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String suggestions for BEAD tuning?

NKBassman

NKBassman

Jun 16, 2009
16,500
32,881
42
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
#1
Are there any manufacturers out there who make string sets for BEAD tuning on a 4 string?

I know I could get what I want from Kallium (Circle K), but I seem to remember paying through the nose for shipping to Canada last time I ordered from them.

So short of buying D'Addario singles from my local Long & McQuade, is there anything else out there I should take a look at?
 
#3
RoadRanger said:
Why can't you just buy a 5 string set and toss the top string like everyone else ;) ?
Click to expand...

Haha, I'm way too cheap to just go around buying strings I'm not going to be using, if I can get away without it.
Just figured I'd check and see what's out there for BEAD.

DR has their DDT (Drop Down Tuning) sets, and the "Extra Heavy" set might work at 65-125...
DR Strings | The Handmade String - Guitar and Bass
 
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#6
hondo4life said:
Guitar Center sells individual Ernie Ball roundwound strings, which is how I got my BEAD set. 130, 100, 70, 60.
Actually, I'm so cheap, I only had to buy the 130 and 100 because I had the other two from another set.
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No Guitar Centers 'round these parts. Long & McQuade is basically the Canadian version.

I stopped in there last night and the options were pretty dismal. I picked up a 5-string pack of D'Addarios and asked if the salesman could pull some singles of just the BEAD strings. He came back with 2 Dean Markleys and 2 D'Addarios, which ended up costing about the same as the D'Addario 5-string set. So obviously I bought the matched set of strings.

I'm trying these on my Geddy Lee jazz. Haven't set it up yet, but I'll report back when I do.

Thanks all for the suggestions.
 
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#8
Linnin said:
I don't whether to laugh or cry ... :facepalm:
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I wish I could have seen the look on my own face when he was ringing up the individual strings to check the price. Equal parts disbelief, disgust, and disappointment.

tumblr_m5vqg7UdZU1qaz0qto1_1280.jpg
 
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#9
NKBassman said:
I wish I could have seen the look on my own face when he was ringing up the individual strings to check the price. Equal parts disbelief, disgust, and disappointment.
Click to expand...
I hear ya! After I get finished reviewing a set of GHS Bass Boomers, I am seriously considering converting an E standard 4 string to a B standard 4 four string using a GHS Big Core Bass 5 string set.
 
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#12
I had to take the Geddy in for a full set up as it was rattling and fretting out a bit after the string change.

I just picked it up today and I'm looking forward to putting it through some paces over the next few weeks. Testing it out in the shop on my lunch break sounded great!

I did gig with it a few times after the BEAD change, and I really liked the extended lower range for my "new country" band. The rest of the guys in the band loved it, too.
 
#14
Just a quick follow-up, I ended up taking the D'Addario .125 B string off and putting on a spare Circle K 0.136 instead.

I'm just waiting for the new B string to "age" a little so the brightness comes more into line with the older EAD strings, but now at least the tension and articulation is a lot more even compared to the rest of the strings. The D'Addario B string was flubby and very indistinct by comparison. Totally unusable in my opinion. I wish Circle K shipping wasn't so expensive to Canada, I because I really like their strings.
 
#15
NKBassman said:
Just a quick follow-up, I ended up taking the D'Addario .125 B string off and putting on a spare Circle K 0.136 instead.

I'm just waiting for the new B string to "age" a little so the brightness comes more into line with the older EAD strings, but now at least the tension and articulation is a lot more even compared to the rest of the strings. The D'Addario B string was flubby and very indistinct by comparison. Totally unusable in my opinion. I wish Circle K shipping wasn't so expensive to Canada, I because I really like their strings.
Click to expand...

You should try the D'Addario .135 if possible.
 
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#17
I just spent a few minutes pouring over the D'Addario tension charts, and just going by the numbers they show I think an ideal "balanced tension" set would be:

135 B (35 lbs)
105 E (38 lbs)
080 A (40 lbs)
060 D (41 lbs)
045 G (42 lbs)

I'll have to check and see if L&M can order me in some singles for a reasonable price.
 
#18
NKBassman said:
These look like they could do the trick.
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Does anyone know if the D'Addario .135 is tapered at the ball end? I had enough trouble getting the .125 through the hole on my Badass bridge.
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You can get them either way. The ones that end with 'T' means it's tapered.
Invalid Link Removed
 
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#19
NKBassman said:
I'll have to check and see if L&M can order me in some singles for a reasonable price.
Click to expand...

Don't be afraid to check into the pricing at bassstringsonline.com. Jason has worked hard on reducing the shipping charges for us Canadians in the last few months. 9 out of 10 times it works out to be less expensive to order from BSO, even after the crazy exchange rate, compared to ordering anything through L&M.
 
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