Balanced Tension strings

[franzbassist]

My recent purchase of a Dingwall made me revisit balanced tension sets for my regular (i.e. non multiscale) basses, which led me in turn to the D’Addario BT sets.  I went for the 45-107 set, as that’s closest to what I normally use, and then used their calculator to work out the best low B to add on, which is a .145!

 

The result is a really even feel across all the strings. I’m pleased with how this has turned out 👍🏻

 

 

 

Edited January 29 by franzbassist

[Dood]

They are brilliant, I'm a big fan of D'Addario and use these mostly too. All of my guitars have D'Addario strings, I really rate the XS coated for electrics.

(I do however grab the '2-pack' versions of the standard bass XL's as they are often cheaper, but prefer these and Pro Steels.)

[Sean]

On 29/01/2025 at 12:26, franzbassist said:

My recent purchase of a Dingwall made me revisit balanced tension sets for my regular (i.e. non multiscale) basses, which led me in turn to the D’Addario BT sets.  I went for the 45-107 set, as that’s closest to what I normally use, and then used their calculator to work out the best low B to add on, which is a .145!

 

The result is a really even feel across all the strings. I’m pleased with how this has turned out 👍🏻

 

 

 

This is a revelation for me, thanks for posting.

What bass have you put these on? What's the scale?

 

Thanks.

[franzbassist]

10 minutes ago, Sean said:

This is a revelation for me, thanks for posting.

What bass have you put these on? What's the scale?

 

Glad to be of help.  They are on a 34.5" scale custom bass from Germany.  Funnily enough I have since put together a custom set of 42/55/75/100/135 D'Addario singles for another bass, and they are even better!

[Sean]

11 minutes ago, franzbassist said:

 

Glad to be of help.  They are on a 34.5" scale custom bass from Germany.  Funnily enough I have since put together a custom set of 42/55/75/100/135 D'Addario singles for another bass, and they are even better!

I bought a D'addario .135 and a .145 recently. This is for my 34" Yam BBP35. I used a set of Legacy 45, 65, 85, 105 and added the .135 and it's really good but it got me thinking about how I could refine it more.

 

One band I play in does a lot of songs in drop B and I'm on the B string much more than say,  what I was in a function band playing a 5 string where there's songs in Eb, the odd low D and hammering a low C makes the crescendo more dramatic.

 

My SRMS805 35.5" B is fab but I'd like to have a similar punch with the Yam.

 

What did you put the 42/55/75/100/135 on?

[franzbassist]

8 minutes ago, Sean said:

What did you put the 42/55/75/100/135 on?

Another 34.5" custom bass!

 

8 minutes ago, Sean said:

 I used a set of Legacy 45, 65, 85, 105 and added the .135 and it's really good but it got me thinking about how I could refine it more.

Check out the D'Addario string tension calculator. It really helps work out what gauges you need according to scale and tuning.

[Sean]

15 minutes ago, franzbassist said:

Another 34.5" custom bass!

 

Check out the D'Addario string tension calculator. It really helps work out what gauges you need according to scale and tuning.

 

 

 

 

This has to be worth a go. Thank you.

[Sean]

These just arrived.

I'll probably add the .145 and get them on tomorrow.

[Rodders]

I put the medium set (120-50) on a P bass over the weekend, its amazing how much of a difference the balanced tension makes. 

I ordered a custom balanced tension set for my Dingwall from Newtone after using another tension calculator online, enjoying those too. 

[Dood]

The @D'Addario UK 120-50 are also brilliant for those who like to play in Drop D, but will give a similar feel to a standard set in Drop D, when the 120's are tuned down to Drop C#. If you're lucky, and have a bass with a generally 'tight' feel, these will even do Drop C as well! Love 'em!

[Dood]

Just now, Dood said:

The @D'Addario UK 120-50 are also brilliant for those who like to play in Drop D, but will give a similar feel to a standard set in Drop D, when the 120's are tuned down to Drop C#. If you're lucky, and have a bass with a generally 'tight' feel, these will even do Drop C as well! Love 'em!

 

I forgot to mention that I'm reallly pelased to see the D'Addario string tension calculator is back online again as @franzbassist mentions above.

[franzbassist]

2 hours ago, Rodders said:

I ordered a custom balanced tension set for my Dingwall from Newtone after using another tension calculator online, enjoying those too. 

What did you go for?  I looked at the Dingwall strings on my NG and this is what the calculator came out with.

 

 

[Rodders]

On 17/02/2025 at 12:00, franzbassist said:

What did you go for?  I looked at the Dingwall strings on my NG and this is what the calculator came out with.

 

 

 

I went for 110, 82, 63, 47, for an ABZ 4, aiming for circa 50-51 lbs tension on each string. 

[franzbassist]

3 hours ago, Rodders said:

 

I went for 110, 82, 63, 47, for an ABZ 4, aiming for circa 50-51 lbs tension on each string. 

Wow that’s some high tension!

[Rodders]

20 hours ago, franzbassist said:

Wow that’s some high tension!

Haha! They work well for me, I found the heaviest gauge in the Dingwall set with the .100 E too floppy. So I worked my way up through 105, 108 to 110 and altered the rest to match as close as possible. 

 

For reference I was used to 109-49 and 110-52 La Bella flats before moving to the Dingwall. 

[Sean]

I've done it!

I used the D'Addario set with a .145 B on my BBP35. I'm completely converted. The B is a revelation, it's huge. The E is lovely too.

 

I wound the P pickup back a bit to give the string some room and it sounds so clear. 

 

Brilliant. Very happy.

[franzbassist]

54 minutes ago, Sean said:

I've done it!

I used the D'Addario set with a .145 B on my BBP35. I'm completely converted. The B is a revelation, it's huge. The E is lovely too.

 

I wound the P pickup back a bit to give the string some room and it sounds so clear. 

 

Brilliant. Very happy.

My work is done 👍🏻

[Sean]

After playing for a while, it just makes sense. I've switched back and forth between a 34" with D'Addario 45,65,80,100 and it's a world of difference.