That one is outside my area of expertise. Maybe try using a stapler?
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Looking for light gauge 6-string sets
- Thread starter Just Wrong
- Start date
I haven’t had a chance to play with the tension calculator, and I will, but that’s what’s keeping me from making my own set. There are so many variables I am unaware of (tension balance vs output balance vs feel, etc.) I assume the string companies have made the experiences and sell what they believe makes most sense. I guess I could always contact them.
I'm a former "balanced tension enthusiast" who used to live and die by the tension figures. What I've learned over the years, though, is "balanced tension" doesn't necessarily guarantee "balanced tone", and conversely, a set of strings don't necessarily have to be balanced in tension to be balanced in tone or in playing feel. That's why I try not to be too hung up on the numbers these days.
They have to consider what will sell well enough to justify manufacturing and packaging at scale, so while I presume most manufacturers have the knowledge to put together a good light gauge 6-string set, they don’t have the incentive to do so. As you suggest, I bet at least some of the manufacturers known to have good customer service would happily help you put together a good set for your purposes from their singles, but it would likely cost a little to a lot more than a comparable packaged set.
In my experience—most notably putting together a set of strings for B0–B2 on this 30”–28.5” 6-string bass
—it has been worth it. For the record, I used short scale GHS Bass Boomers for the .120 and .095, and Guitar Boomers for the .074, .054, .042, and .030.You might want to try something like this:
… though if Stringjoy still does custom bass sets, they’ve recently made them impossible for me to find on their website
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One other part of this worth addressing: the string diameter doesn’t tell the whole story. You could try a fairly standard .130 B-string from every manufacturer on the same bass (@michael_t probably has
) and find they feel and behave quite differently due to construction materials and techniques.
I use the Ken Smith taper core light set on my Eshenbaugh. I've been pretty happy with them. I used the SR2000 set for years until they became hard to find. I have Galli strings on my Manne bass (not sure which set) and really like those too.
They have to consider what will sell well enough to justify manufacturing and packaging at scale, so while I presume most manufacturers have the knowledge to put together a good light gauge 6-string set, they don’t have the incentive to do so. As you suggest, I bet at least some of the manufacturers known to have good customer service would happily help you put together a good set for your purposes from their singles, but it would likely cost a little to a lot more than a comparable packaged set.
In my experience—most notably putting together a set of strings for B0–B2 on this 30”–28.5” 6-string bass
View attachment 7147971
You might want to try something like this:
View attachment 7147973
… though if Stringjoy still does custom bass sets, they’ve recently made them impossible for me to find on their website
The custom section on the Stringjoy Website doesn't include bass Stringjoy Custom Guitar Strings | The Original Custom String Sets
Just e-mail them. They should be able to hook you up.The custom section on the Stringjoy Website doesn't include bass Stringjoy Custom Guitar Strings | The Original Custom String Sets
WHY ON EARTH would they take that off the website?! That was literally what brought them to my attention. Yes, I’m sure it’s a money thing, but taking away the very thing that got people’s attention and set Stringjoy apart seems like a bad move long term. They had already reduced their custom offerings, dropping a lot of those “in-between” gauges that would be perfect for @Just Wrong ’s situation.
Amazon usually has the SIT Foundations light six string (30 40 60 80 100 120) set for about 20 bucks. They are pretty nice and have consistent quality.
Most of the other SIT offerings can be had in a similar guage as mentioned above.
Curt Mangan also makes some lighter six string sets.
Thomastic six string offerings are usually lighter guage.
There's nothing wrong with the LaBellas, though. The old Slappers set in the 30 40 60 75 95 118 guages was awesome.
Most of the other SIT offerings can be had in a similar guage as mentioned above.
Curt Mangan also makes some lighter six string sets.
Thomastic six string offerings are usually lighter guage.
There's nothing wrong with the LaBellas, though. The old Slappers set in the 30 40 60 75 95 118 guages was awesome.
The OP is in Canada (I think...). The same set is listed for $35.50 CAD on amazon.ca.
SIT Strings Foundations Nickel Bass Guitar Strings (S.I.T.), 6-String Bass Custom Light 30-120, FN630120L : Amazon.ca: Musical Instruments, Stage & Studio
SIT Strings Foundations Nickel Bass Guitar Strings (S.I.T.), 6-String Bass Custom Light 30-120, FN630120L : Amazon.ca: Musical Instruments, Stage & Studio
www.amazon.ca
So I restrung my bass this morning with my last set of La Bella RX-N6A, and they’re much brighter than I would like. I guess my previous set was quite old (they’d been on for about 6 months).
Are nickel strings warmer sounding than nickel plated strings? I was going to try the SIT Power Wounds a try, but now I’m wondering if I should be looking elsewhere…
Are nickel strings warmer sounding than nickel plated strings? I was going to try the SIT Power Wounds a try, but now I’m wondering if I should be looking elsewhere…
I definitely find nickel strings to be warmer sounding, easier on my hands too for some reason. there’s something I don’t like in the midrange of every stainless steel string I’ve tried lately, I put them on and then a few days later end up taking them off again.
www.prospecstrings.ca are in Canada and they carry a good selection of strings that you might not find on Amazon or at Long & McQuade, and when I’ve ordered up from stringsandbeyond.com they usually arrive with about a week/week and a half and I’ve never had to pay any taxes or duties on them. I just checked and they’re running a 10% sale right now with a coupon.
Keep in mind most "nickel strings" are nickel-plated steel. And there are different degrees of brightness within the "nickel-plated steel rounds". I would rate the SIT Power Wound Nickel to be somewhere in the middle of the brightness scale for "nickel strings". Not overly zingy but not quite as dark and grindy as, lets say, GHS Boomers. They're plenty warm when broken in without losing clarity and definition.
Pure nickel rounds tend to be warmer but there aren't very many of them around.
There seems to be quite a few six-string sets with 45 G, 65 D, 80 A and 100 E (as opposed to 40 G and 60 D). Maybe they're onto something, and I should look into that...
Naturally, tastes differ, but that kind of set, for me, seems like it's going in precisely the wrong direction. The maker may not be "on to something" so much as having a case of inertia from what they're used to making. Besides, there are plenty of sets that don't go that way, like the Smith set above, and they might be "on to something" too. Smith was actually the first set I ever played that used "in-between" gauges (ie, not ending on 5 or 0), and they immediately felt better to me than the "usual suspects."
We're accustomed to spreads of .020 or occasionally .015 between bass strings, but there's no special magic to that, and it may not always be the best formula for consistency of tone and feel, depending on the bass and the player. Someone, I forget who, suggested here that a better formula tension-wise would be to start with your highest string and add roughly 1/3 to that for the next lower string, then repeat the process as you go down. The size spacings between strings would get bigger this way, and the exact values might not be available from the maker, but you'd get more even tension. For example, the set I get from Kalium goes .031, .041, .057, .076, .102, .136. At Stringjoy, since they only have strings ending in 5 or 0, probably the closest you could get to this formula would be something like .030, .040, .055, .075, .100, .130.
Of course, there are some variations between strings (eg, from core type and size), and not every maker's nickel-plated hex-core .040 will have exactly the same tension. But it's maybe something to think about.
That's just as regards tension. But somebody did mention having a radiused fingerboard and bridge saddle setup over a flat-topped pickup. If the middle strings are always farther from the pickup than the outer ones, and the pickup doesn't compensate for this, that might conceivably affect your string choices too.
YMMV, as always.
