My quest for improved B string performance

(Posted earlier under Hardware & Repair, think it fits better here).

Hi all, first off, apologies if it's already covered, I have searched, and found some of these tips, but not one post that gathered them all.

I just wanted to share the different things I've learned whilst trying to get my B string to sound as good as possible. Hopefully, it can save people in the same situation some time looking for a solution.

It had been bothering me alot that on three different, good-quality basses (one MIM Fender Jazz, one Sandberg TM5 and one Sandberg VS5), and using four different string sets (TI flats, Sadowsky flats, Chromes and Sandberg steel roundwounds), I could hear that the B string sounded "deader" and weaker than the other strings. This is what I found to be most helpful so far:


1. Truss rod - especially for new basses (?)

My Sandberg VS 5 bass came with a brochure that I didn't read fully at first. It said that from the factory, the truss rod wasn't "set" so you had to turn it before playing. I guess this impacted my poor B string response quite a lot, due to the neck not being as rigid as it could have been.

Is this common for new basses, anyone know?

2. As much as possible of the saddles being in contact with the bridge

On my Sandbergs, there are three small vertically placed screws on each saddle. These are used for adjusting the height of the saddle, and thus the action. On my Sandberg TM5, one of these screws weren't in contact with the bridge.

Could this impact the sound/resonance? I felt like it improved when I corrected it, maybe the string was more stable in its track, I don't know.

3. Setting a witness point, both at the nut/slope going into the tuner peg, and at the bridge

Pressing the B string down with your thumb, to ensure a "break" in the angle of the string where it passes the bridge saddle, and going into the tuning peg, helped a bit on intonation and overall B string feel. This was fairly easy to find out here on TB, but mentioning it still.

4. Tapered vs non-tapered B string - and corresponding setup consequences

I tested several string sets, and found that for my Sandberg VS5, the Sadowsky light flats worked best. It has a tapered B string at .125 as far as I remember. I then read about the things you need to do setup-wise if you use a tapered string, and moved the B string saddle closer to the neck, and it sounded pretty good!

I know others have equally good experience with non-tapered strings, so feel free to chime in on that.

5. Overall setup.

Little or no curve in the neck, as low action as your playing style allows, and correct distance to the pickups all helped as well. I used TB search for this, and amongst other found a thread with Roger Sadowsky's setup tips.

Feel free to comment, and add more things to the list us sorry five string bass players can try out for better B string performance!

 

Thanks guys. I have looked at Circle K, but I prefer flats, and they only make rounds, right?