper appears to be legit but it isn't easy reading.

Here's another link here on the subject:
New revolutionary strings?

Thanks for mentioning me. I must add that since any addition to a string increases mass and can damp vibrations, that in addition to the inharmonicity being reduced, the overall tone of the string was a little less bright. This may not be the case with Dr. Kemp's strings, since he is using additional windings of the same wire as the general wrap, not a little strip of lead tape.

Some may think that upping your string size will make
your sound more fat and bassy. Well, it may be more
magnetic action for the pickup, but the tension will be higher
meaning more overtones, less fundamental.
How do i know this?

I would refer the OP and everybody else interested to a 19th century text, "On the Sensation of Tone" by Hemholz. A more flexible string will vibrate with more overtones, if not more volume generally. These additional overtones help reinforce the fundamental. For example, that is one reason a double bass can fill a room with tone. The way bowing articulates overtones makes the fundamental more definite than does a pizz, which may be just as loud, but doesn't necessarily produce the same extent of overtones as arco.

And to correct a misstatement: tension is a function of mass of a string, not diameter, core, or wrap by itself. So a string with more mass will have more tension at the same given pitch and scale length, but not necessarily more or less fundamental, and not necessarily less overtones, depending on how the string is made: type of core wire (hex or round), type of wrap wire, ratio of core-to-wrap, etc.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

in addition to the inharmonicity being reduced, the overall tone of the string was a little less bright

That's ok with me so I might try it. Thanks.

Understanding it better has helped me even if I don't do anything more about it.
I already migrated to much more flexible strings, following my ears, but it's nice to understand it better.

 

[bbh]

From my own experience; a fatter string is usually going to produce a fatter sounding note just like a guitar. I think this has more to do with the lack of tone a fatter string provides. By lack of tone I’m trying to say the fatter or murkier tone is predominant .
Hope that makes sense. Having a problem finding the right wording to convey my thoughts. Thanks chemo.

 

[Johnny StingRay]

Owwwwww! My brain is exploding! I slap Chromes on my EBMM StingRay 5 and just play! All of this technical stuff is sometimes too much to comprehend!!! Pretty soon someone will try to analyze the individual atoms in each and every manufactured string paired with each and every bass ever built to compare the most minuscule sound differences for each and every note played!!! Ahhhhhhhhh! It hurts!
As I used to tell my praise group’s band leader.......”Shut up and play!”

 

[BarfanyShart]

It's true that how a magnetic pickup responds to the vibration of a string is different than how you would expect that string to sound acoustically. I had a teacher who theorized that for best tone on electric you wanted the lightest possible string with the highest possible action - and things like wood make almost no difference at all. I don't think I ever totally agreed with that, but it makes some sense that since 90% of your signal is the magnet picking up the movement of the string, you would want the string moving as much physical distance as possible. I tend to like thicker strings and lowest possible action on the low strings, and lighter gauge higher action on the top, that usually sounds the most balanced to me with magnetic pups, but every instrument is different. Piezos, on the other hand seem to really like thicker strings, IME, YMMV.

 

[newwavefrank]

This was done for guitar but probably the same principle. I found it very interesting, as I had always used heavier strings on bass and guitar..

 

[foolforthecity]

I'm not doubting you. You did ask, "How do I know this?" So, my guess is that you used spectral analysis.

My guess is that he stayed in a Holiday Inn

 

[aprod]

them guys what want a fatter sound, might want to think twice about
larger strings. i suggest a lighter touch (which delivers a quicker note)
and light gauge strings. just saying...
i am not your fairy godmother, i am
just trying to help you

You are sharing your opinion. Whether you are helping or not is debatable.

 

[Element Zero]

Whatever floats your boat. I personally prefer thicker gauge strings because of the feel. I’ve never know in the real world a single bass player who cares so much about the fundamental. But here on this site? Too many... in my opinion.

 

[jamro217]

We all know that short scale basses have a stronger fundamental tone than their longer scale rivals do, so why is it impossible to suggest limper strings wouldn't render results in some similar fashion? I use light gauge strings on all of my instruments and have noticed (especially on guitars, not basses) compared to heavier gauges: 1.) the flexibility does not cause them to go out of tune more, 2.) the tonal range is equal and 3.) they last just as long without going dead or breaking. Lower tension can have an effect, but how you dial in your EQ is paramount to achieving your desired tone. Learn how to use your gear.