lighter gauge strings deliver more fundamental

[LetItGrowTone]

Not necessary to understand such things if you don't want to.

 

[Jack Butler]

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..

Billy Gibbons(ZZ Top) uses 8's(sometimes 7's!) for guitar, often tuned down, and I've always thought his tone was one of the best around.

 

[telecopy]

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've got light/extra light strings on all the basses. I just prefer them. If not enough bass I EQ the amp.

 

[sonojono]

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

No you.

That's all I got from this lmao

 

[JoeWPgh]

I tend to agree, but it is also easy to overplay that out of them

 

[alaskaleftybass]

First 10 years I used medium gauged strings. Then in 1980 I switched to light gauge, particularly Ernie Ball Extra Slinky's or Hartke Attack Extra Lights. I've had various basses and played in a lot of bands. I've never had a thin sound or indistinct sounding tone. I have no scientific proof, just my ears tell me what I like hearing.

 

[Loring]

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.

Rick Beato did a video on the guitar string side - and the findings were opposite to your supposition. Also FYI Tony Iommi uses very light strings and has a pretty fat tone...


Best thing to do is buy a couple gauges - record them and play it back. You will be surprised.

 

[michael_t]

I switched to lighter gauges at the beginning of this year, not for "more fundamental" but simply for better playing comfort. And I don't feel I lost anything as a result in terms of overall tonal quality. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[knumbskull]

If we're saying scale length is unchanged: lighter, lower tension strings would produce more movement within the magnetic field of the pickups than stiffer/thicker strings of higher tension, which i guess might produce a tone with a stronger fundamental frequency?

Similarly if you keep the string gauge the same and vary the scale, shorter scale would result in less tension and more string movement.

Assuming that we have a consistent plucker

I have no particular knowledge in this area, just speculating...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.

My experience with an EB3 was fundamentally bad.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

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?

Doesn't more overtones make bass tone sound more fat and Bassy?

 

[Wasnex]

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

? Who's to say a fatter tone is not more harmonically complex? Lot's of people like playing higher on the neck. This shortens the scale, and on the fattest strings (E and B) can get into a zone where inharmonicity occurs...but some people like it and describe the sound as thicker. I generally like playing closer to the nut, especially on the E and B string.

 

[uwrossl]

For me when it comes to string gauge and tension stiffness I've found that lighter gauge and better flexibility work best for me in most scenarios. The most notable advantage is that they oscillate more freely and has been the best defense I've found against the dreaded dead notes on the G string around the 5th fret with bolt on necks and Fender style basses. Any loss of bottom end can easily be eq'd in but I don't find myself needing to boost the bass compared to when I was using medium and heavy gauge strings. That said I still like to roll out a good 50-110 set of flats because there's something special about they way they sound. Tone and taste is subjective and I wouldn't say one is better than the other. Just provide different sounds and have different functions and it's a matter of personal preference.

 

[Durham52]

Well this is the first time I've come across this debate in relation to bass strings, though it's a common one among guitar players on what you could call "legacy model" forums. (those dedicated to Stratocaster and Telecaster in particular)

The debate often runs, "You're not playin' the blues unless you're using 11's", followed by "light gauge strings are for wimps", or perhaps, "11's?, it's got to be 12's at least!".
The responses will be listing all the famous players using lights, Tony Iommi and of course Billy Gibbons, with a re quote of Billy's story about how he used heavy strings until he played with B B King, who used lights and told Billy, "Why are you working so hard", or words to that effect.

I took Mr. King's advice, plus I'm old now and reducing the work load might help me keep playing longer. 9's or 10's on guitar and La Bella low tension light flats on bass for me. They all sound good that way to my ears. But for everyone else, just use what you like.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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.



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.

Frankly, I've been bopping back and forth between .95s and 105s for the last 50 years. Can't tell the difference, and I doubt anybody else can tell either in an ensemble setting. With all of the gigs I've played, all the rehearsals, all of the practices, all of the recording sessions over that time frame did anybody object to the fundamentals or the lack of them? Heck No!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a good EQ will solve a lot of those issues. Well tuned cabs can too. JMO

 

[Relayer71]

This video where guitar strings were tested varying in range from lighter to heavier gauge results in the lightest (or possibly next to lightest, saw it a while ago) gauge having the best bass response.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

This video where guitar strings were tested varying in range from lighter to heavier gauge results in the lightest (or possibly next to lightest, saw it a while ago) gauge having the best bass response.

Is best bass response the response with the most fundamental content or the most harmonic content?

 

[rysker6]

Literally just posted about this! Today I tried lighter gauge strings on a 5 string I just bought, and they sound unreal. I tried a few different sets of my go to standard heavy gauges and they all sounded terrible on the bass. Did some research and talked to my local bass guy at his shop and he said to me "I've played bass almost 30 years, some basses just don't handle heavy gauge strings well. You can change the nut, the bridge, do every adjustment, but some basses just aren't designed for heavy gauge strings." So at least for this bass, Im a light gauge guy. Always learning something new.

 

[Relayer71]

Is best bass response the response with the most fundamental content or the most harmonic content?

It's the one with the most booty shakin'

 

[Cutter8]

Assuming that we have a consistent plucker

Alas, in my case, plucker consistency leaves much to be desired!