The Bassist and Guitarist thread

[raleighnut]

Thanks for the replies, according to the manufacturer website it’s fitted with bronze light strings
https://www.tanglewoodguitars.co.uk/product/twcrd/
This is a whole new learning curve, the strings are metal (steel?) and I’m guessing as in electrical wire the smaller the gauge number, the thinner it is, I think when they’re due for replacement I’ll get the lighter type, so how do you know when the strings have seen better days, are they difficult to tune, or is there some other indicator?
having looked I’ve seen on strings direct that Fender & D’addorio brands are around £6.00 a set, but what would be considered a decent make of strings?

With strings they're actually measured in thousanths of an inch so a 10 is 10 thou thick, as for brands I rate D'Adario and Ernie Ball very highly, not sure about Rotosound but when I did use them on my old 'Kay' guitar (cheap crap electric) the spare 'top E came in useful as I broke it quite often not something that occured on my first decent Guitar (Japanese Squier Telecaster) or the Fender Telecaster that replaced it after the Squier was stolen so I chipped in a bit more cash over the insurance payout to have a genuine Fender made in Corona California, (a 2000 model that had been a 50th anniversary display in a local shop so was heavily discounted)

 

[Salad Dodger]

Brands of string like Ernie Ball and Daddario are very good. But beware of counterfeit strings: buy from a reputable source.

I used to use Elixir (coated, expensive) strings for a long time, but received several sets that were, shall we say, of dubious quality, so I have gone back to uncoated Daddarios.

If you just want to try out different types of strings, I suggest Adagio strings which are available off eBay. They are Chinese in origin, but of decent quality, and work out about half the price of, say, uncoated Ernie Ball or Daddario. I don't use them now, only because they don't make the really thick gauge strings that my new guitar needs.

Presevere with your playing. A few minutes each day is better than, say, one hour once a week.

 

[Drago]

+1 for Adagio nickel flatwounds. They dirt cheap, but the real deal, very decent performers.

 

[ColinJ]

+1 for Adagio nickel flatwounds. They dirt cheap, but the real deal, very decent performers.

I was thinking of buying some of them but...

Flatwound Electric Bass Guitar Strings

NOT FOR SHORT SCALE! These strings are designed for regular Long Scale 34" Bass Guitars (e.g. Precision Bass) and will not fit irregular Short Scale such as Hofner / Violin style bass guitars
RRP Per Pack: £29.99
No. Of Strings Per Pack: 4 Strings
String Gauge: 45-100 Regular Tension

Do short scale basses normally require different strings to full scale basses?

 

[Cycleops]

Do short scale basses normally require different strings to full scale basses?

Not normally as in the case of my SS Epiphone EB0 but where Hofner violin basses and others are concerned they use what are essentially guitar machine tuners and are required to take the tapered head leads of strings like Pyramid Gold, LaBella and D'Addario,( I think) strings. Non tapered strings simply won't go through the smaller holes.

 

[ColinJ]

Not normally as in the case of my SS Epiphone EB0 but where Hofner violin basses and others are concerned they use what are essentially guitar machine tuners and are required to take the tapered head leads of strings like Pyramid Gold, LaBella and D'Addario,( I think) strings. Non tapered strings simply won't go through the smaller holes.

I hadn't actually looked at how the strings are attached on mine!

[Checks...] Ah, the string go into slots. The strings are wrapped in some red material at the ends which I imagine is to provide friction so the strings slip less when being tuned?

 

[Cycleops]

Don't make the mistake of putting the end of the string across the slot as I've seen done before. The end is pushed into the centre hole and then wound. When fully wound make sure the string emerges from the bottom of the post
Don't think the red feathering makes one jot of difference and only helps to identify the maker.

 

[DRM]

Brands of string like Ernie Ball and Daddario are very good. But beware of counterfeit strings: buy from a reputable source.

I used to use Elixir (coated, expensive) strings for a long time, but received several sets that were, shall we say, of dubious quality, so I have gone back to uncoated Daddarios.

If you just want to try out different types of strings, I suggest Adagio strings which are available off eBay. They are Chinese in origin, but of decent quality, and work out about half the price of, say, uncoated Ernie Ball or Daddario. I don't use them now, only because they don't make the really thick gauge strings that my new guitar needs.

Presevere with your playing. A few minutes each day is better than, say, one hour once a week.

I’ll look into those when the time arises, you’re right about a few minutes practice, I’ve left the guitar out so it’s easy to grab it and to do 5 or 10 minutes, for 2 to 3 times a day, where as it’s much harder to set aside 30 minutes in one go, so now we are on chord No 3, the E, and the pain in my finger tips is reducing now, things are going well.

 

[DCBassman]

Do short scale basses normally require different strings to full scale basses?

Yes indeed, that's what the difference is between short and standard aka long scale is. Short scale is 30", sometimes less. Standard or long scale is 34", a considerable difference. The very reason they are called short scale is they are...a different scale length!
Sorry, I'm not meaning to come across all-knowing, but this is inherent in the name, otherwise it simply would not have a different name...
To elucidate:
Less than 30" = baritone guitar, some old Danelectro basses.
30" = Hofners, Framus basses, Fender Mustang and VI, other random basses too numerous to mention.
32" = medium scale, quite rare, Fender Japan made 32" versions of Precision and Jazz.
34" = the scale wot Leo Fender came up with as the compromise between guitars and upright basses. Almost all "full-scale" basses are this length, except Rickenbackers, which just HAD to be different at 33.5"!

Then there's extended range basses, otherwise known as 5-and 6 string basses. 6-string basses ranging from B to C are sometimes kn own as contrabasses, see Anthony Jackson. He it was was who thought that Fender's 'bass guitar' should have had 6 strings from the start, but, maestro or not, he was talking out of his fundament. Leo was always and only thinking in terms of a fretted double bass. A 'bass guitar' has six strings tuned an octave down on a regular guitar, for example the Fender VI, erroneously called the Bass VI. He even made sure the headstocks said so...
As always, Fender also screwed this up somewhat by releasing a 5-string Bass V tuned E-C.

OK people, bass lesson over...
Sorry to go on so...

 

[ColinJ]

Yes indeed, that's what the difference is between short and standard aka long scale is. Short scale is 30", sometimes less. Standard or long scale is 34", a considerable difference. The very reason they are called short scale is they are...a different scale length!
Sorry, I'm not meaning to come across all-knowing, but this is inherent in the name, otherwise it simply would not have a different name...

Yes, I DID realise that the length was different.

I wondered if a standard string could be used and just have a few inches of spare at the end. Then I started thinking about that material at the end of the string - that would be in the wrong place. I also wondered if the strings would be thicker to avoid them having to be incredibly slack to get the same pitch as the longer length.

Okay then... What flat wound strings for a 30" short scale bass? (Preferably under £25, but given that flat wounds are supposed to last a very long time, the price is not THAT important.)

 

[Drago]

Problem is that if you cut a long scale string to the correct length to line up with the tuners on a short scale theres a good chance the winding will unravel from the core and the string will be ruined.

 

[DCBassman]

Okay then... What flat wound strings for a 30" short scale bass? (Preferably under £25, but given that flat wounds are supposed to last a very long time, the price is not THAT important.)

Depends. If you want standard-ish feel, the go for D'Addario Chromes, ecb 81S. If you want a lovely soft feel, buy the Thomastik Infeld strings for a Hofner Violin bass. The price will make your wallet howl, but they will last a long time. They may still be a bit long, however. For example, they are too long for a Mustang bass. The d'Addarios are probably your best bet, and cheaper.
Don't stint on strings, they are what help make your instrument sound good.
I'm inspired to go get my bass out for the first time in a year or more...

 

[Drago]

hofner do short scale flats that are inexpensive and ok'ish. Measure the bridge to nut just to be sure of the scale though.

 

[ColinJ]

hofner do short scale flats that are inexpensive and ok'ish. Measure the bridge to nut just to be sure of the scale though.

About 30-1/3"

 

[Drago]

Cool, thats standard short scale.

Just a thought. Hofner violin bass strings are a touch longer than standard short scale because of the 2 piece bridge-tailpiece design.