Bass string length

[fraidykat]

Hi,

(I posted this question over at bassesbyleo, but I know there are bass players here too).

I've never come across this quandary before.
I play regular, 34" scale basses. (Fender, G&L and.others).

I've always bought "long scale" strings. The G, D, and A strings are fine.
However, the string winding goes over the nut and starts to wind around the tuner on the E string.
I never noticed until I tried to put a set on a new bass and the E string wouldn't tune properly.

Then I read that the winding is not supposed to reach the tuner, as it states in this article:
http://liutaiomottola.com/formulae/bassString.htm

I've been to many bass string manufacturer websites to see what they say.
GHS has a medium scale with 34.5" winding length. I've purchased those online.

But the bulk of the other manufacturers strings list a 36" winding length for long scale.

What strings do you buy?

Thanks,
Kate

[darwinohm]

Good question Kate, I have a couple of basses where the smaller wrap of the E would start below the nut. The perfect solution for me was to go to 36 in length (XL) scale strings. I also use silk wound strings that go into the winder (tuner) and it has never presented a tuning issue. It is essential that the full diameter of the string goes above the nut. Hope that helps. -- Darwin

[KenC]

Hi Kate,

Sorry if I'm a bit late to the party. I haven't been around Basses by Leo in a while either, so I'm not sure if you got answers over there.

I have about half a dozen different bass string sets at the moment. Most of them have a very quick taper from the nominal diameter down to a thinner end to wrap around the post. It is very obvious on this set of Pyramid Gold flats:



You can see that all of the strings in the Pyramid Gold set taper at about the same place. OTOH, here are TI Jazz Flats that only have a taper on the E string:



It is possible for some string sets and basses to end up with the full diameter of the E string wrapped around the post. That can stress the string and might lead to early breakage. Here are pics of Rotosound RS77s on my Lynx and my old Fender:





Notice that the silk ends at different places relative to the post on these basses. If you look closely at the second photo, you can see how the bend radius is causing a gap between the windings. I'm sure that is a weak point, but that string has been on the bass for about 12 or 13 years now.

I have had one E string break at the post, out of about two dozen basses I've owned. That string was a nylon tape wound that was already worn out when I bought the bass used in 1999. It ended up lasting until loosened and retightened it about two years ago. I mention that just to point out that having an E string that's slightly too long doesn't necessarily mean that the lifespan will be seriously shortened.

As for the types of strings I use, that really depends on the bass and they styles of music I'm likely to use it for. I almost always go with flats these days. LaBella Deep Talkin' flats have been my default set for the past 2-3 years. I have put Pyramid Gold flats on two basses, with different results. The first one is a PRS Bass IV, which is basically PRS's take on the Fender Jazz. I didn't think the sound or feel were superior enough to justify the price difference between Pyramids and LaBellas in that case, but now I suspect it was the bass rather than the strings. I've recently put a set of Pyramids onto a fretless '89 L-2K, and have been absolutely thrilled with them. My other fretless (a Guild Pilot) has a set of TI Jazz Flats. They are excellent strings, but I think I prefer Pyramids on a fretless now. If I ever find a Leo-era SB-2, I will probably go with Jazz Flats on it.

I have started buying all of my bass strings from BassStringsOnline. Their prices are very competitive, and their customer service is incredible. They answer phone calls, and can discuss the technical merits of any string they sell.

Ken

[fraidykat]

Thanks for the replies, Ken & Darwin!

I can't understand why this is such an issue with flats.
It seems that there's no real standard for length among manufacturers.

I have a Jazz bass (Sadowsky parts, quite the story) that is 35" from the bridge to the nut.
The reach to the E tuner adds another inch, so a 36.5" winding length will work, but I've only found GHS & TIs with that length.

I did reach out to BassStringsOnline. They seem to have the best prices and a lot of info too.

Thanks again!
Kate