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Double Bass String Height Poll

What are your string heights?

  • 4 - 5 mm G to 6 - 8 mm E

    Votes: 120 34.6%

  • 6 - 7 mm G to 9 - 10 mm E

    Votes: 137 39.5%

  • 8 - 9 mm G to 11 - 12 mm E

    Votes: 64 18.4%

  • Other - please post your numbers

    Votes: 26 7.5%
  • Total voters
    347
#61
mr mastodon said:
there was some dude i met overseas who was trying to one up me i think (why, i don't know. he was clearly better than me.) he tried my bass and we talked about favorite bassists and i said "yeah, i like the more old school approach so i raised my action to get more oomph."

then he takes my E string and pulls it away from the fingerboard to indicate how high is action is. i swear it was 1.5 - 2 inches away. i almost started laughing. does anyone actually get their action that high by choice?
Click to expand...

YouTube - All Ears, All The Time: Dennis Irwin, Bass
 
#63
Spirocore mediums: G= 4.5mm
D= 5mm
A= 5.5mm
Spirocore Starks: E= 7mm
B= 6mm

The B string measurement comes across as odd but the largest scoop is actually a bit further toward the nut at about 8.5mm. Since my B string rarely (99.9% of the time) gets used above the F# it is easy to know where the average center of the vibrating length is as opposed to the other strings that need to be set up to allow both free vibration and playability along the length of the string. I like the starks on the lower strings, for orchestral playing especially, because they are thicker and at pitch dont have as wide of a vibration allowing for a slightly lower setup than the mediums.
 
#64
finally got around to taking measurements. 6 mm G, 14 mm E. I'm playing 50/50 jazz/classical. I do have some gnarly buzz on the Low A and Ab on my G-string (when I play FF), so I'm wondering if I shouldn't use the adjusters to bring up my G and lower my E and bring my string heights into the ranges listed in this poll.
 
#66
Chris Fitzgerald said:
YouTube - All Ears, All The Time: Dennis Irwin, Bass
Click to expand...

ahhh wow didn't know he was a high action guy. RIP. :(

either way my classical instructor offered to do a soundpost adjustment and recommended I drop the action till then. he claims the soundpost is in the wrong spot which is why my bass sounds "muted". we'll see. my left hand really hasn't felt much different since dropping the action though. I think that's more of my continued inability to play without grabbing the crap out of the neck and using lots of thumb pressure. bad I know. don't know how to fix it though. haha.
 
#69
John Crosley said:
My measurements come out a bit over 9 - a bit over 12 with Spiro weichs. My luthier set my adjusters to this being cranked all the way down. I need to find out if there is a reason, or just his preference. I would like it to crank a bit lower.
Click to expand...

You should be able to lower your strings to where you want them. Before he added the adjusters you may not have discussed this. You just need to tell him and I'm sure he'll accommodate you. I had to go back after my new bridge was installed and correct this very thing.
 
#71
Stupidly clicked before measuring... G is about 9mm. E about 14. Corelli 370F, was Helicore Orch Medium. A load off my CCB's top and neck, and sounds better digging in than the D'Addarios, which were lower.
 
#75
Sorry gang, but this poll is flawed

Fingerboard lengths vary.

Therefore the end of the fingerboard is not a common reference point. average fingerboards end at around b or c on the g string... short ones around g, long ones around d

so, on both my basses, the string height at the end of the fingerboard is very different... but only because one fingerboard is much longer than the other one. the action is more or less the same.

The longer the fingerboard is the higher the strings will be at the end of it.

A more accurate reference point would be at the high g harmonic (two ocatves up) on the g string.

As it is now, this poll tells us nothing, really.
sorry to rain on the parade.
 
#76
5 on the G and 9-10 on the E. EP weichs with an Oliv G. I agree with Miles to a point. It also depends on the amount of camber in the FB, distance between the strings and FB where they exit the nut and many other things. Basses can have a preference for strings, tension and heights.
I get a pretty big sound with relatively low strings so it can be done. Listening to a recent recording, I doubt most players would believe my strings aren't higher.
 
#78
LM Bass said:
The length of the fingerboard compared to the string height is going to be a negligible factor. It's a triangle with one very very short side and two very very long ones.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Plus, for pizz players the distance from board to string at the end of the board determines the amount of "perceived tension" the player feels when playing rest strokes in the right hand.
 
#79
Or you're like me and don't care about string height. I want a particular sound and perceived string tension so the strings will be set to get that as a priority. Given a set of basses, it's possible that I would have different string heights on each because some basses are less tense than others.

Add the fact that different strings are of different tensions, it goes further out the window since tense strings will be set low and vice versa.
 
#80
True, but I think it does depend a lot on the way that you play(and of course the bass). Personally, I like the strings to be fairly low so that I can "feel" the fingerboard under my right hand after I pluck the string. I like it at 5mm on the G, 8mm on the E. I find it gives me a more consistant sound without being choked.
 

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