Why change my strings?
There are many different reasons why people should/do change strings but the main reasons are:
- You really need new strings because you have not changed them in over a year.
- Depending on what style of music you are playing, you may wish to change your strings. E.g. for slap bass you may want roudwound strings.
- If you are into metal and have your bass in drop C then you need to buy high gauge strings to cope with the drop tension.
- The sound they give you may make you change as some strings sound fuller and others give you that high end boost.
What makes up a bass string?
A bass string is made up of a string wrapped around another string with a ring at one end of the string to keep your string on your bass and sometimes a colour tip to keep your bass string from unravelling, also at one side of the sting is thinner to help insert it into the tuning head holes.
Bass string Construction
Bass stings have a name that follows, for example roundwound. This just explains how the string is made.
Roundwound – A rounded string wrapped around a round core string. They are easy to make, making them one of the cheapest. Because they are round you can get squeaking when finger sliding. Most basses that you look at in your local music store will have roundwound on them
Flatwound – A flat ribbon rapped around a round core string. These can be dearer than roundwound but are not as damaging to frets and produce less squeaks from finger sliding. They do not sound as bright as roundwounds and are considered to sound warm.
Halfwound and Groundwound – Between roundwound and flatwound. They are made by a rounded string wrapped around a round core string, but then are polished or grounded down to give similarity between roundwound and flatwound.
Gauges
Strings are measured in gauges and the higher the gauge means the wider the string is, this also means more pressure is required in fretting notes. Higher gauged strings are great for people who wish to drop tune their bass. For every ½ step you drop you need to have a higher gauge so you get more tension in your strings, if you dropped tuned your bass and kept medium gauge strings your bass strings would feel loose and rattle a lot. Also the higher the gauge the fuller sounding tone you will get.
A list of commonly used gauges:
• 40, 60, 70, 95
• 45, 65, 80, 100
• 45, 65, 85, 105
• 50, 70, 85, 105
• 55, 75, 90, 110
Choosing Bass Strings
When choosing bass strings it can be hard and I can not really suggest a pair as it really is personal preference and trial and error. Experiment with different gauges, string constructions and makes and see what pair give you the sound you was looking for. A word of advice is not to use a string because your idol does.