Why do you use the tension you do?

[Rayjay]

I only use 0.40-0.95 or equivalent roundwounds, GHS or TI flats, and gut stings on DB. I am a low tension man. Anything else just doesn't feel right. I can't find the pocket. The tone is slightly thicker on lighter strings too.

And FWIW, I CAN understand why people would prefer higher tension than me.

 

[Jon Moody]

On anything other than my Fender (and Fender-esque) basses, I use a light set. Usually .040-.055-.075-.095-.120 with a .030 for my 6 string.

On the Fenders, oddly enough anything under .045-.105 feels off. So, they get the medium sets.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I can't for the life of me understand why some bassists use light tension strings. For me, high tension strings allow me to put less energy into each pluck

I'm baffled by the 'less energy' comment (my lack of understanding, not an attack!).

I use light strings and volume's not a problem with a light touch, and that's with action variously 1.5mm to 2mm 12th fret E, depending on bass/sound.

The negative is that playing with fingernails is more sensitive to length of the nails (dragging) with lower tension strings.

 

[GretschWretch]

I began playing and played for years on nothing but flats: Fender, Gibson, Hofner, LaBella, Vox -- whatever was available -- and I also play DB, so tension is not an issue for me. This being said, I now prefer to use a string set gauged .40 .060 .080 .100 regardless of string type or brand. I have found that this gauge minimizes neck bow and helps combat any dead spots the bass might have.

 

[GregT]

I just took the brand new Chromes off my Jazz V and put the brand new DR FatBeams back on. I am a TI Flats guy on my Precisions, but they sound muddy on a Jazz V. The Chromes were my favorite sound so far, but I couldn't deal with the high tension. The FatBeams and lower tension and sound great. I can't play with the nuances I enjoy when I use high tension strings; a lot of the little things disappear in my playing.

 

[Mudcat35]

I typically like higher-tension strings. Anything I use is a hex-core, and I don't get along well at all with round core strings. The reason is that I'm a pretty physical player; I like to dig in with my right hand and my left hand is pretty strong. Lower-tension strings have too much excursion for me and sound clacky with my playing style.

 

[ZorgRift]

high tension because my left hand does ungodly things and i must punish it

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

I go between 45-105 and 45-100 when I use daddario, Ernie ball, and DR

5 strings are always 45-130

 

[adube810]

The negative is that playing with fingernails is more sensitive to length of the nails (dragging) with lower tension strings.

this is one of the issues I face as well with the lower tension sets, but with good technique and amp/eq treble settings it can be mitigated down to being negligible.

 

[EtoBb]

Are string gauges directly related to tension?

OP asked about tension and most people are reporting their gauges. Can't there be floppy thick strings and floppy thin strings? For round wounds I use DR Lo Riders, which are supposed to be high tension strings, but I also use them in their thinnest gauge. Actually, I use whatever is the thinnest gauge currently available at the shop, which could be different from their thinnest gauge.

A few years ago I read a pretty compelling thread on TB that argued that thinner gauge strings may be tighter than thicker gauge strings. I don't know if there is any validity in that statement, but it caused me to experiment with low gauge Lo Riders which I have really enjoyed.

For flat wounds I use D'addario chromes, but I have no idea what their gauge or tension is. they have been on there for a long time.

 

[Tom Howland]

I prefer low-tension strings. ( TI-JF344 Flats ) I have a light right-hand touch. And low-tension string allow me to play faster.

 

[GeneralElectric]

I used to use heavy gauge rotosound and labella flats with medium high action for the majority of my bass playing career.

Now?

I use TI flats for some stuff which have notoriously low tension. Otherwise I use heavy gauge DR HiBeams. I have a feather touch. My action is slammed against the fretboard with very little relief. I've had other bassists try my basses and it sounds like a horrible buzzy mess while I play everything nice and clean.

My touch has gone from super heavy to extremely delicate. I can get a nice full sound by playing lightly. Me "digging in" is less than most people's normal touch but it sounds mean as hell.

I can play higher tension strings without issue. I have very large and strong hands. However I can get better dynamics with low action and nice strings that aren't bridge cables.

 

[Thumper19605]

Permanent nerve damage from carpel tunnel.

 

[GIBrat51]

Uhhh.... because that's how I tune the strings???

Seriously, though... String tension, balanced tension, etc., is something I don't think about - ever. Whatever strings I like on a particular bass, I like for the sound; as for everything else, they are what they are. Simple as that... I do understand why lots of people do care about it, and they certainly have valid reasons - and have given them. If you share those concerns - that's fine. I just don't happen to...

 

[fishdreams]

I went recently from 40-100 rounds/TI Flats with low setup to 106-44 high tension steels/white tapewounds Labella 110-60 flats with a medium/high setup.
Took my left hand a week to get used to it but my tone is just SO much better/closer to what i was looking for. I am playing more relaxed as a result.

 

[Lorenzini]

Prefer low tension strings. Can do more with them in all styles. I play pick, finger and slap. Higher tension makes certain slap techniques more difficult.

Most funk slap guys play a lower tension string, Wooten and Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke and Anthony Wellington, and Ethan Farmer, to name a few of the well known ones. They all play low tension Dunlops or DRs or Fodera strings.

Some incredible fingerstyle techniques seem to be possible with high tension, bringing to mind Henrik Linder, Armando Gola, John Patitucci and Hadrien Feraud, who play higher tension Elixers, D'Addario and DRs, etc.

In the end though, it's what you're accustomed to and what you've spent the most time with. Doesn't truly make that much of a diff if you're a practiced player.

 

[Sparkdog]

Alrighty, I'll give it a whirl!

I don't know that I ever paid much attention to string tension as a young player, but as my style has developed over the years I've noticed that my right hand touch has gotten lighter, and that it gives me greater control over the dynamics. I tend to use a lot of left hand techniques too, including vibrato, bends, and sliding into notes. All of these things have lead me to lighter, lower tension strings. They just let me play more expressively.

I play a variety of musical styles and I've learned that what works for me in most any situation is a jazz bass with the right strings. I currently have 4 working basses for stage and studio, each with different string types. My instruments are strung with these:

- D'Addario tapewounds (50-105). My go-to for roots music, jazz, and the occasional unplugged type gig. They are very flexible and super smooth to the touch.
- Ernie Ball light gauge flatwounds (40-95). These have everything I love about flats but are flexible and very comfortable to play.
- DR Sunbeams (40-100). The perfect combination of brightness, warmth, and flexibility. These are on my "Swiss army knife" active jazz and work for just about anything.
- Rotosound 66 Swing Bass (45-105). These are on my Lakland DJ, my hard rock bass. There's still nothing else that sounds like them to me, and even in the standard gauge the tension is not bad, quite flexible.

I'm constantly experimenting with strings, and any time I put on a set that feels stiff I feel like my playing is stiff too. Just doesn't work for me.

 

[Jay2U]

I can't for the life of me understand why some bassists use light tension strings. For me, high tension strings allow me to put less energy into each pluck and move my right hand faster across them, as well as do things like triplets and sixteenths. I've played many a bass with light strings and always felt like I was trying too hard... In fact, this is what led me to flats in the first place and I've been using them exclusively for close to the last ten years (760fm)....

Same here. Tight flatwounds make me super fast. The resistance of the strings makes my fingers bounce off, instantly ready for the next attack. Somehow it takes less effort to play fast.

 

[4andnomore]

In a word, TONE - LaBella flats.

 

[bolophonic]

I select strings based on tone, rather than tension. I have six different basses with six different tensioned sets of strings. Some might lend themselves to certain styles or songs, but each of them is nice to play.