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Why so few Roundwounds options for 5-strings? And they're always smaller gauge

C

Coconut_Head

Jul 25, 2024
20
5
#1
Just that. Why is it so hard to find roundwound options for 5-string bass with the Low B's?

If you're playing a string tuned so low, it usually sounds less defined, so why would you want to use flatwounds for this which should effectively make it even less defined? Wouldn't having a roundwound Low B be better, so that the extra crispness could aid in clearing up the muddiness?

And when I do find roundwound 5-strings, why are they lighter gauge than their their specific flatwound counterparts? Since the roundwounds already bring added brightness, why would you want to make the tone (relatively) even thinner? I think that having at least the same gauge of the otherwise same kind of strings would leave the weight more intact.

Seems to me that you'd generally want to tame the extremes rather than exaggerate them. Seems like meeting in the middle would make more sense in most cases. Similar how rosewood-back acoustic guitars usually don't end up with monel strings on them, but mahogany-backed guitars do.

Am I missing something here?


Edit: Also where can I find good thicker-gauge strings for my Sire V5 5-string that are roundwounds? Entirely for recording purposes.
 
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#2
Where have you been looking? There are vastly more roundwound 5 string sets than there are flatwound sets, and gauges are comparable. If anything, flatwound B strings can tend on the thinner side.

D'addario has good, plentiful, cheap, and widely available options. There are countless other brands that provide what you are looking for. Take a swing through Fretnation to see what's out there.
 
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#3
Roundwounds for fives are everywhere from just about any maker you can think of, and as LF104 points out, there are far fewer flatwound choices.

BTW, despite what you've been told, unless it's a HUGE jump in gages up or down, bigger strings generally don't sound bigger. Identify which brand sounds best (which can take a while test-driving different brands) to you, then buy the gages that feel best. If stainless rounds are too raspy or clavinet-like, a good '3 Bears' choice are nickel wounds. I'd recommend D'Ad XL's or NYXL's, or GHS Boomers, which strike a nice balance between meat and sizzle.
 
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#4
To be fair, I've experimented on electric and acoustic guitar strings, but not yet on bass strings. I've always liked Thomastik-Infeld roundwounds for my electrics and Curt Mangan, John Pearse, and Martin strings on my acoustic.

Those are mostly the brands I looked through for my 5-string bass, but I did look around other brands too and my post describes my experience. Maybe I have to venture more outside these companies as well as outside Sweetwater and Musicians Friend options. I've liked some D'addario acoustic strings I've used, but my Sire currently has D'addario EXL mediums and they feel still too floppy

And I don't want bigger sound, I want tighter sounding and feeling without losing any weight (although it'd be ideal to gain weight on A D, and G), and every time I'ver gone smaller-gauge I have lost some of the weight unless I pick a certain way, but then it sounds messier and feels looser.
 
#8
Coconut_Head said:
To be fair, I've experimented on electric and acoustic guitar strings, but not yet on bass strings. I've always liked Thomastik-Infeld roundwounds for my electrics and Curt Mangan, John Pearse, and Martin strings on my acoustic.

Those are mostly the brands I looked through for my 5-string bass, but I did look around other brands too and my post describes my experience. Maybe I have to venture more outside these companies as well as outside Sweetwater and Musicians Friend options. I've liked some D'addario acoustic strings I've used, but my Sire currently has D'addario EXL mediums and they feel still too floppy

And I don't want bigger sound, I want tighter sounding and feeling without losing any weight (although it'd be ideal to gain weight on A D, and G), and every time I'ver gone smaller-gauge I have lost some of the weight unless I pick a certain way, but then it sounds messier and feels looser.
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I don't know if you necessarily need to go outside of the Sweetwater and Musician's Friend options. They stock the big players who are going to have the most reliable and varied options.

D'Addario, Ernie Ball, DR, La Bella, Elixir, and Dunlop (to name just a few) all offer a 130 B string. I know D'Addario sells singles up to 170.
 
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#9
LightForce104 said:
I don't know if you necessarily need to go outside of the Sweetwater and Musician's Friend options. They stock the big players who are going to have the most reliable and varied options.

D'Addario, Ernie Ball, DR, La Bella, Elixir, and Dunlop (to name just a few) all offer a 130 B string. I know D'Addario sells singles up to 170.
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I consider 130 medium-light. Like I said, I have D'addario EXL 135 on the B and it feels floppy. I did not see any thicker than that from D'Addario when I looked a couple months ago but I will look again
 
#10
Never experienced any shortcomings with any of my fave brand B string(Dadd, DR, GHS), I do like .125 tapereds...singles available from Strings By Mail.
 
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#11
Coconut_Head said:
I consider 130 medium-light. Like I said, I have D'addario EXL 135 on the B and it feels floppy. I did not see any thicker than that from D'Addario when I looked a couple months ago but I will look again
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Here's the link to the D'Addario singles. Something to note is that you're really fighting physics once you get that thick of a string. You'll probably get a lot of inharmonicity the higher up the neck you play.
 
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#12
if you consider .135 medium light I think that's likely the issue. .125 and .130 are most common for 5 strings. Check out some of the Dunlop sets that are specifically for drop tunings if you want thicker gauges.

I have a hunch string gauge isn't going to solve your issue if you feel the B is floppy though. Scale length likely will - moving to a 35" 5 string or checking out a fanned fret multi scale where the B may be as long as 37"
 
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#13
I have many different 5 strings, Fender, Musicman, Lakland, etc with both rounds (DR Hi-Beams are my jam) and D'Adarrio Chromes, 125's and 130's….and I am having trouble understanding the feeling that they are 'floppy'.

Are you plucking up by the neck by chance?
 
#15
Coconut_Head said:
I consider 130 medium-light. Like I said, I have D'addario EXL 135 on the B and it feels floppy.
Click to expand...

Gauge, tension, and stiffness are 3 different things.

I'll let smarter people complete and/or correct me, but here's what I think I know :
  • Gauge is just the thickness of the string ; measurable
  • Tension is the force required to bring a string to a certain pitch (= how much the strings pulls longitudinally), and is a function of unit mass, scale length, and pitch (unit mass is similar to linear density, and affected by the gauge, but also by construction and alloys used) ; well-defined by a formula
  • Stiffness is how the tension is perceived, so it relates to how tight the string feels on a given instrument.
    It depends on tension, on the type of string (alloy, construction, core ; a classic example is that a hex core should feel stiffer than a round core, with everything else being equal) AND the instrument the string is mounted on (as pointed out by @Supadope) : the setup, the construction of the instrument (things like the length between the nut and the tuning post, how the neck and body are connected, break angles, neck stiffness,...), and apparently much more ; I believe we start getting into "tone wood territory" where we have a multi-variable problem where everything interacts with everything, and everyone has different feelings, opinions and experiences that can be hard to replicate (science left the chat basically)
You are going up in gauge to increase tension in hope of getting a stiffer string, but it is not the only way, as it is only one of many variables.
 
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#18
First off, I see soooo many choices for rounds in 5-string sets, so not sure where you are (or aren't) shopping, OP.

Second, I have several 5ers with .125 (DR Sunbeam, 35" scale), .130 (DR Fatbeam, 34"), and .128 (GHS Pressurewound, 34"), and none of them feel floppy. If a .135 feels floppy, I would have to assume that it's either a setup or an instrument issue, or both.
 
#19
Try Kalium strings. Huge choice in string gauge. You can build a custom set to your taste. They'll sell you a bridge cable if you so desire.

kaliummusic.com

Premium, Extended Range, Bass Guitar Strings | Kalium Music

Kalium Music is a major manufacturer of premium strings for electric, acoustic, and bass guitars. Enjoy the extended range of products that are offered for your instruments.
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