String gauge in relation to attack

[brushfirewolf]

My experience as a pick player is the opposite. I like to use a thin pick and using thinner strings is has helped my tone. I like articulation and I get that with thinner strings.

For starters, thinner strings are less bright than thicker ones. You don't lose brightness with thicker strings. Downtune your A string to E and compare your two E stings. You'll find that the thicker one is brighter.

I just don't find this to be true at all. I've been swapping strings on the same bass all night and the lightest gauge is much brighter.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

There is a reason why very few players use light gage strings (besides Mark King I guess), they just don't give you the sound. Learn to get comfortable with 100-45 or 105-45 and you'll never look back

 

[Alivefor5]

I play medium hard and on a 4 string I use .105, .085, .070, .050 for the punch and tone I like. On my 5s I add a .125.

 

[BurtMacklinFBI]

This is Talkbass. 'round these here parts, if we start thinkin' 'bout 'sperimentation, we don't up and buy no 2 basses. We buy 7.

And a new fuzz pedal.

 

[michael_t]

There is a reason why very few players use light gage strings (besides Mark King I guess), they just don't give you the sound.

I used to swear by "balanced tension, 45-60-80-105", then down to 44-58-80-102. I've been trying 40-54-76-96 for the last month or so, and haven't noticed any loss in sound.

My rule of thumb is "choose the STRING TYPE for the tone, and SIZE for the playing feel".

 

[onda'bass]

I do 120-90-67-50-35 and have no loss of tone. So easy to play

 

[matante]

I just don't find this to be true at all. I've been swapping strings on the same bass all night and the lightest gauge is much brighter.

Do the experiment I suggested. Plenty of guys use .070 for an A string. Plenty use a .070 for a D string, so it's a real world experiment.

 

[80jazz]

There is a reason why very few players use light gage strings (besides Mark King I guess), they just don't give you the sound. Learn to get comfortable with 100-45 or 105-45 and you'll never look back

About 6 years ago, I had a bass that developed a neck problem (stripped truss rod nut thanks to me, but I managed to get that fixed) so I put on a set of .030-.110 strings. While I could never get used to the .030, I immediately liked the .070 and .090 and after trying a few lighter sets, found that .035-.055-.070-.090 is where it is at for me. The set sizes you mention above are what I would use for D standard tuning (maybe even .040-.100). I doubt I will go back to .045-.105. I don't have to work that hard with the .035-.090 sets and I have not noticed any negative change in tone. (but I will say that the lighter gauge sets DO seem to die faster. I will take that trade-off.)

I wonder if, in non-TB land, lighter gauge sets are bigger sellers. Rotosound makes some lighter gauges, and somebody is buying those.

I did try a set of .040-.100 on a fellow bassist. He didn't seem to like them (which is fine). He now loves .045-.105 DR Nickel Lo-Riders.

I think that all bassists should try gauges other than .045-.105. They may find they like them...or not. (considering that my preferred gauge is not available from too many makers, I think that .040-.100 is probably the lightest you can go to try most sets that are currently made. Sometimes, I wish I could get along with that gauge set.)