Haha, Im just speaking in general. Im guessing that smaller gauge strings give a brighter sound and larger gauge strings give a deeper sound? How do I figure out what gauge my strings are on my bass that I bought from a music store?
If you have a caliper, or know someone who has a caliper, you can use it to measure the width of each string. That'll tell you the gauge. I'm a handloader, so I have a caliper. If you know anyone who handloads ammo, they will almost certainly have a caliper. Most machinists would, too.
Not exactly. Lighter-gauge strings generally sacrifice a little power, due to the decreased mass relative to heavier-gauge strings. But they tend to be more supple and flexible. Heavier-gauge strings are by contrast generally stiffer, and hence, require a little more physical force to play. But they do tend to emit a more powerful signal. Gauge isn't so much a factor in the timbre/tone of the strings. It's more relevant to one's preferred playing style - and by extension, one's preference of musical genre... MM