Sh*te B string - any secret tips?

[LITTLEWING]

Why does my bottom B string always begin to sound like a wet dead fart on both my guitars?

I make sure they aren't twisted when fitting, do the usual little 'press' thing over the saddle and nut and always make sure they're clean after gigs/rehearsals but they still end up sounding like a boomy dead elastic band type 'flumb' on all frets. One guitar has a high mass bridge and the other has a BBOT. I don't have the pups too high on that side so I can't see magnetic pull doing bad shiz.

I even shelled out on Nano's to keep things fresh but even they eventually end up like a flubbery rubber band sound.

They're already a 130, maybe a heavier string would sort it??

[Beer of the Bass]

I think it may just be a quirk of some basses, perhaps to do with the stiffness of the neck. My five string, home-built using an OLP neck is quite touchy with regard to B strings. There are certain B strings which just don't sound good on my bass, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to which ones those are in terms of tension or construction. One of the best sounding B strings I've had was a DR black beauty .125" which is obviously quite light, but a D'Addario Chrome flatwound .132" works well too. Other Bs I've tried have been less good on this bass, but I really couldn't predict which will sound good without trying them.

[Jellyfish]

Out of curiosity, what sort of bass is it?

Never had that much luck with 34" scale basses under a certain price in regards to a great feeling and great sounding B-string without having to put a hefty gauge string on it.

[geoffbyrne]

My 3 Yammies all have decent B's, thank goodness, and they are all 34"

For me, it's about the break angle both at the bridge and the nut. The sharper the better - and tapered strings, I believe, help too.

I also think that necks with a lot of relief seem to absorb the lowest frequencies, a bit like a bow, so I'd say minimal relief.

G.

[Happy Jack]

Try flats. No, really, try them.

Ideally La Bella FLs.

Failing which, instead of getting a heavier-gauge string, experiment with a lighter gauge. You might be surprised.

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1387269744' post='2309959']
Try flats. No, really, try them.

Ideally La Bella FLs.

Failing which, instead of getting a heavier-gauge string, experiment with a lighter gauge. You might be surprised.
[/quote]

Can you recommend an exact string gauge that might be suitable for an experiment? I'd like to try one flatwound string. Would a B string be a reasonable experiment, or should I go for one of E A D G? My bass is 34" scale. Or, is putting a single flatwound string on a bass otherwise strung with roundwounds a poor experiment as the string is too atypical? I was thinking that trying a single B would be a good idea, as if I really like it, I can then buy a matching E A D G four string set.

BTW: I don't know exactly what you get in terms of string tension for different gauges. I like bendy and rubbery, but not floppy. If that makes sense.

[BigRedX]

Unfortunately there is no right answer. I've found that what sounds good on one bass won't necessarily sound good on another. In the end it's just a question of trial and error until you find a B-string that suits the bass AND your playing style.

And after all that it maybe that the bass simply isn't built well enough to get a decent sounding and feeling low B. Too many manufacturers, especially at the cheaper end of the market, think it's enough to simply put a wider neck, pickups with five sets of pole pieces and the appropriate bridge and number of tuners on one of their 4-string models and call it a five-string. It's not. It is in fact all about neck and neck joint construction and IME I've yet to play a sub-£1000 bass with a bolt-on neck that has a decent sounding and feeling low B, no matter what strings I put on it.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1387272161' post='2309985']
Can you recommend an exact string gauge that might be suitable for an experiment? I'd like to try one flatwound string. Would a B string be a reasonable experiment, or should I go for one of E A D G? My bass is 34" scale. Or, is putting a single flatwound string on a bass otherwise strung with roundwounds a poor experiment as the string is too atypical?
[/quote]

First up, BRX speaks a lot of sense and I've struggled to get a decent low B out of cheaper fivers.

In truth, I've never really been satisfied with the low B on any 34" bass (and that includes - yikes! - Alleva Coppolo) which is why I now play mainly 35".

That said, my experiments with 34" low B led me to realise that thicker strings lead to less tone and more flobadob (IMHO of course).

My start-point is here: [url="http://www.stringbusters.com/"]http://www.stringbusters.com/[/url]

I use the La Bella 760 FLB where a full set of five strings costs £47 and you'll be lucky to get more than 30 years' use out of them.

If you phone Stringbusters they frequently sell individual strings which aren't listed separately on their website.

They also really, really know their stuff. Good people.

If you're after a cheaper alternative, it's definitely worth checking out the Lakland own-brand flats, previously marketed by them as Jo Osborne signature flats. I use these on my 35" basses since Lakland fives are usually 35" scale.

I still use the La Bellas on my 34" basses though.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1387272161' post='2309985']
Can you recommend an exact string gauge that might be suitable for an experiment?
[/quote]

Oops!

To actually answer your actual question, that would be a 128.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1387272161' post='2309985']
Can you recommend an exact string gauge that might be suitable for an experiment? I'd like to try one flatwound string. Would a B string be a reasonable experiment, or should I go for one of E A D G? My bass is 34" scale. Or, is putting a single flatwound string on a bass otherwise strung with roundwounds a poor experiment as the string is too atypical? I was thinking that trying a single B would be a good idea, as if I really like it, I can then buy a matching E A D G four string set.

BTW: I don't know exactly what you get in terms of string tension for different gauges. I like bendy and rubbery, but not floppy. If that makes sense.
[/quote]

Twit (if I can call you that!), I have a spare LaBella flatwound B which I got from the basschat recycling section, but it wasn't to my taste. If you PM me, I can stick it in the post.

[krysh]

I had the experience with a 34" guild pilot 5er that the not so good B-string became really good when using a taperwound set of strings.

[Annoying Twit]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1387275050' post='2310024']
Twit (if I can call you that!), I have a spare LaBella flatwound B which I got from the basschat recycling section, but it wasn't to my taste. If you PM me, I can stick it in the post.
[/quote]

Thanks. PM sent.

To others: I'll look at other options once I've tried the above one. I'm not yet sure exactly what I like yet, but I have a strong suspicion that I like old strings. So, an old B would be a good experiment.

[LITTLEWING]

[quote name='Jellyfish' timestamp='1387230591' post='2309750']
Out of curiosity, what sort of bass is it?

Never had that much luck with 34" scale basses under a certain price in regards to a great feeling and great sounding B-string without having to put a hefty gauge string on it.
[/quote]One's a Squier VM Jazz fiver with the BBOT and the other's a Yammy BBN5 II. The only other bass I owned which sounded good on a B for ages was a Yammy 775 with five separate individual saddle/bridge pieces. I always have my relief about .012" and action at 5/64 on the B to 4/64 at the G.
I might just change the B more often with a cheap make and keep it clear that way.

Humbug.

[dmccombe7]

My 6 string fretless suffered with flat B string until I bought elixir strings and because they didn't have a light gauge B string as standard they offered me a superwound style where string has no wrap over the bridge. I use that only on the B string while rest are standard Elixir strings.

Dave

[Pinball]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1387273013' post='2309998'] Unfortunately there is no right answer. I've found that what sounds good on one bass won't necessarily sound good on another. In the end it's just a question of trial and error until you find a B-string that suits the bass AND your playing style. And after all that it maybe that the bass simply isn't built well enough to get a decent sounding and feeling low B. Too many manufacturers, especially at the cheaper end of the market, think it's enough to simply put a wider neck, pickups with five sets of pole pieces and the appropriate bridge and number of tuners on one of their 4-string models and call it a five-string. It's not. It is in fact all about neck and neck joint construction and IME I've yet to play a sub-£1000 bass with a bolt-on neck that has a decent sounding and feeling low B, no matter what strings I put on it. [/quote]

Wise advice-trial and error. I used to avoid bolt on construction and stuck to a 35" scale for a while-I even had a Carvin that was 37". Then I got a Spector Legend 4 strung BEAD that had a great B string, which forced me to think again. Since then I have stuck to 34's with both 4 and 5 strings, most of which have been sub £1000. Fernandes, Ibanez, ESP's, Yamaha and Cort make good 34" scale basses. I have also played some horrible ones though. The worst was a USA Fender

Edited December 26, 2013 by Pinball

[ambient]

I can't say I've ever had a problem with the low B on any bass, must just have been lucky.

I'd never personally go above a 125 for a B string, you'd have to go higher too with the other strings otherwise it'd feel unbalanced and I've found you lose the sound, and get more feel of the low B. You may also have problems with the nut slot, if it's cut for a smaller gauge.

Edited December 26, 2013 by ambient