String gauge for BEAD on 34"

[Ricky Rioli]

D'A EXL160BT is specifically designed to have the same tension in DGCF as the EXL170BT (45-60-80-107) in EADG

They publish the tension information as if tuned EADG...... I did think "Medium" was pushing it!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

There are trade-offs when you go to thicker strings90% of bassists have settled on .120-.130 and you'll probably find these are the best for you. It's a bass, not a guitar. So, you'll need to change you playing technique. You can't change the physics involved.

 

[The Expendable Clay]

my go to

 

[sikamikanico]

If the 130 B on your HB feels floppy, you’ll have the same problem on a BEAD tuned 4 string. I’d try get a set with a 135 B. Make sure it’s a hex core design.

another trick I sometime use is to raise action to make the string feel stiffer. It doesn’t change tension, just feel. YMMV.

 

[Blues Cat]

If it’s a parallel fret bass, 130 105 85 65 or 125 100 80 60 should work perfectly.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Two .130” strings can have have different tension when tuned to the same pitch. The core wire shape (round or hex), core wire diameter (or stranded core!), winding wire (or ribbon) diameter, and alloy of the winding wire (or ribbon) can all have an effect on how much tension is required to bring the string up to pitch. Mass is the key. If two strings of .130” diameter have a different mass per unit of length, the heavier one will require more tension to reach pitch than the lighter string. A lot of metal mass can be built up around a core wire and still remain .130” diameter if it’s being wound with steel ribbon vs. round wire which is why flats generally feel a lot stiffer that rounds.

All the above affects flexibility which affects what the string sounds like (brightness or lack of brightness).

The difficulty is finding a nice tension string that still sounds as bright as you want it…

 

[2strings2frets]

There's a simple way to figure out the string gauges you want for a BEAD tuning. The E, A and D you use the same gauge that you'd use of a 4 string for the E, A , and D. For the B string, assuming you want the tension to be in the same ballpark as your E string, you multiply your E string gauge by 1.33 - if your E is a .100, you want a .133 (round up to .135).

Yes, a .135 sounds big, but it's correct. All the talk about floppy B string being related to the bass somehow "having a floppy B" is a red herring - the string gauge and scale length dictate whether or not the string is floppy. Most string manufacturers undersize their B strings - 40-60-80-100-120 somehow seems "right",..... but it isn't. Your strings are tuned in a geometric sequence of frequencies - each bigger string is 3/4th the frequency of the skinnier one next to it (tuning in 4ths), so your strings (doing a bit of math, and there's a square root and a square that cancel each other out, and....that 1.33 (or 4/3rds) rule is the right math.

Physics rant over. I spent a lot of years studying this stuff, hoping you can forgive the intrusion of science and math into a bass guitar forum.

Nothing to forgive; it’s a breath of fresh air.

 

[Five or Six]

I had a guitar player that always wanted to tune down. I told him I would in no way do that just for the simple fact of string droopage. Then comes the need to re-set the neck. Nope, not happening.

 

[GIBrat51]

I've had a couple of basses strung BEAD; a '78 Kramer 450B, and an '06 Carvin LB-20.
I had a set of Warwick's Black Label Drop D strings (65-135) on the Kramer. They lasted... about 2 days. The strings were OK - for rounds (which I don't care for, as a rule) - but I decided I didn't want to do that to the Kramer. For one, the pickups are... intenwicked hot; too hot, IMO, for BEAD. At any decent volume, the sound was... verging on being a sonic weapon. And, the pinned aluminum nuts on an aluminum-necked Kramer, are hard to come by, to begin with. Trying to find a left handed one to replace a hogged out one for BEAD strings? Uh... no. I switched it back to "normal" after a couple of days. But, the Drop D's .135 string was not at all floppy; it also tuned up and intonated with no problem. It did take up most of the saddles rearward travel, though. Which seems to be a very common problem with tuning a 4 string bass this way; the B string saddle very often won't go back far enough to intonate. Flat plate Fender bridges don't seem to have this problem. Other bridges? Lots of complaints on the BEAD forum...
On the Carvin, I first tried the 65-135 strings from a set of D'Addario ETB92-5 tapewound set. They worked... OK; but the 135 string was... not "floppy", exactly, but... it was noticeably more... flexible... than the other strings. They did all intonate properly, but the B string? Again; just barely... They were replaced after about a year, with the 65-130 strings from a set of Roto RS775LDs. The bridge cable tension/stiffness that Roto 77's are notorious for, took care of any floppiness; again, they tuned up and intonated just fine. Although, as usual, there was very little rearward travel on the B string's saddle when it did intonate. However...
Like the Kramer, I eventually converted the Carvin back to EADG. The bass did work very well while tuned BEAD; the problem was, that tuning simply wasn't very useful at all - for me. That bass, like the Kramer, is played a lot more often, with a "normal" set of flatwounds; Optima Chromes for the Kramer; Sadowsky Blue Labels for the Carvin...

 

[matante]

I had a guitar player that always wanted to tune down. I told him I would in no way do that just for the simple fact of string droopage. Then comes the need to re-set the neck. Nope, not happening.

What does the guitarist's tuning have to do with yours?

 

[Five or Six]

He wanted the whole band to tune down. Messing with the tuning on my 6 string was something I didn't want to do. Sure I could improvise but for 75 songs that we had played in standard tuning for years, nope.

 

[arbiterusa]

I am a strong believer (after playing 4 strings in many death metal bands) that a larger gauge DOES NOT mean more tension.D

I have a very different musical background but can absolutely confirm the truth of this.

 

[Rnr..........4]

There's a simple way to figure out the string gauges you want for a BEAD tuning. The E, A and D you use the same gauge that you'd use of a 4 string for the E, A , and D. For the B string, assuming you want the tension to be in the same ballpark as your E string, you multiply your E string gauge by 1.33 - if your E is a .100, you want a .133 (round up to .135).

Yes, a .135 sounds big, but it's correct. All the talk about floppy B string being related to the bass somehow "having a floppy B" is a red herring - the string gauge and scale length dictate whether or not the string is floppy. Most string manufacturers undersize their B strings - 40-60-80-100-120 somehow seems "right",..... but it isn't. Your strings are tuned in a geometric sequence of frequencies - each bigger string is 3/4th the frequency of the skinnier one next to it (tuning in 4ths), so your strings (doing a bit of math, and there's a square root and a square that cancel each other out, and....that 1.33 (or 4/3rds) rule is the right math.

Physics rant over. I spent a lot of years studying this stuff, hoping you can forgive the intrusion of science and math into a bass guitar forum.

 

[Riff Ranger]

D'A EXL160BT is specifically designed to have the same tension in DGCF as the EXL170BT (45-60-80-107) in EADG. Those gauges might be a bit too light for BEAD if you like "heavier feel".

Some manufacturers do offer 4-string sets specifically designed for BEAD. I would look for something close to 60-80-105-135.

GHS offers three different sets specifically for BEAD tuning, and I find myself liking their “heavy” (but not specifically for BEAD) set as well. As others have mentioned, Rotosound and Ernie Ball also make dedicated BEAD sets (though the Mammoth Slinkies don’t say it, those are the thicker four from one of their five-string sets).

If you are not afraid of large gauges, check out the sets from Kalium. A .148 B string will be about 46 lbs tension on a 34".

Also, String Tension Calculator will let you compare gauges and tensions. The tensions are specific to Kalium, but will be close to most any similarly gauged string.

This one and the Stringjoy one live in my open browser tabs forever the charts from D’Addario and GHS take a bit more work but also do the trick.

By the way, if the nut on your bass was originally cut for EADG, you probably will need to widen the nut slots for BEAD, or have a new one cut for that specific tuning.

Dunlop 60-120 set is made for B E A D, it worked on my SUB before I sold it. I did not have an issue with the nut, just did a truss rod adjustment.

In my experience, the thickest slot of a typical four-string nut will accommodate up to .120 without need of modification. As others have said, a .120 can do B0 just fine; lots of factors will determine what works for a given player.

Two .130” strings can have have different tension when tuned to the same pitch. The core wire shape (round or hex), core wire diameter (or stranded core!), winding wire (or ribbon) diameter, and alloy of the winding wire (or ribbon) can all have an effect on how much tension is required to bring the string up to pitch. Mass is the key. If two strings of .130” diameter have a different mass per unit of length, the heavier one will require more tension to reach pitch than the lighter string. A lot of metal mass can be built up around a core wire and still remain .130” diameter if it’s being wound with steel ribbon vs. round wire which is why flats generally feel a lot stiffer that rounds.

All the above affects flexibility which affects what the string sounds like (brightness or lack of brightness).

The difficulty is finding a nice tension string that still sounds as bright as you want it…

^THIS THIS THIS it’s easy and therefore tempting to focus on string diameter and tension because they’re easily and objectively measured but there’s a lot more at play when it comes to what a given player will prefer … which is, of course, ultimately subjective. So bear that in mind, especially when well-meaning members shout their favorites at you.

My two cents or so: determine whether you prefer stainless or nickel strings (I presume you’re going with roundwound strings); find a heavy set set from a manufacturer known for a stiffer feel (and again, higher tension does not necessarily equal greater stiffness); try that and adjust from there. Balanced tension between strings does feel great but I wouldn’t obsess over it, because I’ve found that the fat string tends to overpower the others with balanced tension sets (i.e. balanced tension does not necessarily equal balanced output); depending on your pickups, you may or may not be able to adequately compensate for that.

 

[Riff Ranger]

You can order single strings from a number of manufacturers to put together exactly what you want; it will typically cost at least a bit more to do it that way, but it could be worth it. I’m currently trying the GHS Boomers “heavy” set (.050/.070/.095/.115), the GHS Boomers “medium light BEAD” set (.060/.080/.100/.125), and Ernie Ball Slinky singles (.055/.075/.095/.125) on different instruments, and don’t know yet what I prefer. The Slinkies have almost perfectly balanced tension but the .125 tends to overpower the other strings; I do notice the somewhat uneven tension of the GHS sets, but they sound balanced and still feel good.

 

[isnthestrange]

Thanks for all the responses!
After reading everything I'm looking at two different sets, one of which being a DR DDT as a couple of you have mentioned. That one is 55-115, and I'm thinking that if it's designed to be tuned low, then maybe a 115 low B will work. There is also a 65-125 DDT so I'm still not sure.
The other set is one I found on thomann designed for low b by strandberg, which is a 65-130, where the 130 string is taper wound, which after reading a bit seems like it could be beneficial for retaining tension at a lower tuning, although people seem to have very differing opinions on this as well.
I would love to try lots of strings and sets but I'm not really finacially at a place where I can buy multiple sets and try them all haha. I get that all of this is preference and the real answer is that I will find out what works best after trying different sets, it took be about two years of playing guitar before I finally found the set I'm most comfortable with.

Any thoughts on the sets?

 

[Bassinga]

So I'm looking to tune my 34" four string to BEAD tuning, but I have no reference for bass gauges and tension(I'm a filthy guitarist). I like a heavier feel for my strings, when I tune Eb on guitar I use 10-54, and when I tune B-standard I use 14-68.
With that said, if I want kind of a heavier feel on the bass(no floppy strings plz), and also a thicker feel, what gauge should I use?

I would buy different ones and compare but bass strings are expensive, I have however been looking at the daddario EXL160BT 50-120 set.

Any help is appreciated, thanks!

I don't think the EXL160BT set would work for BEAD. I use that exact set for my bass tuned DGCF and the tension is good (not loose but not super tight either). For BEAD you would need something heavier than a .120 on the B for sure, maybe a .130.

 

[Yahboy]

I suggest DR Lo Rider SS 45-125 set which has stiffer feel on both B and E string . Better focus tone on 12 fret compare to others nickel round wound bass string.

Hopehelp.

 

[isnthestrange]

He wanted the whole band to tune down. Messing with the tuning on my 6 string was something I didn't want to do. Sure I could improvise but for 75 songs that we had played in standard tuning for years, nope.

If he wanted to tune down all your songs for no reason, that sounds kinda stupid? Why, just cause it's heavier or something? I like playing in B for more stoner and doomy stuff but usually I'm in Eb, different tunings in one band need to serve a purpose.

 

[Five or Six]

You said it, "kinda stupid". Thats exactly the response he got from our second guitar player. And, it was right out of the blue without reason. A bunch of bands do this, that's fine. But, we have always played in standard tuning without it being an issue. Give me a reason for doing something and I'm all ears.