• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

String sound consistancy

Ketchakah

Ketchakah

Sep 29, 2013
38
6
Boone, NC
#1
Hey All,
Im sure this has probably been talked about but ive not been able to find a conversation.

I am currently using GHS Boomers
I have noticed a distinct difference in the sound of the E string when fretted at the A and the A string open. I like the deep full sound of the fretted E. The open A string loses some of that fullness. Maybe its just normal.

Is there a way to get the A string to sound like the fretted E string ? Is it a gauge thing ? I would love to have that full sound consistently as I work my way up the strings..


On a different note,
I have a bass that is BEAD tuning. It has 130 for B and 105 for E. Would it get floppy if i used a 125 on the B string ? How do you thing such a change would affect the sound.

Just a last min thought. If I tune to a Low C instead of B, How small a gauge can I use that wound not get floppy ? The GHS tension chart shows 32 pounds with a 120 when tuned to C. What do you guys think of that combo ?

Thanks for the thoughts. Ketch
 
Last edited:
#2
Mass is more on the E than A.

You could try dropping your bass side pickups. Just hit that screw clockwise a quarter turn at a time and see if it helps balance your perception. You could always try different string gauges but I don’t think that is what you are hearing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dust2Dust
#3
Just a Little additional Info.

I generally use the E and the A string for most of my music, with an occasional jaunt up to the D string. Usually when I want to get the octave i go up the neck on the E and A hence my question regarding consistency of sound. I tend to find the D string too strident for my tastes, so I don't usually go up there. I never use the G string which is why I went to the BEAD tuning.

I was thinking on just tuning down to D standard tuning and dropping the B string altogether as i generally just use the D E F and G for ending sustained notes, hence the C tuning question. However Ive not been able to wrap my mind (or muscle memory) around the new fret positions as yet.

Its insanity in progress I know. Thanks again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killing Floor
#5
Ketchakah said:
Just a Little additional Info.

I generally use the E and the A string for most of my music, with an occasional jaunt up to the D string. Usually when I want to get the octave i go up the neck on the E and A hence my question regarding consistency of sound. I tend to find the D string too strident for my tastes, so I don't usually go up there. I never use the G string which is why I went to the BEAD tuning.

I was thinking on just tuning down to D standard tuning and dropping the B string altogether as i generally just use the D E F and G for ending sustained notes, hence the C tuning question. However Ive not been able to wrap my mind (or muscle memory) around the new fret positions as yet.

Its insanity in progress I know. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
It’s not insanity ;)
It’s physics. Each string has different mass, width/gauge and tension but on any string as you decrease the length (higher fret) you change the dynamic of the wave.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bunk McNulty
#7
Thank KF, I did some adjustments on the Pickup and it helped even-out the volume. It was not off by much though. What you are saying makes perfect sense. I was trying to understand the dynamics as you put it. Thanks again for the advice. I like to experiment and understand how each thing affects the others. There are so many variables.

Hap, That's exactly what I was thinking too and exactly how you describe it. The open A still has a lot of the lower tone but also has more higher harmonics. I wish i could cut some of those upper harmonics.

So what I'm getting from you both is what hearing is normal. Maybe i can EQ it a bit. Hmmmmm Sometimes I think I over-think this stuff. Ya cant hear it in the mix anyway only when solo.

I wonder if a different brand of string on the A string would cut some of the high frequency. I've heard flats are darker, but i don't think i really want to go with two different string types.

You guys ever heard of anyone that mixes brands on the same instrument to get different sounds ? Seems counter intuitive to me.

Ketch
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killing Floor
#8
Ketchakah said:
You guys ever heard of anyone that mixes brands on the same instrument to get different sounds ? Seems counter intuitive to me.
Click to expand...
Mixing brands and even types is extremely common practice among double bassists. Threads about doing the same on electric (one very recent):
=1&c[node]=16']Search Results for Query: mixing | TalkBass.com
And yes, there are roundwounds with softer highs out there. Pressurewounds too may do the trick.

For the time being, you could experiment with putting die-shaped, individual string mutes under the A string against the bridge, made of foam of different thicknesses, until you find one that cuts the right amount of highs without losing too much sustain.
 
#10
Ketchakah said:
Just a Little additional Info.

I generally use the E and the A string for most of my music, with an occasional jaunt up to the D string. Usually when I want to get the octave i go up the neck on the E and A hence my question regarding consistency of sound. I tend to find the D string too strident for my tastes, so I don't usually go up there. I never use the G string which is why I went to the BEAD tuning.

I was thinking on just tuning down to D standard tuning and dropping the B string altogether as i generally just use the D E F and G for ending sustained notes, hence the C tuning question. However Ive not been able to wrap my mind (or muscle memory) around the new fret positions as yet.

Its insanity in progress I know. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
They're all just different sounds you have at your disposal on your bass. Personally, I will specifically use a note in a certain place on the bass as opposed to another for that very reason, especially when recording. Even when I've played fivers - which I don't currently - I'd still go up and down the neck often for that same reason, even when I could easily have stayed put and got the same note. The sound and the vibe/feel of the performance are more important than the economy of movement.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: jemerpi, J-Mags, Rib 13 and 2 others
#11
Uneven string consistency was my primary reason for going to flats and going fretless. Before I did, though I tried every string at my disposal, I filled up an entire garbage bag, probably $200 in strings. I mixed them up, I tried everything. What I found later was it doesn’t pay to fight physics. I went to a five string, and I rarely played in first position, instead starting in second position on the “B” for my root, and doing my best to avoid the “D” and “G”.
 
#13
Playing notes higher up on a lower string does give you a fuller sound - it has nothing to do with the string itself, and it's not a flaw in the bass, it's the Physics of sampling strings at specific point(s) with a pickup (or two). Playing the note on a lower string forces you to shorten the string, which means that the pickup is now closer to the center of the vibrating part of the string in a relative sense. On the lower string, the dips in the comb filter occur at lower frequencies, so in general, the lower string has more bass, and less mids (it harmonics are suppressed) - it sounds bigger/fuller.

This is a very well known phenomenon; one that experienced players use to good effect. I often play runs in ways that, if you look at it, you'd say that's harder than it needs to be, but I do it specifically to take advantage of the fact that the same note sounds different at different places and I want this sound, not that one. The Physics of why this happens is also very well understood - I have simulations that show precisely what's going on. They're a bit confusing to most folks, as the curves show a LOT of comb filtering, which takes a long time to explain.

Anyway, you just learned something - it's not a problem, it's the way basses work. Dig into it, learn what sounds good where, and use it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: jemerpi, J-Mags, timmo97 and 3 others
#14
Killing Floor said:
Mass is more on the E than A.

You could try dropping your bass side pickups. Just hit that screw clockwise a quarter turn at a time and see if it helps balance your perception. You could always try different string gauges but I don’t think that is what you are hearing.
Click to expand...

RE: Different gauges

I knew a bassist that used two E strings, the one tuned to A was a slightly thinner gauge. He liked it. Me, I couldn’t tell the difference sound wise.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Killing Floor
#15
Everything has been already said except that open strings will always sound different than fretted strings. Open A won't sound like a Bb even if the string mass and length is almost the same, because the response of a string pressed agains a metallic fret by a soft fingertip is not the same as a string clamped down quite a bit harder against the nut.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ricky Rioli

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back