questions and confusion about bass string gauge

[tyadams2006]

I am currently looking for a good set of bass strings that I like since my Jerry Only "Skullbusters" strings are not really available anymore and every place I try to find them online are not available. In my research on strings that famous bass players use like Jerry Only, Robert Trujillo, Flea, Jason Newsted, Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Sheehan, Les Claypool, Nikki Sixx, Dave Ellefson, Gene Simmons, ect., I have found that most of the players use Dean Markley, which coincidentally was the company that made the "Skullbusters" strings. I have noticed that the gauge most used is the Medium Light .045 .065 .080 .105. There are a couple players Like Lemmy and Nikki Sixx who go with the MED .050 .070 .085 .105 and XM .050 .070 .090 .110 respectively.

Now I am curious as to what is the difference between the .045-.105 gauge and the .50-.105 gauge? What would be the sound or difference of the light or extra light gauges compared to the medium light or even the MED or XM gauges? Also I have noticed that some players like Dave Ellefson for instance will take a set of strings like the .045 .065. 080 .105 .128 gauge and swap out one gauge for another gauge or a couple gauges for another gauge. Dave uses an .085 gauge instead of the normal .080 gauge. Why is this and why does it matter to swap out one or two strings for a higher or possibly lower gauge? I noticed that some string sets that players use you can't buy in the gauge that particular player uses. You have to basically buy single strings instead of a whole set and customize your string gauges.

I am not all that familiar with string gauge for bass strings. I am trying to find a set of bass strings that I like and work for me. I also would like to know what other brands are good. I do know that Rotosound is another common brand used by professionals. I am playing mostly heavy metal/hard rock. I am used to playing guitar and getting strings for the guitar which most players don't swap out strings they just keep the normal sets. Please help me to better understand string gauges and help me find a set I like. Thank you! Any questions just ask.

 

[wmheilma]

Do you tune down a step for metal? If so you may prefer heavier strings. Don't worry to much about what other guys like, just try different brands and gauges to see what works best and feels right. For years I stuck with .030, .045, .065, .085, .105, .130 DR stainless steel Low Riders. I have one bass which is perfect with those. But to avoid going broke, I put D'Addario nickel wound XL on my Q6 and another bass. Those are .032, .045, .065, .080, .100, .130 and I have grown to like them a lot especially for the price. Did you try flats? The only thing I like about those is taking them off and putting rounds back on, but a lot of guys love flats for a nice punchy vintage tone

 

[JimmyM]

Strings are something you can't rely on famous players to decide for you what you will end up liking. Markley makes fine strings for sure, but strings and gauges are a very personal choice, and the only way you can decide is to try them yourself and experiment around a little.

 

[TomB]

Strings are something you can't rely on famous players to decide for you what you will end up liking. Markley makes fine strings for sure, but strings and gauges are a very personal choice, and the only way you can decide is to try them yourself and experiment around a little.

+1 ...there are so many choices today vs. yesteryear, and most have unique qualities that will work for you or not. It's worth taking a systematic approach. Try different options and find out what you like to use on stage (remember it's very different live with a band from at-home practice). Eventually you'll zero in on something you like, I'm sure. Fortunately, it's a lot cheaper to experiment with strings than basses and amps .

 

[MarkA]

Strings are something you can't rely on famous players to decide for you what you will end up liking. Markley makes fine strings for sure, but strings and gauges are a very personal choice, and the only way you can decide is to try them yourself and experiment around a little.

Big +1 to this. That's not to say you can't talk productively about bass strings (hence the dedication of a whole subforum to the topic), but a lot depends on your technique, your bass, your setup, and your tonal preferences. I don't mind playing heavy-ish strings with a low setup, but I have a couple of basses that just respond better with lighter strings.

That said, looking up the Skullbusters on the Musician's friend website, the gauges are listed as Gauges: 46-66-86-106, and the adjective reviewers most often use to describe them is "crunchy." I didn't see anything about the material or construction of the string.

If you really liked how the strings felt on your bass, a number of strings (D'Addario and Circle K leap to mind) are available in custom/build-your-own-set gauges now. I think DR will do that, too. Conversely, if you liked them but felt that a certain string was too tight or too loose, you could go up or down a gauge on that string to correct it.

Maybe someone else will have a good suggestion for crunchy strings, or perhaps the below will help.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/good-strings-metal-hardcore-1029855/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/best-strings-playing-metal-997497/

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f16/best-strings-metal-750953/

 

[gregmon79]

Maybe look into Circle K strings. Ive used them before and they are quite nice. You can order a custom set of your own gauges as it looks like you enjoyed an odd gauge before. Also check bassstringsonline.com, you can get custom sets of other name brands there as well. Best advice is try as many as you can, thats what I had to do. I settled on DR low and or fat beams for my active ATK and roto swing for my P and P/J. Love those strings. It took me a lot of trying different strings to settle on these though.

 

[tyadams2006]

Well, I'd love to try as many sets of strings a possible to find the right sound for me but at $25 or so a set.. I'd have to have money to do that and I'm like a lot of other musicians, broke..lol Which is why I ask about string gauges here. I know that to get your personal sound tastes you have to try them out. But here is the thing, I need somewhere to start. So my starting place that I loved obviously is no longer around or made or whatever happened. Therefore I need a new starting place. I tend to start with strings that the professionals use just because they have played and toured and used the hell out of the strings and know what sounds best. So if I like their sound then that is usually a good place to start. They may end up not being the right ones for me but it gives me that starting place.

I tune down sometimes but mostly I am just in a standard tuning. I haven't really found the right tuning I like the most but it just depends on the song I'm playing. However I am going to start using E flat more often since it seems to be the more standard tuning for metal. The biggest thing I want to know about strings is the difference in sound with the gauges. Meaning, what would the .050-.110 sound like vs getting a .045-.105 set. And also how would it feel. I guess right now until I get another bass I want a set that I can maneuver easily and be able to play fast or semi fast with ease and not have it be such a struggle to play. Does anyone professional or not ever play with the light or XL strings? Most of the people I've seen stick with .045-.105 or higher gauge sets. Also to ask again, what would be the point of swapping out one string for a higher or possibly lower gauge string while leaving the rest of the strings the same in the set? Has anyone done this?

 

[mmbongo]

In my research on strings that famous bass players use like Jerry Only, Robert Trujillo, Flea, Jason Newsted, Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Sheehan, Les Claypool, Nikki Sixx, Dave Ellefson, Gene Simmons, ect., I have found that most of the players use Dean Markley, which coincidentally was the company that made the "Skullbusters" strings.

Hmm? Actually:

Robert Trujillo- Dunlop
Flea- GHS
Dave Ellefson- SIT
Billy Sheehan- Rotosound
Jason Newsted- LaBella
Lemmy- Dunlop

In fact, I think Les Claypool is the ONLY Dean Markley user on your list.

But, as already said, don't worry about what others use. It does not matter.

 

[JustForSport]

He might use these...

 

[uOpt]

Somebody post a link to Gary Larson's "the perfect stick". Highly relevant here.

 

[MarkA]

Well, I'd love to try as many sets of strings a possible to find the right sound for me but at $25 or so a set.. I'd have to have money to do that and I'm like a lot of other musicians, broke..lol Which is why I ask about string gauges here. I know that to get your personal sound tastes you have to try them out. But here is the thing, I need somewhere to start. So my starting place that I loved obviously is no longer around or made or whatever happened. Therefore I need a new starting place. I tend to start with strings that the professionals use just because they have played and toured and used the hell out of the strings and know what sounds best. So if I like their sound then that is usually a good place to start. They may end up not being the right ones for me but it gives me that starting place.

I tune down sometimes but mostly I am just in a standard tuning. I haven't really found the right tuning I like the most but it just depends on the song I'm playing. However I am going to start using E flat more often since it seems to be the more standard tuning for metal. The biggest thing I want to know about strings is the difference in sound with the gauges. Meaning, what would the .050-.110 sound like vs getting a .045-.105 set. And also how would it feel. I guess right now until I get another bass I want a set that I can maneuver easily and be able to play fast or semi fast with ease and not have it be such a struggle to play. Does anyone professional or not ever play with the light or XL strings? Most of the people I've seen stick with .045-.105 or higher gauge sets. Also to ask again, what would be the point of swapping out one string for a higher or possibly lower gauge string while leaving the rest of the strings the same in the set? Has anyone done this?

Totally get that you need a starting place, and have myself displayed an almost OCD tendency at times to try to predict and account for every possible variable in strings, pickups, setup, cables, amps, what I do with my thumbs when playing etc., etc., etc., before committing to a course of action. Look before you leap. Measure twice, cut once. "Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." (Abraham Lincoln). I get it. But there is only so much you can account for before trying SOMETHING.

If you like the gauges of the Skull Busters, try something of similar gauge. If you know their construction (nickel or steel, round core or hex core) try to find something similar.

Reasons to switch the gauge of one string within a set:
* It feels tight/loose compared to the others.
* It sounds strong/weak compared to the others.

Strings of the same gauge but different construction can feel stiffer/more noodly under your hand, even if the actual tension is the same.

Bass Strings Online has some D'Addario Pro Steels pretty cheap right now. Even cheaper if you let Jason know you're a TB member. You can do singles or balanced tension sets with those, too. You could score two sets in different gauges for roughly $25 total to experiment with.

I haven't played RotoSounds, but a lot of folks seem to like them for edgier playing.

You can contact Dean Markley directly, let them know you liked the SkullBusters, and a) ask about the construction b) ask if they have any recommendations.

Sometimes people sell lightly used sets in the classifieds.

Good luck!

 

[Webskipper]

What are some great choices of flats to consider purchasing for fretless?

I'm ordering an Ibanez btb 5-fretless.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tyadams2006]

Hmm? Actually:

Robert Trujillo- Dunlop
Flea- GHS
Dave Ellefson- SIT
Billy Sheehan- Rotosound
Jason Newsted- LaBella
Lemmy- Dunlop

In fact, I think Les Claypool is the ONLY Dean Markley user on your list.

But, as already said, don't worry about what others use. It does not matter.

Nikki Sixx uses Dean Markley and has his own signature strings. Jerry Only uses Dean Markley and his own signature strings. If you go to the Dean Markley site you will see quite a few bass and guitar players who use them. Some I didn't mention are Matt Devries (Fear Factory), Sean McNabb (Quiet Riot, Dokken, Great White), Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Dio, War and Peace, Foreigner). Plus I have read that a quite a few other players use them that aren't listed as endorser's. I just checked out Rotosound and they have a much larger artist endorsement and 2 signature series for bass strings. Billy Sheehan and Steve Harris.

But anyways, I understand that an artists endorsement doesn't necessarily mean they are good or not. Its all about a persons playing style, preference on sound, and how they feel when you play it. You guys have given me some good advice so thank you. I am going to keep looking into the strings and find another set that works for me.

 

[mikeswals]

Every brand of bass string has a big roster of endorsing artists, but it doesn't mean a thing because sometimes that player does indeed like them, and sometimes that other player took the deal simply because it was free. Also, they didn't always use that string, many pros change up brands too.
It takes time and obviously money to find a string (or strings as time goes on) that satisfies you.

Your starting point? Well if you liked the Skullbusters, find out what the construction of that string was like: Was it nickel or stainless wound? Was it on hex cores or round cores?
From there it's relatively easy to find other strings of similar build, but there's no guarantee it's going to be exactly the same, but it is that starting point.
If you find one that sounds great but feels a little too flexible, then next time try the heavier gauge version or vice versa. Since you've dove into Dean Markley, I'd say the easiest thing to try would be the Blue Steels and go from there/

 

[AdamR]

You need to try different gauges till you find what you like. I play lights 40-100 detuned 1/2 step. Also after trying every stainless string on the planet because metal players used stainless I found i like nickles better.

 

[mmbongo]

Keep in mind that most players who endorse strings do so because they get them for free, not necessarily because they are better than other strings.

 

[Dredmahawkus]

You need to try different gauges till you find what you like. I play lights 40-100 detuned 1/2 step. Also after trying every stainless string on the planet because metal players used stainless I found i like nickles better.

lol thats funny I have tried every nickel on the planet and affraid to try stainless but I guess I will have to sometime just to see! watch me like them!