Newbie with questions

[Thanet Newbie]

(Moderators - If I have posted into the wrong section of the forum, please point me to the correct part....)

I am principally a guitar player - fingerstyle folk mainly - but have also acquired a range of other stringed instruments, and can bash a few chords out of them.

My daughter has now gifted to me her bass guitar - a Crafter Cruizer 4 string with a small Peavey practice amp. I am gradually getting my head around a few scales, and would ultimately like to use the bass to accompany a few songs in the ukulele club that I belong to. Nothing fancy at all, just a steady beat or shuffle to give a bit of tonal variety to our performances.

Two questions, please:

1) In general terms, what are the advantages/disadvantages of light guage strings to heavy guage ones? As a total newbie, it seems to me that light guage strings would be easier to play, but will they spoil the sound? (I guess the strings on the guitar are old, and I have no idea what guage, so I have decided to change them, but just need to decide what might the most appropriate guage for a beginner who just wants to play undemanding lines).

2) The 1st string (G) is way louder through the amp than the other strings, and I can't seem to rein it in despite lots of tweaking of the amp controls and the pickup controls. Is this something I will just have to live with, or does it need proper intervention by a luthier or an electrician? In which case I will have to just live with it, cos I don't want to throw money at this project, other than some strings!

Thanks in anticipation of any input from the forum.

Paul

[leschirons]

[quote name='Thanet Newbie' timestamp='1409153421' post='2536888']
(Moderators - If I have posted into the wrong section of the forum, please point me to the correct part....)

I am principally a guitar player - fingerstyle folk mainly - but have also acquired a range of other stringed instruments, and can bash a few chords out of them.

My daughter has now gifted to me her bass guitar - a Crafter Cruizer 4 string with a small Peavey practice amp. I am gradually getting my head around a few scales, and would ultimately like to use the bass to accompany a few songs in the ukulele club that I belong to. Nothing fancy at all, just a steady beat or shuffle to give a bit of tonal variety to our performances.

Two questions, please:

1) In general terms, what are the advantages/disadvantages of light guage strings to heavy guage ones? As a total newbie, it seems to me that light guage strings would be easier to play, but will they spoil the sound? (I guess the strings on the guitar are old, and I have no idea what guage, so I have decided to change them, but just need to decide what might the most appropriate guage for a beginner who just wants to play undemanding lines).

2) The 1st string (G) is way louder through the amp than the other strings, and I can't seem to rein it in despite lots of tweaking of the amp controls and the pickup controls. Is this something I will just have to live with, or does it need proper intervention by a luthier or an electrician? In which case I will have to just live with it, cos I don't want to throw money at this project, other than some strings!

Thanks in anticipation of any input from the forum.

Paul
[/quote]

Hi, and welcome. No doubt others will reply too but my thoughts are, if you go for a fairly standard 40 - 100 set (assuming it's a 4 string bass) you won't go far wrong and they'll be easy to play and give a nice feel to the bass however, it really all depends on what is most suitable for you personally.

Re the louder G string, it could be something simple like a bit of severe pickup height adjustment required. It's unlikely that the rest of the pickup governing the other 3 strings will be faulty. I guess the first thing to try would be regulating the EQ on the amp to compensate (take off some of the hi mids and treble and boost the lo mids and bass a little) that may at least get your G string a little more in the background. If none of the above, a pro opinion may be required so hopefully someone else will be along with more suggestions. Also, if the strings are very old but maybe someone has changed the G recently, it will obviously sound a lot brighter than the rest.

Good luck on you bass journey.

[Grangur]

What he said^

It's also possible a small adjustment on the saddle of the bridge may fix the G string "feature". But I'm sure there's nowt wrong there that a setup wont cure.

There are some good YTube vids available to tell you how to set your bass up.

[thisnameistaken]

Regarding string gauges, 105-45 is considered 'medium', but most players go with 100-40 or thereabouts for roundwounds (although flats are usually preferred heavier). Any lighter and you start to get a lot of rattle noise, it's only really players who are into the old '80s slap sound that use very light strings.

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='Thanet Newbie' timestamp='1409153421' post='2536888']
(Moderators - If I have posted into the wrong section of the forum, please point me to the correct part....)

I am principally a guitar player - fingerstyle folk mainly - but have also acquired a range of other stringed instruments, and can bash a few chords out of them.

My daughter has now gifted to me her bass guitar - a Crafter Cruizer 4 string with a small Peavey practice amp. I am gradually getting my head around a few scales, and would ultimately like to use the bass to accompany a few songs in the ukulele club that I belong to. Nothing fancy at all, just a steady beat or shuffle to give a bit of tonal variety to our performances.

Two questions, please:

1) In general terms, what are the advantages/disadvantages of light guage strings to heavy guage ones? As a total newbie, it seems to me that light guage strings would be easier to play, but will they spoil the sound? (I guess the strings on the guitar are old, and I have no idea what guage, so I have decided to change them, but just need to decide what might the most appropriate guage for a beginner who just wants to play undemanding lines).

2) The 1st string (G) is way louder through the amp than the other strings, and I can't seem to rein it in despite lots of tweaking of the amp controls and the pickup controls. Is this something I will just have to live with, or does it need proper intervention by a luthier or an electrician? In which case I will have to just live with it, cos I don't want to throw money at this project, other than some strings!

Thanks in anticipation of any input from the forum.
Paul
[/quote]

Welcome to the forums!
As for the specific questions:
[b]1.[/b] As has been mentioned it's a matter of preference. Are you using standard tuning? If you are then most 105-45 or 40-100 (or 40 to 95) will work great - but feel & sound different, both depending on material and manufacturer as well as the gauge.

For what it's worth I tried 40-95 D'Addario XL balanced tension nickel plated steel... still have them on my Jazz. They play and sound even across the strings, and they're not too expensive. I'd avoid expensive strings till you get a feel for what you like. I'd recommend lighter strings for 34" scale basses - 40 - 100 as these play easier with OK setups. If you can make it play great (or pay to get it running perfect) with heavier strings that'll work too - as long as you aren't doing string bends!

In summary get regular or light gauge strings for standard tuning. Avoid strings intended for odd tunings unless you want that kind of thing.
You'll figure it out pretty swiftly as you try different strings.

[b]2.[/b] Through the practice amp or through a desk/ pair of headphones? If you plug into a small practice amp you can get an odd representation of the basses output. To hear a bass clearly from low lows to high highs - listen to it with a pair of OK headphones/earphones. Amps & cabs and the room they are in often colour the sound quite a bit!

If it is a Could be a pickup or string thing as people have mentioned. Does the G string feel more taut than the others? I know I've tried some string sets that have had very tight D & G strings relative vs. the E & A - meaning I almost had to play them differently to get even sound out. If you've ever played a few Low B's you'll know heavier strings often feel and sound different to lighter ones on many basses.

[KingPrawn]

Hello

As everyone else has said! However you may want to consider flats, as it may suit the sound needed for your ukulele group?

[Thanet Newbie]

Thank you so much for all your input, guys. Clearly, I will have to do some "fettling" to the bass....

I have tried using headphones and issue of louder 1st string is still present, so I will have a play with some allen keys to adjust string heights.

What difference do flatwound strings make, compared to round wound, please? Sorry to ask such a basic question, but all my acoustic guitars use exclusively round wound strings, so I have zero experience of anything to do with flat wound strings.

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='Thanet Newbie' timestamp='1409212463' post='2537429']
Thank you so much for all your input, guys. Clearly, I will have to do some "fettling" to the bass....

I have tried using headphones and issue of louder 1st string is still present, so I will have a play with some allen keys to adjust string heights.

What difference do flatwound strings make, compared to round wound, please? Sorry to ask such a basic question, but all my acoustic guitars use exclusively round wound strings, so I have zero experience of anything to do with flat wound strings.
[/quote]

They feel and sound very different. And there is quite a variety between different types of flatwound strings.
Have a listen:

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y38C30bleOI"]https://www.youtube....h?v=y38C30bleOI[/url]
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA_KrCDjbV4"]https://www.youtube....h?v=VA_KrCDjbV4[/url]

In general they are stiffer than rounds for the same gauge - although there are exceptions.

If you want a Hi-Fi tone go for definitely go for rounds: eg: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V6I_FEDKIs"]https://www.youtube....h?v=1V6I_FEDKIs[/url] or [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGyrGTuMhzo"]https://www.youtube....h?v=jGyrGTuMhzo[/url]
For an old school thump a flat is a great option: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ95dHUPq_0"]https://www.youtube....h?v=WZ95dHUPq_0[/url] or [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cp-NUVhg2k"]https://www.youtube....h?v=_cp-NUVhg2k[/url]

EDIT: watch when you adjust string height that you don't throw out the string radius too much (see http://www.humbuckermusic.com/fretboard-radius-explained-article.html )
It's probably worth checking the pickup distance from the string when the G is on the last fret.

Edited August 28, 2014 by PlungerModerno

[Thanet Newbie]

PlungerModerno you are a star! Thank you so much for your post, which has clarified a lot for me.

Coming from an acoustic guitar background, I would say that round wound strings sound like an acoustic guitar with nice new strings - very clear ringing tone to every note. Whereas flat wound strings are more like an acoustic guitar on old, old strings. The notes are duller, don't ring out, but have a "thump" to them - as you might use for playing acoustic blues.

I'll have a think about what sort of sound I want, and then crack on and order some new strings.

Many thanks again for your help.

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='Thanet Newbie' timestamp='1409249680' post='2538008']
PlungerModerno you are a star! Thank you so much for your post, which has clarified a lot for me.

Coming from an acoustic guitar background, I would say that round wound strings sound like an acoustic guitar with nice new strings - very clear ringing tone to every note. Whereas flat wound strings are more like an acoustic guitar on old, old strings. The notes are duller, don't ring out, but have a "thump" to them - as you might use for playing acoustic blues.

I'll have a think about what sort of sound I want, and then crack on and order some new strings.

Many thanks again for your help.
[/quote]

No probs!

[Thanet Newbie]

Just a quick update from me....

1) The reason for the over loud first string became clear when I took the old strings off and replaced them with a cheap and cheerful 40 to 100 set: the old set first string was (probably) and ordinary electric guitar string, not a proper bass string..... Now that the bass has a proper set of matching strings, it sounds SO much better!

2) I dug my 30 watt Laney acoustic guitar amp out of the loft, and hooked the bass up to it, instead of the little 10 watt Peavey bass amp that came with the bass. What a difference! It's got a lovely deep clear tone and will do the job on the upcoming ukulele gigs, assuming I get my head around bass playing enough to go public.....

Thanks once again to everyone for their input. I have now spent lots of hours reading back through the forum - what an awesome resource you have all created!

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='Thanet Newbie' timestamp='1409574871' post='2541008']
Just a quick update from me....

1) The reason for the over loud first string became clear when I took the old strings off and replaced them with a cheap and cheerful 40 to 100 set: the old set first string was (probably) and ordinary electric guitar string, not a proper bass string..... Now that the bass has a proper set of matching strings, it sounds SO much better!

2) I dug my 30 watt Laney acoustic guitar amp out of the loft, and hooked the bass up to it, instead of the little 10 watt Peavey bass amp that came with the bass. What a difference! It's got a lovely deep clear tone and will do the job on the upcoming ukulele gigs, assuming I get my head around bass playing enough to go public.....

Thanks once again to everyone for their input. I have now spent lots of hours reading back through the forum - what an awesome resource you have all created!
[/quote]

Wonderbar!