need advice on new string set (changing gauges)

[arakiri]

hey evyerone! if u read my other posts youll know im gettin back to bass playin recently and its been such a blessing. tho, in the past year i started dealin w a chronic illness (fybromyalgia) so thats changed my views on a lot of stuff specially dealin w pain constantly. because of this ive changed my style of playin a lot, dialed down my action rly low and playin with much lighter touch than i used to, and enjoyin a bit of clacking that i used to avoid (also bc before i just played unplugged because of having no amp)

now comes the strings: my strings are not only old but also i feel, way thicker than i need. i used to tune down to drop C and C standard as well and the set i have on now is a mix match i did thru the years w custom gauges for those tunings. currently 115 90 65 45. now i tuned up to drop D for the new band im playing, and been thinkin of using a lighter gauge. but just got my setup exactly as i want,, action low and soft, and im afraid lower tension strings will mess wth that. but also i want to minimize effort on my hands since i get pain easily and i think softer/looser strings might help w that,, apart from tecchnique and setup wich i have already modified.

of course id need to adjust my setup for the new tension thats a given,, im just afraid that im not gonna be able to get it as low and cclean as i have now and i wanted to hear some opinions before i order the set, since strings arent cheap and i cant afford to mess up. currently thinkin of doing 110 75 60 40. also been thinkin of doin flats on the 60 40 just to try out something different, but keepin the rounds on the 100 and 75 bcause i like to do pick scraping too.

thanks 4 reading! i appreciate your advicce

 

[GTHintz]

hey evyerone! if u read my other posts youll know im gettin back to bass playin recently and its been such a blessing. tho, in the past year i started dealin w a chronic illness (fybromyalgia) so thats changed my views on a lot of stuff specially dealin w pain constantly. because of this ive changed my style of playin a lot, dialed down my action rly low and playin with much lighter touch than i used to, and enjoyin a bit of clacking that i used to avoid (also bc before i just played unplugged because of having no amp)

now comes the strings: my strings are not only old but also i feel, way thicker than i need. i used to tune down to drop C and C standard as well and the set i have on now is a mix match i did thru the years w custom gauges for those tunings. currently 115 90 65 45. now i tuned up to drop D for the new band im playing, and been thinkin of using a lighter gauge. but just got my setup exactly as i want,, action low and soft, and im afraid lower tension strings will mess wth that. but also i want to minimize effort on my hands since i get pain easily and i think softer/looser strings might help w that,, apart from tecchnique and setup wich i have already modified.

of course id need to adjust my setup for the new tension thats a given,, im just afraid that im not gonna be able to get it as low and cclean as i have now and i wanted to hear some opinions before i order the set, since strings arent cheap and i cant afford to mess up. currently thinkin of doing 110 75 60 40. also been thinkin of doin flats on the 60 40 just to try out something different, but keepin the rounds on the 100 and 75 bcause i like to do pick scraping too.

thanks 4 reading! i appreciate your advicce

Just remember if you go lower on tension at your low tuning you'll end up having to raise the action and adjust your neck to compensate. If the budget is tight then don't bother mixing flats and rounds because if you don't like the tension difference you'll essentially be wasting your money and flats are expensive. I'd probably try a complete set of flats but only the ltf flats or diaddario chromes because they are the most flexible flats you'll find. I have a set of Dunlop stainless steel rounds that are close to the gauges you like. I wouldn't mind giving you a great deal on them. I don't play 4 strings anymore and I would like to see them go to a good home. They are custom gauge for drop tuning and you'll probably be happy on them.

 

[arakiri]

Just remember if you go lower on tension at your low tuning you'll end up having to raise the action and adjust your neck to compensate. If the budget is tight then don't bother mixing flats and rounds because if you don't like the tension difference you'll essentially be wasting your money and flats are expensive. I'd probably try a complete set of flats but only the ltf flats or diaddario chromes because they are the most flexible flats you'll find. I have a set of Dunlop stainless steel rounds that are close to the gauges you like. I wouldn't mind giving you a great deal on them. I don't play 4 strings anymore and I would like to see them go to a good home. They are custom gauge for drop tuning and you'll probably be happy on them.

hey man thats v kind of you! sadly i live in argentina and the shipping rate would probably be too much to be worth it for both of us... hear you on the flats thing.. they are more expensive. im lucky to have a local manufacturer that will take custom orders personally tho and doesnt charge much extra for them but im still thinkin about it

about the action.. yea thats what im afraid of, that the raise in action will be too much so even tho strings will be softer ill have to press down more if that makes sense? im tryin to do more tappin as well wich i feel the low action helps with too

 

[GTHintz]

hey man thats v kind of you! sadly i live in argentina and the shipping rate would probably be too much to be worth it for both of us... hear you on the flats thing.. they are more expensive. im lucky to have a local manufacturer that will take custom orders personally tho and doesnt charge much extra for them but im still thinkin about it

about the action.. yea thats what im afraid of, that the raise in action will be too much so even tho strings will be softer ill have to press down more if that makes sense? im tryin to do more tappin as well wich i feel the low action helps with too

If you're trying to tap then don't go too high on the action because it'll make you work harder. I'd probably start with some fresh strings and work it from there. You might not have to change very much. Since you're in Argentina I bet you can get Magma strings easily being a company from that country. I tried them and they are nice. I'd also recommend steel strings over nickel because they last longer. Some guys will tell you that they are stiffer but there's so many options now that it's just not true anymore. There's nickel that's stiffer and higher tension than steels now. But I'll be happy to see how much to ship from the US. These are just sitting around and won't be used. Pm me your postage details and I'll see what it costs. If it's under 30$ to ship it's fine. Lol

 

[arakiri]

If you're trying to tap then don't go too high on the action because it'll make you work harder. I'd probably start with some fresh strings and work it from there. You might not have to change very much. Since you're in Argentina I bet you can get Magma strings easily being a company from that country. I tried them and they are nice. I'd also recommend steel strings over nickel because they last longer. Some guys will tell you that they are stiffer but there's so many options now that it's just not true anymore. There's nickel that's stiffer and higher tension than steels now. But I'll be happy to see how much to ship from the US. These are just sitting around and won't be used. Pm me your postage details and I'll see what it costs. If it's under 30$ to ship it's fine. Lol

ok will do! yea magmas are cool, personally im using lemmasound (the manufacturer i mentioned) they are steel

 

[GTHintz]

ok will do! yea magmas are cool, personally im using lemmasound (the manufacturer i mentioned) they are steel

I'm going to check those out too. I wonder if they ship to the US. I like exotic strings. I've tried some from places like England, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Argentina obviously. Russia too.

 

[arakiri]

yea they might! i think they are a small family company