String Gauge: Mostly D#, 2 Songs In Drop C#

[Jack]

Hey folks.

The band I'm in plays standard rock and pop covers. Usually I use my Fender P Bass and the set is roughly half fingers, half pick. We tune down half a step (for reasons I can't fathom, but hey ho) so most of the night my tuning is D# G# C# F#. This has been just fine with Fender Super Bass 45 65 85 110 that do brilliantly. We've recently added 2 songs however that are originally in drop D, so we're having to go to C# G# C# F# and the .110 is getting a bit floppy. I'm happy to go to a heavier string (something like a .120) but I don't want to write this bass off as always being in that tuning. I still want to play it in D# all the rest of the night and I like it in E for my playing at home. I'm worried that anything heavier than a .110 would be really bad for the neck in D# or E.


Personally I'm tempted to just put up with the slight flop for the two songs. Thoughts?

[chrismuzz]

I use exactly the same tuning in my cover band! I've had pretty good results using 45 65 85 105, but with stainless steel hexagonal cored strings so they feel stiffer. Brands that I know of that use hex cores are D'Addario, Elites, and Elixirs.

EDIT: Oh, and I just remembered Newtone Strings! They use hex cores too, and you can ask them to custom make you a set if you do want to go heavier than a .110

Edited March 12, 2013 by chrismuzz

[jackers]

I use 105 gauge DR High Beams and I can easily get the low string down to C without it being floppy. It is less tense, ofcourse, but I play pretty heavily and don't get much fretbuzz at all, even when digging in.

Also, if you are into flats, the set of Chromes I'm currently testing out (45-105) can get down to B just fine.

Edited March 13, 2013 by jackers