Physicists develop bass string theory

[Joebone]

Well, I don't have time right now for videos or "The Paper," but I've experienced inharmonicity, and now I have a word for it! I recently purchased a high-end bass that came with GHS Super Steel Contact Cores - the pitch integrity on E through G strings was phenomenal - but the B string was from hunger. Did some web-crawling on taper-core strings, and decided to stick with full width. And totally getting how pitch drift can be a function of inharmonicity.

 

[Franzen]

Using a 13/32 inch long strip on my B string and a 11/32 inch long strip on my E string each time I change strings
View attachment 3793738

First post on talkbass.
Inspired by @iiipopes's diy approach, i did dig in and studied a few hours various papers i found about inharmonicity.
I wanted to know what weights at which positions work best to reduce inharmonicity.
I made a script/little program, and so far i came up with this at first approach:

The string with the mass at 2.6cm is the "lump" from the Kemp-paper. The 7g mass at 1cm is probably not feasible, but in theory would work best.

 

[taketwo]

First post on talkbass.
Inspired by @iiipopes's diy approach, i did dig in and studied a few hours various papers i found about inharmonicity.
I wanted to know what weights at which positions work best to reduce inharmonicity.
I made a script/little program, and so far i came up with this at first approach:

View attachment 5391371

The string with the mass at 2.6cm is the "lump" from the Kemp-paper. The 7g mass at 1cm is probably not feasible, but in theory would work best.

That looks very very interesting. Is that matplotlib? Could you share the script here, please? I'd like to try it configured for my particular strings, and to check the 2nd and 4th partial.

 

[smeet]

I've always hated the inharmonicity high up on thick bass strings.

I gave the paper a quick look. I got some lead tape and put a single 1/2" wrap near the bridge end of the B string. The result is not magical, but it is very definitely real and audible.

Without the lead tape, the string is slightly brighter, and plucking the 21st fret on the B string sounds a bit like hitting a gong.

With the lead tape, the 21st fret sounds like a single bass note, much improved. When I put a bit on the E string as well, I can actually play major 3rds up there and while they don't sound great, I can clearly hear the interval and they don't sound like dropping a bunch of pots in the kitchen (which is how it sounds without the tape).

The surprise is that the open string sound is changed as well. I mentioned that it's a little less bright. Some of that brightness comes from a slightly "blurry" sound which I hadn't really noticed and is not present on the other strings. The blurryness is gone with the tape. Interestingly, with very little attenuation of the highs, the string takes on some of the qualities of a flatwound string. Playing arpeggios up above the 15th fret has a nice vintagey quality.

I'm convinced that the theory is correct. I'm not sure if it will be audible in a band (probably not), but I have noticed for years that playing high notes on the B string usually sounds nasty, and this improves that problem. The one downside seems to be the slight dulling of the sound, but I think I can deal with that. Playing arpeggio exercises high on the neck sounds much nicer now.

I haven't figured out how to optimize the number of wraps, the width of the wrap or the distance from the bridge. If anyone else plays around with this, I'd like to hear your experiences.

EDIT:
I just noticed the previous post! I'd love to see a filled in matrix of mass/distance tests. Obviously moving the mass further from the bridge has a large effect. But I wonder if it's possible to measure the "brightness" of the note for each test. We want to align the overtones, but not attenuate them. How do we maximize alignment while minimizing attenuation?

 

[Ritter667]

Physicists develop bass string theory

Excerpt for those who don't have a sub (like me):

Bass guitarists of the future could sound even better than Paul McCartney, Lemmy or John “Ox” Entwistle, a new Scottish study suggests. And they won’t need to improve their dexterity — instead they’ll harness the qualities of new strings invented by a physicist.

Jonathan Kemp has developed the strings using new construction techniques, which will mean that bassists should be able to play higher notes in a more pleasing harmony, taking them into tonal zones they had previously failed to reach.

The bass guitar strings were created by a Scottish team who tweaked the production process.

Actually, if you listen to most of the isolated bass Beatles songs played on the Höfner it is an intonation hell, really toe cringingly, ear wrenchingly bad, which though of course probably have more to do with the Violin bass's inherent lack of a great way to actually intonate the individual strings, than because McCartney is using normal bass strings.

It sounds great in the context of the full band though.

 

[Gopherbassist]

Kempstrings.com

The paper: On inharmonicity in bass guitar strings with application to tapered and lumped constructions

Interesting, not sure how they will feel to play - I often pluck near the bridge for pop and funk.

Also pretty pricey - £85 for a 5 string set.

£65 for a set of four? That's more than $80! There's no material info that I could see, tonal options are nil at this point. I like the sounds from his tests, but I can't be an early adopter here.