Why are b-strings so hard to get right?

[bucephylus]

Sorry, but I'm not understanding the OP. It sounds like you have had several perfectly adequate B strings and are asking what the floppy B factors are? Is that it?

I agree with a lot of the points previous posters have described, especially neck stiffness. The first reliably decent B strings I remember playing on production basses were the SR5's. Great basses. Most higher end 5's irrespective of 34 or 35 have decent B strings. My Tobias 6 has apparent string tension across all 6 strings that seems almost perfectly uniform to me.

I don't see what the problem is. A B string is never going to feel or respond like an E string. Is that what people are worried about? If so, get over it. It's a different string. The E doesn't feel like the A either; but, we don't spend a whole lot of time talking about it. Amazing, huh?

The main issue I have had with B strings is that they tend to go dead sooner than the other strings, which can compound the sense of a bad response. My hypothesis for that is the larger break angle at the bridge due to the saddle position causes more metallurgical damage at the witness point. But, that's a whole other discussion.

 

[gnarlyWarlock]

I'd recommend always going heavy gauge on it, lest you have something that naturally takes care of the lack of tension, like fanned fret basses.

 

[Doner Designs]

One thing you can try is to use flatwound strings which are usually much higher tension. I even have drop tuners on my flatwound B strings...still plenty of tension even with a low A.

Roto, Daddario and Ernie Ball all make flats that are very bright.

 

[Ric5]

Because basses are meant to be 4 string. Really

That's just wrong ...

 

[spade2you]

Speaking of nuts and b-strings, here's what happened when I strung my L2K BEAD:

View attachment 608853

Yep. B strings ruin basses.

 

[Thomas Kievit]

D string in this case

Yep. B strings ruin basses.

 

[Obese Chess]

I'd recommend always going heavy gauge on it, lest you have something that naturally takes care of the lack of tension, like fanned fret basses.

Also true. The only way my 34" Ibanez 5er is playable in drop-A, which my band tunes to, is with a high-tension .140 on it.

 

[Ianhin]

The B on my Gio is a bit soft when i play it through a small speaker but the B volume jumps up when i play through a bigger rigbut ......on my SR605 it s loud. It s also a thicker gauge.

 

[Belka]

I'm sorry but I'm really not convinced by the neck stiffness argument. It is important to have a stiff neck, but if the neck was moving all over the place all the strings would sound bad and it would be constantly going out of tune.
A 'good' B string sound is generally down to the sonic character of the bass. The reason that StingRay 5s, Roscoes, and Ken Smiths get that tight B sound is all down to the pickup placement - that middy character inherent to them. A jazz bass, when both pickups are on, has a hollow sound without that middy character, and is perceived as floppy (Fenders always got a bad rap for their B strings). Some builders get around this by tweaking their pickups/ preamps to get a thicker muddier sound (Sadowsky). Generally though, when you solo a pickup on a 5 string jazz the 'flop' disappears.
A longer scale will make the B sound bigger / more thunderous but it can't make the hollow sound / flop disappear. A thicker B string will sound good in the lower range but pretty weird higher up the neck with all kind of weird overtones. Tapered strings aren't the answer either. Any I used sounded bizarre past the 6th fret. The best B string I've ever played is a 120 Fodera. It sounds just like the rest of the strings. Which is what you generally want.

 

[TyBo]

I have a fiver, and the B string rattles my teeth when I hit it, unamplified. To me that's the key. If it don't sound good acoustically, it ain't gonna sound good amplified. I know there are those who will take issue with this ("The pickups are the only thing that matters!"), but it's so. Get a B string that resonates unamplified, and your problems are solved. Key to that? Gotta have a solid connection all the way from the bridge to the headstock, neck joint in particular, as that's where things really tend to go south.

There's your answer. You'll find disagreement from those without experience of this, but there it is. Start up old argument ...

 

[Belka]

I have a fiver, and the B string rattles my teeth when I hit it, unamplified. To me that's the key. If it don't sound good acoustically, it ain't gonna sound good amplified. I know there are those who will take issue with this ("The pickups are the only thing that matters!"), but it's so. Get a B string that resonates unamplified, and your problems are solved. Key to that? Gotta have a solid connection all the way from the bridge to the headstock, neck joint in particular, as that's where things really tend to go south.

There's your answer. You'll find disagreement from those without experience of this, but there it is. Start up old argument ...

What basses don't have a solid connection from the bridge to the headstock?

 

[BadJazz]

What basses don't have a solid connection from the bridge to the headstock?

And if your teeth rattle playing an unamped b-string you should get to a dentist STAT.

 

[TyBo]

What basses don't have a solid connection from the bridge to the headstock?

Most of 'em that I've played. With mass production, there's usually/often a gap between the end of the neck and the beginning of the neck pocket. That's the biggest fault I've found, over time, with many instruments (guitars too). My guess is they're leaving tolerances in the machining to make sure things fit even if they're not cut exactly right, but that's just a guess. In a way, this is an argument for beautiful, hand built instruments. But it also seems that some cheap Asian instruments have a nice tight fit, for some reason (I've had several such). Go figure.

Of course, a nice do it yourself project is guaranteed to have the specs you like, so that's a pretty good way to go!

 

[BadJazz]

Most of 'em that I've played. With mass production, there's usually/often a gap between the end of the neck and the beginning of the neck pocket. That's the biggest fault I've found, over time, with many instruments (guitars too). My guess is they're leaving tolerances in the machining to make sure things fit even if they're not cut exactly right, but that's just a guess. In a way, this is an argument for beautiful, hand built instruments. But it also seems that some cheap Asian instruments have a nice tight fit, for some reason (I've had several such). Go figure.

Of course, a nice do it yourself project is guaranteed to have the specs you like, so that's a pretty good way to go!

I haven't looked that closely at the pocket of my G&L 5'er. I'll take a look when I get down to the studio in a bit. No complaints about the sound, though.

 

[Boom762]

So how many inches does a B string need to be to allow for it's frequency to be met right? 36 inches? 40 inches? Seems like whatever the answer we could just start making basses that have an extended B section the way a banjo has different lengths. a 4 string 35 inch scale bass with a 40 inch scale edge for just the B string.

 

[TyBo]

They'll do as they are if they're made right.

 

[MrLenny1]

I have four 5 string Low B axes. All 34" scale.
Low B is good on all basses and I use an Acme 2x10
or Eden XST 2x10 which are optimized for the B string.
Both cabs handle the low B really well.

 

[King Kolon]

I play both 4 and 5 str.Fender.Jazz. Basses. They both play amazingly well. They both have that Piano String sound. But tonality they are different. The 5th.Jazz is very powerful caused it is a Custom Shop 36" scale Neck with 24 frets. Duncan HotStax pick-ups. Very Hot for Passive only Bass, clear as a bell and powerful. The 4str. jazz Bass is also has a Piano String sound, but way biter and funkier than most other Basses l have played. It also has Duncan ClassicStax Pick-ups and very powerful itself for Passive only Bass. It's a 34" scale with 21 frets on it. Both are a pleasure to play and are my staple for my palate and my style. And the Sound Awesome. I have 6 different Amp/Cab. Combos. John B.

 

[Blankandson]

I guess having an old German Warwick I just don't have this issue. My B has a sharp on-pitch in-your-gut sound that amplified will kill. It may get weak as it moves up past the 12th fret but I just use the B down low. I use Silver tapered rounds from DR, 130 usually if I can get them, 120 otherwise. Both sound killer with all the punch I want and need. I use a GK500 Fusion through a 2x12 Neo cab.

 

[bassbenj]

Speaking of nuts and b-strings, here's what happened when I strung my L2K BEAD:

I presume you didn't bother to file the grooves in the nut wider for the fatter strings, right? Duh!

Often the B string does that too, although the D string has more tension and hence more force to split the nut apart.

You often can go to a high C without filing or replacing the nut, but not the other way!