I have a Fernandes Tremor 4X, and I've kept the stock strings on so far, since they were okay and I was mostly in EADG & DADG. Now they've worn out, and I have to get myself a new set. But this time I figured I'd get myself a set that'd let me to play in BEAD and AEAD. I know I'll have to resize the nut. So could any of you help me choose a good, durable and warm-sounding set of strings? =D
Warm? Wouldnt know about that... though Elixirs are a bit more mellow than your average crisp roundwounds (though they hold that tone for a lot!). Make your own set from singles, I'd say. 60-80-105-135 should do!
If you're looking for even tension, try 55-70-95-130. 100 is acceptably close in tension to a 130, but the 80 will have nearly 10 lbs more.
ingles are hard to find except online... easiest way is to get a 5-string set and use the lower 4 ... I use D'Addario XL nickels on a BEAD P-bass copy of mine. gauges are 0.130, 0.100, 0.080, 0.065 Not a "warm" sounding set, rather a great all around round wound... if you want something really warm, may I suggest Nylon Tape wounds? They're a whole different string than a steel round-wound, however, and you may not like... I have them on two of my basses, because I love them. The Labellas also take detuning quite well...on my wishbass, I can actually detune my EADG set all the way to BEAD and it's STILL quite playable, but I would STILL recommend going with the 5-string set thing... best prices for LaBellas are at Carvin.com...
D'Addario XL's 160-5 or 170-5. Ditch the G string. DR Lo-Rider Nickels 45,65,85,105,125's or 130. Ditch the G string.
Yeah, but this ends up with insane tension on the D string. Over 50 lbs, right? That's just barely acceptable when the overall tension is greater (as in when there is a G with nearly that much and possibly no B string), but I consider it completely unacceptable for the strings to just ramp up to ludicrous levels like that. YMMV, of course.
...they're gauges from a normal BEADG (0.130, 0.100, 0.080, 0.065, 0.045) set (4/5ths of the D'Addario EXL170-5 set).... tension is 34.5, 36.5, 32.9, and 51.3... yes it's 51.3 lbs...but its not "insane" tension at all...the G-string does not feel exceptionally tight...and if you feel it's "completely unacceptable", well that your perogative...but there's not much difference between the 0.065 @51.3 and the 0.060 @ 42.9...other than the fact the the 0.065 is much more balanced sounding in the set... D'Addario did not throw set gauges together willy-nilly...they did it for a reason...the reason is a good, balanced tone...
I find that the extreme tension is much less noticeable when it's in the company of more high tension strings. In an EADG set those gauges are all right. In a 5-string set they're a little funny. When you take off the G I think that 51.3 lb. D string sticks out like a sore thumb. In my opinion, that's absolutely insane compared to the other strings.
I don't think they are, to be honest. I like the d'Addarios but the tension in the different strings are so out of line I'm looking for something different to use myself.
"Just barely all right," I meant. Obviously this is just my (and your) opinion, but I think it's a very valid position if you care about balanced tension. A nine pound difference between adjacent strings is sub-par, in my opinion, and a 15 lb difference between the greatest and least tensioned string just won't fly at all.
One thing that amazes me is that Troy from Mastodon uses d'Addario ProSteel 165s for AGCF tuning. How loose must that A be? According to d'Addario the bottom string only has 37lbs tension tuned to E!
Alright, I saw a D'Addario 5-string set that had gauges of 70-85-105-135 for the four lower strings. Would this set be a good one to use?
Not for me, anyway. The 70 would have around 60 lbs. of tension on it when tuned to a D. That would be a full 24 lbs. less than the B string. I'd take a 65 to 130 set over that, if I didn't want to put together a custom set.
ok...do what the geektar players have been doing for years.... mix and match... in terms of D'Addario strings.... here's your chart http://www.daddario.com/Resources/JDCDAD/images/tension_chart.pdf you choose... I'll stick to my "go to" XL170 and XL170-5 sets...they've worked for me for years...not changing just because the D string has "insane", "unacceptable" tension
Damn! I wish I knew how you guys can understand the proper amount of tension that a bass can handle without having its neck bent. Is there a specific amount of overall tension from the combined tensions of all the strings that a bass can handle?
yep...sure is....thing is...most basses can handle...a LOT!... 6 basses, some really cheapo...and I've never had a problem with a neck...except for one where the truss rod was damaged and I couldn't get a tool on it to adjust the tension... my cheapest bass...a $65 ebay auction special is strung BEAD with 0.130, 0.100, 0.080, 0.065 (yes that "unacceptable" 51.3lb D string)...and the neck is straight as an arrow...since I leveled the frets a couple of weeks ago and tweaked the action some more, I'm really diggin this bass...has vintage P-bass tone and very good playability in such a cheap package...
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