I have a 30" Squier VI modified bass. I want to play mostly blues (eclectic, though), with a lot of improvisation. I am a solo performer singing alto. My guitar "talks" to me in my performance. I have a strong music background but guitar is new for me so I am pretty clueless. I want to experiment with some alternative tunings and have no clue what strings to buy. I want nylon-wound strings. I am interested in BEADGC and minor and major thirds tuning. A lot of my stuff is in minor keys. If I purchase two sets of strings, what should I get? Thanks, Forest
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Nylon Tapewound Alternative Tuning Squier VI
- Thread starter ForestViridiana
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Meaning, in between songs, my guitar and I "talk" to each other. I say something, she responds in a conversational (for a guitar) manner. So, lots of improv. I am clueless in that I play several wind instruments, a little piano, I sing, but I have very limited experience with guitar. I have been researching online about what strings to buy, what tunings I want, but I figured it's time now to consult the experts.
I’m really trying to understand your question but I’m having some trouble. Do you know how to play the guitar or bass? You’re performing while playing the guitar? Doing some sort of call and response between the guitar and your vocals? But you don’t know how to play? If you don’t know how to play yet then alternative tunings and strings probably aren’t important right now
My question is what strings do I buy (I want to buy two sets) to restring my new Squier VI 30" modified bass to 1) BEADGC and 2) either major third or minor third alternative tuning with nylon wound strings. I don't know how to buy what I want. Background is - I have an extensive music background and used to be a professional musician. I am getting back into it now that I am retired. I want to perform at coffee shops, etc. I have been putting together an act that I think (hope) will be pretty good. Mostly original blues in minor keys, but eclectic. Some ballads, classic rock, etc. I am becoming dissatisfied with the strings as I am learning/playing around with my guitar. I want nylon-wound and a tuning that will be synergistic with lots of improv, low amounts of memorizing chords, and lots of plucked "conversations" with my guitar in between songs. I need to know what strings to order and I am open to a conversation as to thed merits / drawbacks of the alternative tunings I have selected given my performance style. I live off of disability and don't have money to buy a whole bunch of strings to experiment with.
Nylon tapewound strings are very limited for the VI kind instruments. AFAIK, only La Bella who's making them. I don't recall any other brand. And the gauges were made specific for E1-A1-D2-G2-B2-E3 tuning.
I haven't used nylon tapewounds on my VI kind of instrument, but I'm certain that they would have very low tension even in their standard tuning. I could imagine they would be very floppy when tuned B0-E1-A1-D2-G2-C3.
So, I'm not seeing any other way for you to have alternate tunings with nylon tapewounds on your VI. Best that you use round wound for this kind of purpose. Even with round wounds, it wouldn't be as easy as purchasing off the shelf to get alternate gauge strings with the correct 25.5" winding length and small guitar ball ends for your VI.
I haven't used nylon tapewounds on my VI kind of instrument, but I'm certain that they would have very low tension even in their standard tuning. I could imagine they would be very floppy when tuned B0-E1-A1-D2-G2-C3.
So, I'm not seeing any other way for you to have alternate tunings with nylon tapewounds on your VI. Best that you use round wound for this kind of purpose. Even with round wounds, it wouldn't be as easy as purchasing off the shelf to get alternate gauge strings with the correct 25.5" winding length and small guitar ball ends for your VI.
Try this guitar nylon tapewound 7-string set by La Bella (discarding the topmost string of course):
"Bass VI" strings
La Bella 800-7 Jazz Tapes Black Nylon Tape and Stainless Steel Round Wound 7 String Electric Guitar Strings 14-79
Using it on your Squier Bass VI (I believe it would be long enough to clear the nut, based on my experience with a similar set by Galli on my own non-Fenderish, thru-body-strung bass VI -type instrument, but I cannot guarantee the highest three strings would reach their respective tuners, I'm afraid) you'd have:
- a plain top string (unavoidable - only Thomastik-Infeld makes a suitably thin tapewound treble string you could theoretically tune to high B on your VI: it's a high E from an odd, super-flexible metal-wound set for classical guitar, but it's not long enough for a 30" scale instrument - guess how I know...) and
- a non-tapewound low B, which La Bella in their wisdom decided would be a good match with the rest of the set. In case you end up not agreeing with them, you could replace it with a single D'Addario bass tapewound .085
"Bass VI" strings
(You may have to thread it into a ~1.5"-long piece of thin tubing so that the ball-end sits away from the string anchor at the vibrato plate and, more importantly, the string tapers before the tuning post at the other end.)
It's either this, or getting the upthread-mentioned La Bella specific set for the Bass VI
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discarding the low E and adding a single guitar plain high B. Assuming regular guitar strings are long enough, that is.
Final option, get more D'Addario bass tape singles, beside the .085 (i.e. the .065, .05 and the .035), from the link above, and add two single strings, again hoping they're long enough. (Something like .016~018 plain or .017~02 wound - "regularwound", that is, not nylon - for the F#, and .012~014 for the high B.)
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As regards major-third tuning, I'd use the same set and choose which exact tuning (I mean, from where to where) so that either of the two middle strings of the set maintains its pitch, and the top and bottom ones get detuned but not excessively so.
As for tuning in minor thirds, I'd get
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La Bella Black Nylon Tape Wound Electric Guitar Strings
and mix and match gauges [with those in the 7-string set; or alternatives thereto, as detailed above, hoping tone across strings doesn't prove too patchy] until you get similar perceived tautness for all strings.
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If the weird string length requirements of the instrument (over 34.25" but less than 35.75" for the lowest, as long as 40.5"+ for the highest) get maddening, consider swapping the vibrato plate with a hardtail one, with anchoring holes set a little forward:
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If you go for it, a D'Addario medium scale .085 (and of course no short tubing tricks)
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would be a better fit for the lowest string.
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Once you get it all figured out about the strings, I would love to see a demo of this musical dialogue between you and your guitar. Sounds very intriguing...
Thanks! It just kinda happened. I tried to play some Barbra Streisand, "Memories, light the corners of my mind...." Like I said, I'm eclectic. Well, White Buffalo, she just didn't want to play along. She wanted to play cool guitar licks. So I'm like, "No, no, no, White Buffalo. That's not Barbra Streisand, that's the B52's, Love Shack!." And it evolved from there. Like saying a few sentences between us about the state of the world and how it's got a lot of people unhappy before we begin one of my original numbers, "Baby I got the Blues". A friend suggested I needed Barbra Streisand strings, lol, but he didn't know of any.
Lol, yea, I hear White Buffalo talking all the time. "Barbra Streisand, are you kidding me?"
I'm a little confused. In your first post you said you're new to guitar and you're clueless. But you perform with it?
No, Gorn. That video isn't me. I have an extensive music background. I perform, but definitely NOT on guitar. I'll post me when I get up to speed and get my new strings. I need to be able to accompany myself. No one wants to accompany me with the original music I do, although people tell me all the time they love my music. People stop me even when I'm just walking down the street singing. But the guitar players I encounter just want to play covers. I'm not so much of a cover-girl. I play lots of instruments so my learning curve is shorter than other people's learning curve would be, but it's still a HUGE learning curve. I am putting together my song list and constructing my solo performance as I learn.
But..
???
If you don't wanna address that or explain what you mean, that's fine. You got the answer you wanted about strings. But what you say about your guitar playing doesn't make sense and I'd like to understand.
I said, " My guitar "talks" to me in my performance"
Ah! I understand the confusion now. My bad for not 'speaking' clearly. When I said 'performance' I meant the show I am currently putting together which has never been 'performed' for anybody but myself.
