Low B clarity

[horrorshowbass]

As the title says

Have a 5 string 35" yamaha rbx775 and love it to death. 

Wouldn't mind more low B clarity though and haven't won lotto recently so a 37 " Ding is off the table.

Any experience and tips for better low B clarity?

130 gauge B? Raise action? Raise pickups? EQ accordingly etc?

What strings do you guys recommend for nice even tension?

Thanks in advance 

Michael 

 

[Doctor J]

Strings should get proportionally bigger as you go lower in pitch, in my experience, to keep consistent tension. I use a D'Addario .145 for my B (sometimes drop A) on my 34" ESP Jazz 4 banger which I have tuned BEAD. It's a mighty low, nice feel to it, doesn't feel like overcooked spaghetti like a lot of light B strings.

 

The full set is

B .145

E .107

A .80

D .60

 

Simple rule of thumb is whatever you use for E on a 4 string should translate to your E on a 5 string. Hops of .20 as you get lower simply don't do the job, but a 34" scale bass is just fine for low tunings. Go big with the string.

[itu]

Why not try a .120? It opened my MG Quantum 5 SPi to sound super instead of decent. You need to make trials. There are no short-cuts.

[Hellzero]

Try a set of LaBella Super Stetps SS45-CB, exposed core strings, which is the same as a piano string.

 

You won't find a better definition on all notes and a better intonation.

 

They need a new setup because of their conception, but that's all.

 

These strings are also made by Rotosound as PSD (Piano String Design), F-Bass (rebadged LaBella Super Steps), Galli with stainless steel (MSB) or nickel options (RSB), Fodera (Anthony Jackson set) and I think that's it.

 

Don't mismatch the exposed core with tapered core...

[BigRedX]

Is that your actual bass in the photo? If so it looks as though you have already tried a taper wound B-string. If not try one.

 

IME The extra inch of a 35" scale bass makes little difference to the clarity of low B.

 

What I have found that works are all the following:

 

1. A heavier string. 130 is the MINIMUM I would consider for a low B. If you look at string tension figures for those manufacturers that publish them, the standard 125 low B has a much lower tension than the other strings. 130-135 is a good compromise between getting a more balanced tension and for the string to not be too thick to make playing uncomfortable.

2. Taper-wound string.

3. Moving the pickups away from the lower strings. I'd drop it a couple of mm more from the low B compared with the height away from the G string

4. If the bass has a bolt-on neck making sure it is as tight in the neck pocket as possible. With the bass about a tone way from standard pitch slacken off the neck bolts about a turn. Then bring the strings up to pitch and once this is stable tighten up the neck bolts. This method uses the string tension the pull the neck as tightly as possible into the pocket. IME getting the best sound and feel out of the low B is all about neck stiffness and neck joint construction. You can't do much about the neck stiffness but you can make sure any bolt-on joint between neck and body is as tight as it can go.

[Belka]

Personally from my experience I would not necessarily agree with those talking about the benefits of much thicker strings. They tend to sound thunderous when playing the open B, but the further up the neck you get, the more unusable/hollow/warbly/out of tune they become. You can get great sounding Bs at 118/120. Scale length is part of the equation, and given equal materials a 35" scale and above will give a tighter B, but by no means do you need a longer scale to get a good, tight sound, and some manufacturers these days can get great sounding Bs out of 32/33" scale basses.  

 

I find it very much comes down to the actual manufacturers. I would agree that exposed core/tapered strings tend to sound good: the old LaBella slappers and Deep Talkin' roundwounds had much better B strings than their current offerings. Dunlop nickels (the Super Brights and especially the standards) have a very good B despite being low tension. Overwater have started doing strings and their B strings sound great. 

 

One more thing - I've also had a great low B sound when using roundcore strings (especially Fodera nickels and the sadly discontinued LaBella Deep Talkin' rounds)  - could just be coincidence though.

[franzbassist]

I had Strings Direct put together a custom "balanced tension" set of D'Addario XL nickel roundwounds for me and they are great: 42, 55, 75, 100, 135.

 

No issues with the B at all.

[BigRedX]

IME scale length does make a different on a 36" Overwater Original or the 37" low-B on a Dingwall, but 35" on a budget bass not so much. If a manufacturer can make a 35" scale bass with a decent sounding and feeling low-B they can probably make a 34" scale one too.

 

Neck construction, stiffness and the rigidity of the neck joint (if it's not a through-neck bass) are the most important factors. 

[Sean]

.145

 

 

[Hellzero]

Just as @Belka said raising the thickness of the string is absolutely not the solution, except if you only play an opened B and nothing else.

 

The thicker the string, the worse the intonation is, so with a B string, never go thicker than 0.135 gauge.

 

The clarity and definition (and more important intonation) can be improved by the string construction, not by its thickness, which will do the opposite.

 

Guess why piano strings are exposed core for most of them, especially in low end part...

[Hellzero]

@horrorshowbass, you could also try a set of Dogal Hellborg Perfect Pitch JH171 (6S) round wound nickel strings as they are made with only one wire wrapped around the core, so (almost) completely eliminating any intonation issue especially on the lower strings.

 

Their tension is very low, think Thomastik, but your bass will thank you as well as your ears.

 

BUT, they are very very very expensive.

 

https://www.dogalstrings.it/en/perfect-pitch

 

Worth reading their explanation. 😉

[horrorshowbass]

Thanks all

@BigRedXno just a stock photo, not my bass

Edited 1 hour ago by horrorshowbass