Bass string gauges.

[Al Nico]

Hi. I am now the lucky owner of two, albeit budget, bass guitars. A Harley Benton TB-70, the thunderbird derived instrument with a set neck, and a Spector with a spangly bolt on.

The HB has noticeably thicker strings on it and produces a strong sound, where the lighter stringed Spector is more articulate with a lower fundamental. It takes noticeably more effort to pluck the thick HB strings, hence the strong sound.

I realise it's a dodgy comparison in terms of tone, since they are different constructions, materials and electronics.

I expect someone must have been here before and decided to change string gauge?

If I put thicker strings on the Spector to get a louder fundamental, will it stop being articulate?

Also, my son gifted me some very light gauge strings which I'm not sure if I'd like? Packet says they are funky?

I'd be interested to hear about any experience you have of changing string gauges.

[Lozz196]

The pickups will make a huge difference in the sound, with each bass type rather famed for how you’re describing the sound. Putting heavier gauge strings on the Spector will make it beefier but you should retain the articulation.

[Norris]

It's actually a fairly complicated bit of physics. The thicker the string, the more metal mass vibrating in a magnetic field -> higher output -> louder. But the thicker the string, the more tension required to achieve a given pitch for the scale length.

 

Some people prefer a lighter, hence lower tension string, which has a bit more "compliance". They may be slightly lower output but you can adjust your pickup height, and after all amplifiers have volume controls.

 

It's actually more down to personal preference. I usually play with a medium/heavy set of strings. However it's good fun playing my son's Hofner violin bass with short scale and light gauge sometimes - very bendy strings. It's really down to what you like. Try the skinny strings.

 

"Articulate" is more down to your technique.