Testing a string's tension with another string—Does my reasoning make sense?

[Just Wrong]

Long story short, I want to test if a string with a tension of 24.8 lbs when tuned to E is too loose for me, without having to buy the string and set up the bass.

Now, if I use D'Addario's String Tension Pro tool and plug in the current string set I'm using with my current bass's scale length, I get a tension of 28.1 lbs for the E string. If I tune the string down to D# in the tool, I get a tension of 25 lbs—0.2 lbs higher than the above 24.8 lbs.

That being the case, would tuning my E string to D# on my current bass give me a general idea of how a string with 24.8 lbs of tension would feel like?

Other aspects that may or may not affect my experiment:

The test would be done on a 30.75-inch scale bass with a .100 D'Addario NYXL round wound with a hex core tuned to D#.

The actual 24.8 lbs string would be on a 30-inch scale bass tuned to E. The string is the D'Addario XL Tape Wound. It has a gauge of .105 and a hex core—I believe it's a .090 or .095 D'Addario XL round wound wrapped in nylon.

I know it'll never be exactly the same, but would it give me a good idea or am I missing something?

 

[Luckydog]

I’ve never heard of anyone going to such extremes to avoid simply buying a couple sets of strings. But you do you.

 

[E2942]

If it is too loose for your normal style, try these options:

Turn UP the amp, let the amp do the work, so that you do not need to use much force on the string

use a plectrum

strike the string closer to the bridge

 

[Just Wrong]

I've never heard of anyone going to such extremes to avoid simply buying a couple sets of strings. But you do you.

You're probably right, but it's a lot of money.

The tape wounds are the equivalent of US$65 in Canada right now.

The problem isn't that I might not be entirely satisfied by how they sound. If that were the case, I'd just deal with it for a while.

Or it's not like trying rounds where four months down the road I'll have to change them anyway.

The potential problem is that they are too loose to the point of being unplayable. Some people complain about the TI Jazz flats being too floppy. The lowest tension long-scale TI string, the A, is 31.3 lbs—6.5 lbs higher than the string I'm looking at.

Then what? It's not like I can recoup some of the money. I highly doubt there's a market for used short scale tapes shipped from Canada.

So, then I have to get Chromes or La Bella 760L-MUS, which are about US$50.

Now we're at US$115.

But I can't just swap the tapes for flats. That requires a full setup—truss rod adjustment, string height, intonation, and pick up height. I could do it on my own, but that's a good couple of hours I don't know I have. Or I could take it to a tech for another US$75.

So all in all we're talking almost US$200 or $115 + a few hours of my time.

So, I don't know. Down tuning my E string to D# doesn't seem like such an extreme.

 

[MCS4]

I think it is a reasonable experiment to do since it costs nothing and takes practically no time, and you can at least experiment a bit with how lower tension feels. That being said, the difference from rounds to tapes is so extreme that I believe this experiment will not necessarily be all that helpful in the grand scheme of whether you will like tapes or not. However, if you are worried about tension, you can just look for tapes with a bit higher tension; tapes do generally have lower tension than rounds, but you are talking about tapes with a 105 E string, whereas there are tapes intended for standard tuning with up to 115 on the E.

 

[Karl Kaminski]

yeah the days of buying multiple sets to test is behind us (unless you got money to burn)

The String Rabbit-hole can be deep so, if you're looking for 'something specific' in a string set, having a map is gonna help.

the OPs idea of using 'tuning' to approximate the feel of a set is a 'sound'/good idea. Using a tension calculator and alt Eb-D-Db-C tuning will give you a good idea of the intended feel. Keep in mind little things will change; the feel of the string in each hand as well as tone of the string but its a good approximation. Also your preference in core (Round vs Hex) will play a part in the feel at different tensions. (I personally don't like the response of hex core at lower tensions)

CircleK (Kallum) strings use to have great spreadsheets, then D'addario started post 'balanced set' sheets which really helped to pinpoint gauge and core specs that fit your need. Now, its not a silverbullet but help target what your looking instead of dumping money into alot of sets. Granted you'll still need to try a few sets to fine-tune what your looking for.

the great thing about the detuning method is its free and reversible. Ultimately you've gained knowledge for your next set choice.

 

[Just Wrong]

I think it is a reasonable experiment to do since it costs nothing and takes practically no time, and you can at least experiment a bit with how lower tension feels. That being said, the difference from rounds to tapes is so extreme that I believe this experiment will not necessarily be all that helpful in the grand scheme of whether you will like tapes or not. However, if you are worried about tension, you can just look for tapes with a bit higher tension; tapes do generally have lower tension than rounds, but you are talking about tapes with a 105 E string, whereas there are tapes intended for standard tuning with up to 115 on the E.

I love light-gauge tapes (50-105) on a long-scale bass, but they are floppy. Not a problem for me, but I'm worried they might be floppy to the point of being unplayable on a short scale.

I did try regular-gauge tapes (55-75-95-112) on a long-scale bass, but those felt huge at the time—I was used to 40-100. I've since been playing six-string basses, so trying La Bella's short scale tapes (60-70-94-115) might not feel so huge anymore. But that means having to alter the nut for those specific gauges and re-alter it if I decide to change strings down the line. I don't have the tools to do so and have never done it before.

Either way, I tried detuning my E to D# and it really wasn't that bad.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Eight months is the minimum amount of time I give to evaluate a new string set.

 

[michael_t]

I love light-gauge tapes (50-105) on a long-scale bass, but they are floppy. Not a problem for me, but I'm worried they might be floppy to the point of being unplayable on a short scale...

When you compare the same gauges (50-105) between long-scale and short scale, they do get lighter in tension (as in pulling weight), but in terms of the actual feel (stiffness/flexibility), the difference is not as drastic as you might suspect as the reduced scale length would offset the difference in the actual tension.

 

[Karl Kaminski]

I love light-gauge tapes (50-105) on a long-scale bass, but they are floppy. Not a problem for me, but I'm worried they might be floppy to the point of being unplayable on a short scale.

you could test (the probability) of what the same brand short scale set might be...

Place a capo on the 2nd fret your 34" scale bass and detune back to E —this will approximate the feel/response of a short scale 'same set/gauge'.


you're right about the nut, but don't be scared off from learning to replace the nut. while its not as simple as changing strings, its a good skill to have without huge tool costs (a basic set of nut files will do the job). And its an easily fixable/repairable thing if you f'it up beyond repair... Just save your OEM nut (make changes to a new nut) and don't do it on a vintage instrument with original nut )

Ive been through LOTS of string demos/testing so having a few nuts for each bass im testing is great for swapping out gauges.

 

[michael_t]

The tape wounds are the equivalent of US$65 in Canada right now...

$65 USD = $92 CAD, plus whatever else might be tacked on.

Or, you can get them off of Amazon Canada for $77.99 CAD.

Amazon.ca

 

[Just Wrong]

$65 USD = $92 CAD, plus whatever else might be tacked on.

Or, you can get them off of Amazon Canada for $77.99 CAD.

Amazon.ca

Yeah, the price is with tax — I'm in Montreal — so $89.68 or US$63 as of today.

 

[J Wilson]

I see what you're getting at, but the catch for me is that trying many different brands, I'm sure that some may register identical tension for a given string at a certain pitch, but may feel more or less tight/flexible, owing to core wire, how many/what kinds of wraps, etc.

Strings . . . . are a black art.

 

[michael_t]

Yeah, the price is with tax — I'm in Montreal — so $89.68 or US$63 as of today.

Sucks to be a Canuck, eh? I do share your pain!

 

[darwin-bass]

It's a really easy experiment, easier than changing strings. Detune and play away. See how it feels. My guess is the change in felt stiffness will be small enough to not notice when you're playing music. And easily compensated by shifting your right hand a bit toward the bridge.

 

[ChristoMephisto]

30.75 scale? Hagstrom or Guild use those scale lengths, you maybe stuck with having to use medium scale strings
I was lucky enough to get some Labella LTF from a Quebec seller before the price went up off of Reverb

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Place a capo on the 2nd fret your 34" scale bass and detune back to E —this will approximate the feel/response of a short scale 'same set/gauge'.

or alternatively you could tune all the strings down to DGCF at 34" scale and capo the 2nd fret for a 30" feel

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Sucks to be a Canuck, eh? I do share your pain!

Try being in Australia for buying bass strings.

 

[Just Wrong]

Try being in Australia for buying bass strings.

Are there any string makers in your region of the world? All the string makers I know are in the US, Western Europe (or TI in Central Europe) and Magma in Argentina.

 

[tsheldon]

I think it is a reasonable experiment to do since it costs nothing and takes practically no time, and you can at least experiment a bit with how lower tension feels. That being said, the difference from rounds to tapes is so extreme that I believe this experiment will not necessarily be all that helpful in the grand scheme of whether you will like tapes or not. However, if you are worried about tension, you can just look for tapes with a bit higher tension; tapes do generally have lower tension than rounds, but you are talking about tapes with a 105 E string, whereas there are tapes intended for standard tuning with up to 115 on the E.

I’m sorry to disappoint but matching the tension won’t tell you much about the feel of a different type of string. There’s a second variable at play: Flexibility.

Two strings could be at the exact same measured tension and the one which is more flexible will still feel softer. This is why most bass sets tension is different from string to string and still feel similar.