Full Circle With Strings…

Sorry for not posting for such a very, very long time… Many things have happened since I started this blog earlier this year… I will try to start posting more regularly these days. I just have to start getting into the habit…

So first off, I would like to announce that I am right back where I started with respect to strings… I have pretty much used D’Addario ProSteel bass strings ever since I started playing bass about 7 years ago. They stainless steel with a hex core, and have that very bright, piano like tone… Also, they are cheap, and available in many single gauges and lengths at juststrings.com. Since my main bass has a 35” scale length, there are a limited number of strings that I can use as most strings are made for 34” scale length and would be a too short to clear the nut… Some of the strings available that fit 35” scale length basses are Ken Smith, and DR. There are a few others, but you will have to do some research on your own…

So I haven’t played in standard 6 string bass tuning (BEADGC) for many years now. I flip between (ADGCFA#) and (E0/ADGCF) in which the E is one octave below standard E on electric bass. I will be switching back to ADGCFA# very shortly as I have come to some realizations about strings, scale length, and tunings in the past weeks… Here are my findings:

I am currently using the Warwick Black Label Stainless Steel .175 string tuned to E0. This is an expensive string that is about $30.00 each on eBay. I think it was developed to be tuned to low F# on a 35” scale length bass (Warwick Vampyre Dark Lord)… Here’s what I like about the string: It fits a 35” scale length bass, it’s readily available, it has a taper core with one heavy wrap on the part that goes over the bridge… What I don’t like is that it is dark sounding for a stainless steel string, and it really sounds better tuned to D0 (18.35 hz) rather than E0(20.6 hz) or F#0 (23.12 hz). Tuned to E0 on my bass the string reaches about 33.39 lbs. This seems for me to be too tight because the open string does not sustain for very long, and feels and sounds like a choked thud… When I tune the string down to D0, the string tension goes down to about 26.5 lbs, which allows the note to blossom and open up… I think this string could work well on a 34” scale length bass tuned to E0. It should reach about 31.5 lbs of tension tuned to that pitch… I have yet to try this as I don’t have another bass I can set up that way yet…

Now, back to the D’Addario ProSteels…
Their .145 Pro Steel tuned to A0 (27.5 hz) is a think of beauty. It is very bright and piano like, and the tension is very nice at about 34.83 lbs. Please check out the string tension chart on D’Addario’s website to see where I’m getting all these numbers from…
I am in the process of changing my strings to the following: .145, .105, .080, .060, .045, .032 tuned to ADGCFA#.
I had experimented with a .110 for a D string, and .090 for the G string, .065 for the C string, and .050 for the F string.
The .110 tuned to D (drop) reaches about 38.72 lbs, the .090 tuned to G is about 45.34 lbs, and the .065 and .050 are over 40 lbs of tension. I think these feel OK, but a little harder to play on, but they also again choke the string and don’t allow the notes to blossom and sustain for as long as they should.
As for optimum string tension, they should range from low 30 lbs for the low strings to mid to high 30 lbs for the higher strings…

As for other strings, I thought I liked the Ken Smith Stainless Steel Strings, but they didn’t sound so good on my 6 string bass with Nordstrand Big Singles. They sounded a bit weak and mushy for some reason… Then I tried them on my cheapie 4 string P/J bass and they sounded worse… DR strings just seem expensive to me. I am in the process of changing my 4 stringer over to drop tuning DGCF. I had it tuned normally, EADG and used Ernie Ball Slinky Nickel Round Wound strings which sounded great. I will probably continue to use those on the 4 stringer…

So that’s it for now with regard to strings…