![]() ![]() The manufacturing process is similar to making round-wound strings though there is an additional step where the outer part is polished or ground to make a flatter surface, much like the flat-wound strings. These strings have a flat surface, much like the flat-wound strings but are less expensive. Halfwound strings have a mix of the above two styles of winding. Photo credit: Gre圜at, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons In addition to the type and shape of the core, there are also several different methods of windings available. Although, winding slippage is a common issue with these strings. Round-core strings have a more significant contact (up to 100% theoretically) between the core and the winding and thus have a mellower tone. These used to be the typical choice for bass guitars until hex-core strings were designed. Strings with round core wire are called round-core strings and were the traditional method of manufacturing strings. ![]() Hex-core strings have a brighter tone compared to round-core strings. Hex-core strings are more common and have better stability even in higher-tension tunings, preventing string breakage. String with hexagonal cores (cross-sectional) are called hex-core strings and have a tighter winding that causes them not to slip easily off the core. The core of the bass strings is most commonly made of steel and is either hexagonal or round, cross-section-wise. Wound strings are able to produce a lower pitch than similarly thick plain strings, which is why they are used in bass guitars and the lower three or four strings of a standard guitar. The winding wire tightly wraps around the core and is what comes in contact with our fingers and fretboard. The core runs through the middle of the string and is fixed at the end with a brass cylinder commonly called the “ball end,” which attaches to the guitar’s bridge. While regular (non-bass) guitars have a mix of wound and plain strings in a set, all four strings in the bass are wound. Bass String Construction & Typesīass guitar strings are composed of a core wire and a winding. One thing to note is that your guitar may need some neck adjustment depending on how significant the difference is in the thickness of the strings it originally came with and the one you wish to put on it. Once you have got calluses from playing a medium or light gauge string, you can move on to thicker strings, especially if you’re in rock or metal music. Most beginner basses also will come fitted with medium gauge strings. Therefore, the choice of string gauge would also depend on the genre of music, though, for beginners, it is advisable to start with light gauges. These strings produce a chunky, fatter sound, while the thinner strings sound brighter. Heavier gauge strings will have more tension across and require greater finger strength to push down on the fretboard and strum. The string’s thickness will directly impact the guitar’s playability and how it sounds. Other companies will use generalized naming like heavy, medium, or light for ease of choice for beginners. Similarly, some companies will only refer to the thinnest string in the pack, while many will state the gauge of all the strings. Usually, the bass players reference the string gauge they are using by only their guitar’s thinnest string (G string). A smaller number in gauge means a thinner string, while a larger gauge number would mean a thicker string. Gauge means the thickness in diameter of the string measured in 1/1000th of an inch. ![]() These guitars are also called extended-range bass and have two additional strings - bass string B and treble string C, extending both the upper and lower range.ī (6)–E (5)–A (4)–D (3)–G (2)–C (1) Bass String Gauges (Thickness)Īs noted above, the string’s gauge (or the thickness) and the tension give the bass guitar a lower pitch (the bass sound) compared to a regular guitar. The strings are in the following tuning:Į (4)–A (3)–D (2)–G (1) 5-String Bass Guitarĥ-String basses are called extended-range basses because they have an additional bass string B, which extends the lower range.ī (5)–E (4)–A (3)–D (2)–G (1) 6-String Bass Guitar The 4th or the top string, also called the E string, is the thickest and produces the lowest pitch, while the 1st is the thinnest. The tuning and the name of the string on the three most popular commercially available guitars are as follows: 4-String Bass Guitar The top string has the lowest pitch and is the thickest, while the bottom string is the thinnest and produces the highest pitches. The names of the strings are usually the tuning they are in (in standard tuning). The strings are numbered from the bottom up when you hold the guitar in the playing position. ![]()
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