String options for Dingwall 4 String

[MartLTB]

Hello, I have a Combustion 4 String coming in and I'm wondering what options I have regarding strings. It will be tuned to D-Standard (DGCF) with the occasional drop to C on the low D so the Dingwall 100-45 might be a bit too flabby on the low side and I'm curious if any other standard sets will fit and if anybody has experience with this tuning on a Dingwall.

 

[Gigas444]

Hello fellow european bassist
all of the following should fit a 36.25" scale E string:
- Rotosound RS88EL - 115/100/75/65 - 38" / 96.5cm from the ball end to the start of the silk winding
- D'addario EXL170SL - 100/80/65/45 - 38" / 96.5cm from the ball end to the start of the silk winding
- Dunlop Extra Long - 105/85/65/45 - 39" / 99cm from the ball end to the start of the taper
like all of the D'addario with "SL" at the end of the code and all of the Rotosound with "EL" at the end of the code, Ernie Ball Super Long have been created for 35" scale, I'm not sure they will fit, but, IMHO, you should try with Dingwall strings first (I used to play a 6 strings ABZ tuned ADGCFBb and tension was very good) because they are crafted to fit the fanned fret instrument, I mean all of the other sets which you can find have been engineered to fit a standard scale/parallel fret bass which means they are not optimized for fanned fret instruments and you will notice tension isn't even anymore (this way you waste one of fanned frets advantages), if you are not happy with Dingwall strings you can always place a custom order For Kalium strings matching the tension required by Dingwall for each string:
https://dingwallguitars.com/media/attachments/2019/04/22/kalium-string-chart.pdf

 

[MartLTB]

Ciao and thanks for the infos. I hear you about the Dingwall strings and unless I'm mistaken the previous owner has those installed so I will be able to try them, but even with the added scale length I can't imagine a 100 being enough for D or even C.
I know about Kalium and also the Payson Drop D (110 .085 .065 .050) set looks promising but I would have to import them which would make them pretty expensive which is why I'm looking for more affordable options.

 

[HaphAsSard]

the Payson Drop D (110 .085 .065 .050) set looks promising but I would have to import them

Available here in the European continent (hey, geographically it still counts as Europe!), for 32 pounds sterling, along with a bunch of other options:
Dingwall Bass Strings, Payson, Nickel, Stainless Steel , Groundwound:: For sale, UK, Eu, On offer, Basses Guitars Accessories at Bass Direct: Bass Guitar Strings - Warwick, birmingham, London, Manchester Guitar
32 quid is not cheap per se, but hey, just thought I'd share.

[To anyone else interested, these are a couple other Euro places that came up in a search that sell Dingwall strings:
Musical Instruments | Musik Produktiv
Dingwall | Bass Buddha ]

 

[Gigas444]

I can't imagine a 100 being enough for D or even C

for drop C i can't guarantee, but i think for drop D you will be happy, consider the Dingwall B string is .127, before the fanned frets i used a .140 for drop A, now i'm happy with their .127 the extra inches in scale will help you having the tension you desire with smaller gauges (IMHO of course you have to try them to know if it works for your sound/playing style etc)

I know about Kalium and also the Payson Drop D (110 .085 .065 .050) set looks promising but I would have to import them which would make them pretty expensive which is why I'm looking for more affordable options.

I do understand your concern, if you want to "stay in Europe" you can check for Sansone strings they make personalized sets for (but not only) fanned frets instruments (and non standard tunings) it's a company based in Italy and their quality is really, really high, I don't know if there's a german distributor, but you can find them here:
http://www.groovemania.it/
send them an email, Roberto is a super kind guy and will sure help you with gauge choice + he has the full price chart

 

[MartLTB]

Available here in the European continent (hey, geographically it still counts as Europe!), for 32 pounds sterling, along with a bunch of other options:

Cheers, yeah with shipping and now added tax/customs it will be quite expensive ordering from bassdirect. I haven't done the full maths but it might be cheaper ordering from payson in the us directly. In the meantime I also found that Pyramid strings, who are basically next door to me (~15km), also offer custom multiscale sets and I could get a 110/85/65/50, which should work great for D/DropC, for €39 shipped maybe cheaper if I go there and pick them up. Also not really cheap but might still be cheaper than importing from Payson.

Guess Payson and Pyramid will be my best options if I want proper and equal tensions on all strings, still curious if anybody has experience with standard sets on a Dingwall 4. I read some posts of people claiming that even some long scale sets worked and looking over at my long scale basses it doesn't look impossible, there's a Dean Markley set on one where the low E goes like 3/4 around the tuner before the taper.

 

[HaphAsSard]

Also of interest, British company Newtone Strings makes custom (in gauge and number of strings, but also length) roundwound sets. Different winding materials, and also anti-corrosion treatment available.