bass string tension chart

Click here to see my ultimate bass guitar string tension chart! For years, the standard for basses was either the Fender Precision or Jazz bass (to the point that in the late 60s/early 70s, people referred to playing electric bass as playing a Fender bass). If you want your sound to remind people of the golden days of Motown, we'd recommend our Precision Flats, which have a vintage "thump!" In contrast, Pressurewounds have the final cover wrap run through two rollers during the winding process, which squeezes the string to more of an oval shape. Depends on what strings you're using for the EADG strings, but if it's 45-100 or thicker I'd recommend a 145 for enough similar tension. Thank you for your support! The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. This chart is cool, but I don't really see what it does that this website doesn't, unfortunately. If you have chosen a D'Addario set as a starting point for your custom set, we have provided the correct information for each string in that set for you already. INSTRUMENT Please select Violin Viola Cello Double Bass … It has all the string gauges and pitches in a grid, so I could figure out what string gauge I would want to use for an alternate tuning. Multiply the pounds listed by 1.06 for 25.5 inch scale guitars. Of the flats I've used, here's how I'd rate their tension from. To find out the tension of a particular string, you need three variables: the Unit Weight, the Scale Length, and the Frequency or Pitch of the string you will be using. To find the winding length for your instrument, measure from the ball end of the bridge to just past the nut (ideally, between the nut and the closest tuning peg to the nut). First, thanks for asking! Also, anyone that has used a Warwick bass has realized that the bridge design almost guarantees that if you use a "standard long scale" string on your 5 string Warwick, the winding of the B string will start somewhere between the nut and the first fret. Scale Length - A longer scale length means EDIT: The chart is based on the D'Addario Nickel Wound strings, but I presume the relative tensions remain the same per different brand and string type, e.g. Below the chart I have my personal recommendations for achieving a nicely balanced tension in different tunings, but you can skip that if you'd like. Other Considerations A common misconception is that the tension of a string is the same as the feel of the Wound String Materials 80/20 Bronze — Composed of 80% copper and 20% zinc, commonly referred to as brass. You may change this information if you choose. Don't see your question? Today I decided to pretty it up and add all the string gauges D'Addario lists in their guide. This retains the roundwound character, but gives a smoother feel and a mellower sound; new, these sound like a set of rounds after a couple of weeks of playing. Unfortunately strings cannot simply list a tension number or score that applies universally to all basses. Secondly, the Ibanez Crossover VI is an instrument in the style of the Fender Bass VI, and as such has completely different string needs than a standard set of bass strings can provide. I prefer kilograms myself, but the actual units aren't really important. Not too tight, not too loose. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. components come into play. Case in point is the Hofner Beatle Bass, an instrument that is "short scale" at 30" but due to the bridge design, requires a string that has a 34" winding length (most commonly referred to as "medium scale" length). Enjoy the extended range of products that are offered for your instruments. On this page you have the options to change the tuning of your instrument. What determines the scale length of an instrument? Tension on a given guitar string is a product of the scale length, the pitch that the string is tuned up to and the mass of the string, which is pretty well related to gauge, but a little bit different and we’ll talk about that a little bit later in the video. Gold Supporters see zero ads! Standard tunings are shown in bold type; use the additional frequencies to calculate tension for strings when using altered tunings. The winding length is the distance from the ball end of the string to either the beginning of the silked end, or to where the string starts to taper at the tuning end. The rich, warm tone is also a major characteristic. TalkBass utilizes technology from Skimlinks that may give us a small affiliate commission on purchases made via links on our site. The purpose of the chart is so you can compare the current string gauges you are using to a different one. There are a LOT of different variables that go into the final sound of a bass, but let's assume that you already have everything dialed in the way you want it with your bass and amp/rig. with the string is made. As gauges increase, so does overall output and bass response. If there is no information available, you have the ability to change the note and octaves represented per string as described in the Notes and Octaves section below. T (Tension) = (UW x (2 x L x F)2) / 386.4 To convert the result into Newtons,simply multiply by 4.45. Reddit's Loudest and Most In-Tune Community of Bassists This was referredt to as "Standard Long Scale," which would fit most 34" scale basses, and that was it. Community resources, and extensive FAQ for players new and old. While I prefer the tension of the Chromes, the Fender strings have more "thump" than the Chromes do- I think the Chromes are a bit smoother sounding and have more top end. Augustine Classical Strings are designed to give you endless possibilities that will best suit your particular needs. universally to all basses. :), New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Electric, acoustic, upright, and otherwise. The closer the tension values are, the closer those strings will feel to the other ones for the same tuning. tell you one thing it does: it takes about 5 seconds to find the info you want in the chart. ... core of a classical string which is then polished to a smooth surface that resembles a flat wound guitar or bass string. Create an account with the ability to save your custom specifications, such as tunings, instruments and sets. View All Strings, Sorted by Material / Winding, Our Picks - Best Bass Strings for Different Styles, Halfround / Groundwound Strings (All Brands), Masterlist of Strings by Type (Winding, Material). See the bass strings explained article for more information about scale length. brand with the smaller gauge could feel more tense than a larger one,  after the other Thicker bass strings have more mass and therefore more tension. I'm replacing roundwounds on my jazz bass. Two different Gauge - Thicker bass strings have more mass and therefore more tension. Sure, people can recommend flatwound strings for motown, but there are a lot of guys that use them for other things as well. Both strings use Alloy 52 (a highly magnetic nickel-iron alloy) for the cover wraps, and have our signature core-to-cover ratio. type of strings on the same bass, buying a thicker set will equate to more What is String Tension? Build your own custom set from the bottom up with access to every string D'Addario manufactures. Because of this, when you get to the very heaviest string (or strings in the case of a 7 or 8 string guitar or 5 string bass), you may find it best to ramp the tension down slightly to avoid excess bass response overpowering other strings in the set. The best way for you to decide which of our strings sets will sound best on your guitar is simple: try them and let your ears be the judge. That said, while you can achieve these characteristic nuances of the upright on ANY set of strings, many people prefer the warmth and feel of our Precision Flatwound strings or our Tapewound strings to help them get closer. the tension - or, how loose or stiff your electric bass strings feel. Beginning at the apex of your bass guitar here is the order of the strings and the open note associated with each. a string and how they will affect the tension. Discussion in 'Strings [BG]' started by autoglide, Oct 19, 2009. the website looks slicker, but it's slow as hell to find out what you wanna know. If you want an even warmer sound with an initial percussive thump and quick decay, we'd recommend our Tapewound strings, which are the most mellow sound we can give you, that can emulate an upright bass. String gauges—the diameter of the string—are expressed in thousandths of an inch. First, it is not recommended to put a long scale string (that has a 36.5" winding length) on a short scale instrument. the wire in which the wrapping (nickel, steel) etc. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The tension values are in pounds. String tension is the amount of force a string has when tuned to a specific pitch. Bass Guitar String Tension Chart A few years ago I made a chart based off the D'Addario Tension Guide . We know that more and more, the string tension of packaged sets is becoming important information. Bass - the string with extra life to suit the player for all seasons. However, with the advent of string-thru body bridges and different builders pushing the boundaries of what instruments were, choosing a set of strings just based on scale length is not feasible anymore. In my experience the Fender 9050ML flats are higher (not lower) tension than D'Addario Chromes. 2813 Wilbur AveBattle Creek, MI 49037P: 800-388-4447F:800-860-6913. Supporting Members list unlimited gear with no listing fees in the Classifieds, get instant Keyword Alerts, and get Free Shipping at the TalkBass Store. If you know what tension you want the string to have,you can calculate the string unit weight. Bass guitar strings are usually named for the keynotes produced when the open string is played. Access our Instrument Standards Library for information about tuning, scale lengths and string arrangements of over 275 instruments. We hope that this will provide you the knowledge and information that you are looking for. An open string is one string that is not pressed down on top of any fret. The guide features information on how to calculate string tension, a frequency chart, tension specifications for all of their bass string sets and singles, plus a few other GHS Strings facts. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Guitar String Tension Chart. How often do you play your bass around the house without amplification. With the bigger strings, aside from making it very hard to fit the string through the tuning post (especially the smaller tuning posts found on many short scale instruments), you can cause undue stress on the core wire, which can lead to the string breaking. Our site uses cookies to enhance your experience and understand how you use our site.