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String gauge for BEAD on 34"
- Thread starter isnthestrange
- Start date
God damn that is a thick string, were you able to file the nut or did you have to replace it altogether?
Yeah, I can get it if you're going for a different feel, but the music itself should be able to reflect that without changing the tuning. I mean it obviously is subjective but at the same time it's a commitment for everyone else in the band, usually more so than for the guitarist. I'm a singer too and it would be very boring if we tuned our Eb songs to Db, or even to B or no reason, the vocals would be all weird. I guess maybe your guitarist needs to get some perspective.
If you’re one of those folks who likes a .110 E, a 145 B is the right diameter for a B with the same tension. It sounds big, but only because we’ve gotten accustomed to undersized B strings.
I'd like to point his one out again. I too come from a regular guitar background, where I like my strings thick, tight and heavy (.52 or .54 for the low E, depending on the scale), and fixed a bass for BEAD. Using a drop tuning set, I found 130 for the B too floppy. I bought a separate 135, hex core and all, but I still think it's floppy, especially compared to my guitars, and the thickness almost takes away some other playability factors. But it's a bass, not a guitar, so I changed my perspective and adjusted my technique. It matters where you pick or pluck, and how hard you hit the strings (and if it's necessary to play that hard with your fingers, or just dial the amp up). Look beyond the strings to find your new bass style, and don't port your guitar technique to bass.
Yeah I get this, I've been playing a lot more bass and trying to find the specific style that fits me more. I find that playing with a pick is the sound I like more, even though jamming fingerstyle is fun too. It's not so much the floppiness in response to the pick that I don't like, but more so the floppy strings sounding more dead and dull. I also found that picking closer to the bridge gives me that resistance that I like from the thick strings on guitar.
Yeah fair enough. What I might do is get a set that's 60-80-100-125 and then try different B strings, as that is often the one that sounds off.
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Maybe I am just a bit vain when it comes to instruments, of course for me it's still playability as the number one priority when trying a new instrument but Dingwalls just look to modern and edgy, I like more classic shapes. I would like to try a fan fret though.
I'd try one if I got the chance, but aesthetically they're not my thing at all. And also, expensive
Maybe I am just a bit vain when it comes to instruments, of course for me it's still playability as the number one priority when trying a new instrument but Dingwalls just look to modern and edgy, I like more classic shapes. I would like to try a fan fret though.
Dingwalls help a little with the string part of the equation - they allow a smaller B to work well, without penalizing you with longer strings on the high side.
Whst they also show is that it’s not the bass - a longer neck is more flexible/ floppier than a shorter one. Making the scale length longer doesn’t make the bass “better” - it’s a marginal fix for a string problem that should have never been a problem - if string makers had made sets with a well designed B string to start with, we wouldn’t have ended up with 35” scale 5’s.
Whst they also show is that it’s not the bass - a longer neck is more flexible/ floppier than a shorter one. Making the scale length longer doesn’t make the bass “better” - it’s a marginal fix for a string problem that should have never been a problem - if string makers had made sets with a well designed B string to start with, we wouldn’t have ended up with 35” scale 5’s.
Yeah, it's cause they're multi-scale right? It makes a lot of sense in regards to intonation, giving all bass string saddles the same amount of adjustability makes no sense from an intonation standpoint, especially on bass I feel. But I still wouldn't get one cause I just don't like the look I guess
Multi scale absolutely makes sense in a piano, where the open strings are covering 7 octaves. On a bass, the case for multi scale (assuming the strings are designed rationally) is not really that compelling - a 10% scale change is pretty marginal in terms of helping the Physics, and a major change ergonomically.
If you start from scratch, and design the entire system for optimal results for tension and ergonomics, a 34 inch scale with a good stiff neck, and the right strings makes the most sense. My 5’s are done this way, and there’s nothing second rate with how the B strings work.
I think I'll try a 145 B like you recommended. I guess we'll see how well my bass handles that gauge and tension but hopefully I get a stiff feeling B string. And yeah, I do like 110 E, so maybe it makes more sense to go bigger than 130.
a 130 is for people ( like me) who like low tension strings - my E’s are 95’s, and a 130 B is the right gauge for a good tension match.
You may have to try a few different 145’s - big strings have to be wound just right - if they’re not done well , they can be dull sounding.
Between filing and using a Fender stealth string retainer it works. Mathematically it gives similar tension to the 37" scale Dingwall B strings. I also had to lower my neck pickup slightly. The worst part about it is that this single string is about $15 by itself. I usually just order it and a four string set.
I think I use these: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
And it looks like they have dropped in price significantly since I last ordered one.
And it looks like they have dropped in price significantly since I last ordered one.
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I’ve tried the .115/.095/.075/.055 DR DDT set for BEAD and it works but the .115 is noticeably lower tension than the rest.
The "Big" strings I use (to me , a 130 is a B string) are:
Kaliiums - both the hybrids and the stainless work great. I know they make really big strings - a 145 is no problem - oops, they have 142's and 148's. Yes, it sometimes takes a while to get your strings when you order them, but lately deliveries have been fast.
GHS - I use their Bassics 130, which matches a Boomer set better than a Boomer 130. I don't think they make any 145's
Mangans (stainless) - they do make a 145
SIT's (Power wounds) - they top out at 130
I don't use D'addarios currently (I have in the past), and they make a 145
Stringjoy - they make up to a 145
Kalium, Stringjoy, and Mangan you buy direct. The others you can get through Just strings. No, you're not gonna get the strings yo need at GC or your local mom and pop.
If anything, “floppy” strings (and I prefer what most would consider “floppy”; more on that in a minute) should add some rattle and clank that would help with definition (though not necessarily intonation). I doubt it was the low tension of the strings that gave you a “dead and dull” sound; much more likely, the strings were either dead (worn out) or duds (defective out of the package).
Like @micguy I prefer lower-than-average tension (and 34” scale). It’s less about feel than about sound for me. Slack strings sound different from taut strings and different sounds lend themselves to different applications. I started playing in 1993, just when detuning in general and drop-D in particular were becoming pretty much standard in heavy music. At least at the time, it seemed that detuning was more about achieving a different sound than about extending range downward. Maintaining the tension you have at standard tuning at lower tunings will largely negate the change in sound. Every approach has its upsides and downsides; determine your goals, choose accordingly, adjust, and don’t be afraid to change your mind
One other thing, as you’re coming from guitar (and I play both): even “floppy” bass strings are still going to have more tension than the tightest guitar strings. The instruments are related and many skills are transferable, but at the end of the day they are different instruments that (as others have said) require different approaches.
