loud strings, unplugged

[Mickey Mao]

A lot of folks here talk about a guitar body being 'resonant,' which equates to high-amplitude response to the strings when unplugged, not into an amp.

I've noticed that even on the same body, different strings can have much difference in volume. Certainly flatwounds less then roundwounds, but even among roundwounds some are louder than others --when unplugged. I recently changed on a particular bass from Daddario XLs to Dean Markley Blue Steel---both nickel roundwounds---and it's quieter now.

Have you noticed this? Strings in the same category, nominally same guage, can be louder or quieter unplugged---and significantly so. Maybe 'resonance' is as much a string choice as it is a body attribute.

 

[96tbird]

Physics. All types of strings at pitch vibrate at the same frequency. Frequency is pitch: A =440hz, hz being hertz which is the frequency in cycles per second. All ‘A’ notes are 440hz in standard tuning regardless of type of string.

Amplitude is volume: the wider the path of the string swinging, the louder the sound. But the frequency (pitch) is unchanged. So, The more flexible the string (given that the plucking force is equal on all compared string samples), the wider the amplitude will be, the louder the result.

 

[GTHintz]

Some do seem to sound different acoustically. I find round core strings to sound nice acoustically especially DR fat beams

 

[Killing Floor]

“Resonance” doesn’t mean what bass players think it means. But yes, strings can absolutely affect output because the can affect the pickup differently.

 

[GIBrat51]

Well...
Out of all the basses I own, or have owned, the only ones that I've ever actually played, acoustically, are the hollow- and semi-hollow body ones. Of those, the only one with round wound strings is the '94 Gretsch Broadkaster, with TIJR324 Jazz Rounds. You would expect it to be the loudest one, given the rounds and the big G6119 "Tennessee Rose" guitar body - but... it isn't. Actually, it's probably the quietest one. Kinda weird... The loudest one I still have? Hard to tell, really; more or less a toss up between my old '90s MIK Rogue VB-100 violin bass (with Roto 88 tapes), and my '17 German-made Hofner 500/2 Club Bass (factory Hofner flats). All the others fall somewhere in between. I used to have a late '70's Matsumoku-made Epiphone EA-260 hollow-body bass; it was far and away the loudest one I ever played, unplugged. I could have annoyed the bejeezus out of my neighbors with it, if I had lived in an apartment. None of the ones I still have, really come close to that. "Loud enough to practice with, unplugged" is the best any of them can do. All of the others wear flats of various makes; which might make a difference - or, it might not. Still... between La Bella DTFs and GHS Precision Flats? The La Bellas do seem to be a smidge louder...