# Using bass strings on guitar



## Dethfield (May 4, 2010)

So heres my situation. I want to try some thicker strings on my RG2228, specifically the B and F# strings. I dont intend to tune down any lower than standard, except the F# i tune down to an E (EBEADGBe). Being the impatient person that i am, i was wondering if using bass strings on guitar yields good results. I only ask this because my local guitar store only up to .52 gauge guitar strings, the only ones they have that are thicker are bass strings. Id order some proper guitar strings only, but it will take a few days to get here (impatient, i know ).

So, anyone have any experience in this matter?


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## Ben.Last (May 4, 2010)

No. Don't use bass strings on a guitar. They aren't made the same and don't have the same tonal qualities.


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## signalgrey (May 4, 2010)

dont. order the right strings for the guitar.


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## Ishan (May 4, 2010)

The only bass string I'd use on a guitar would be an Elixir string, as they are made the same to, at least, .080


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## Soopahmahn (May 4, 2010)

Are you guys serious?

Look this has been bounced around before several times - and I'll admit, I'm still confused about what the differences are - but this isn't exactly an open and shut case.

We _are _still talking about carbon steel cores round-wound wrapped with nickel alloys, yeah? So what's the difference between an 0.080" D'Addario XL bass guitar string and an 0.080" D'Addario XL guitar string? I'm going to be popping a bass string on to my low E to firm up from 74, so maybe I'll learn the answer to my own question...

Do bass guitar strings have thicker cores or different density wrapping?


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## coreysMonster (May 4, 2010)

Meshuggah use bass strings, and they sound fine to me. I don't know what everyone's problem is.


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## AVH (May 4, 2010)

coreysMonster said:


> Meshuggah use bass strings, and they sound fine to me. I don't know what everyone's problem is.



Indeed...and they're using DR roundcore .70's to boot. I use a the same but a hex core (which will feel a bit tighter), using their patches, and it's dead on. Absolute nonsense about bass strings sounding bad. Using too large a gauge makes it sound too rounded on the pick attack and bass-like, which I think is most people's problem with the tone they get with bass strings. Use a lighter gauge, have good pick technique, and you'll get enough attack and 'djent'.


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## Soopahmahn (May 4, 2010)

Dendroaspis said:


> Indeed...and they're using DR roundcore .70's to boot. I use a the same but a hex core (which will feel a bit tighter), using their patches, and it's dead on.



Do they use Sunbeams (nickel wrap) or Hi-Beams (stainless wrap)? According to JustStrings.com, Sunbeams are not available at 70, only 65 and 75, while Hi-Beams are available at 70, which perhaps answers my questions.

What do you use? Which type do you think would match best with nickel-wrap guitar strings?

You just made me realize that I could be using one of these strings at a lighter gauge than 0.080 to hit the drop E tuning, because a round core will provide more tension than a hex core (assuming equal core:wrap ratio).

EDIT: 250th post!


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## AVH (May 4, 2010)

Soopahmahn said:


> Do they use Sunbeams (nickel wrap) or Hi-Beams (stainless wrap)? According to JustStrings.com, Sunbeams are not available at 70, only 65 and 75, while Hi-Beams are available at 70, which perhaps answers my questions.
> 
> What do you use? Which type do you think would match best with nickel-wrap guitar strings?
> 
> ...



Nickle wrap .70 to match the the Tite-Fit guitar strings, which they get by the boxload directly from DR as they're endorsed by them. I'm using normal D'Addario 9-54 + .70 nickle wrap bass string on a 30" scale. Actually you have that backwards; Hex core strings have more inherent tension than round core. Stainless wrap will sound brighter, but is harder on frets in the long run. I tried the exact same DR's, but there was something about the round core feel I didn't care for, and as a repair tech in a busy store, I see far too many intonation issues with DR round core strings from weird winding inconsistencies, particularly with D strings for some strange reason.
Each to their own.


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## Dethfield (May 4, 2010)

thanx for the input guys. I think i might just try a bass string, probably a .072 (RG2228 factory string gauge is .065 for the F#). Ill let you guys know how it turns out.


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## 777timesgod (May 4, 2010)

Tried bass strings once or twice and i am still alive.

I think this one goes down to the brand and player's feel more than to a technical side. Who knows the guys against using bass strings might be right.


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## avenger (May 4, 2010)

I used a 72 bass string and it was fine, a little bit muddy but that could be shitty ibanez pickups aswell! The string felt fine other then being larger then normal.


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## Soopahmahn (May 4, 2010)

Dendroaspis said:


> Actually you have that backwards; Hex core strings have more inherent tension than round core.



Thanks for correcting me and making my 250-post fail 

 So does anyone know the difference between "equivalent" bass and guitar strings? That's the real question here. If there's no difference other than the length to which they're cut, then there's no difference.


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## coreysMonster (May 4, 2010)

Dendroaspis said:


> Indeed...and they're using DR roundcore .70's to boot. I use a the same but a hex core (which will feel a bit tighter), using their patches, and it's dead on. Absolute nonsense about bass strings sounding bad. Using too large a gauge makes it sound too rounded on the pick attack and bass-like, which I think is most people's problem with the tone they get with bass strings. Use a lighter gauge, have good pick technique, and you'll get enough attack and 'djent'.


+100

I'm sporting a .72 bass string for my low F on my 28" Agile, but it's just not quite tight enough for fast chugging as stuff. I'll have a look at those DR hex cores.


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## Soopahmahn (May 4, 2010)

Maybe even up it to 75?


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## MF_Kitten (May 4, 2010)

Dendroaspis here gave me a couple .75 strings (d´addario) to try out when i had my 28" scale baritone 6 string. it was absolutely awesome, and both felt and sounded perfect. worked really well with the guitar strings, really. bass strings are made for lower pitches and tighter low end etc, and so if you get a bright sounding bass string, you´ll get that meshuggah-like djenty/quacky type sound. i tried a .74 guitar string (also d´addario) on the 30" scale intrepid, and it too sounded good. so honestly, both will sound good. don´t choose one over the other "just because". the only reason i´d rather use a guitar string rather than a guitar string, is the size of the ball end. who knows, maybe that really is the only real difference?


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## Dethfield (May 4, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> Dendroaspis here gave me a couple .75 strings (d´addario) to try out when i had my 28" scale baritone 6 string. it was absolutely awesome, and both felt and sounded perfect. worked really well with the guitar strings, really. bass strings are made for lower pitches and tighter low end etc, and so if you get a bright sounding bass string, you´ll get that meshuggah-like djenty/quacky type sound. i tried a .74 guitar string (also d´addario) on the 30" scale intrepid, and it too sounded good. so honestly, both will sound good. don´t choose one over the other "just because". the only reason i´d rather use a guitar string rather than a guitar string, is the size of the ball end. who knows, maybe that really is the only real difference?




Thats a good point. I havent changed the strings on my RG2228 yet, and havent done any reading... do you have to cut the ball ends off when restringing an RG2228?


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## MF_Kitten (May 4, 2010)

Dethfield said:


> Thats a good point. I havent changed the strings on my RG2228 yet, and havent done any reading... do you have to cut the ball ends off when restringing an RG2228?



yep, you do have to cut the ball ends off. in other words, the ball end size difference is non-existant if you use a 2228. you can use whatever you want.


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## Stan P (May 4, 2010)

They work ... 

I have used Dadario 75 on 25.5 tuned to low G and Newtone round core down to A - both with good result. 

Dadario is boomy on upper frets but that must be my scale length


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## Soopahmahn (May 4, 2010)

All this talk of cutting balls makes me wanna... 

So nobody has come up with a material reason to explain if/how bass strings are any different than guitar strings?


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## Ben.Last (May 5, 2010)

Do search on the forum for "bass string" and plenty of discussions will come up. One thing that I see stated numerous times is that bass strings get a second winding at a lower gauge than guitar strings do. So, for example, a D'addario .070 guitar string may be single wound but a D'addario .070 may be double wound. This would give them different tonal qualities.


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## Maharaj (May 5, 2010)

use what sounds good. all questions answered.


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## drmosh (May 5, 2010)

coreysMonster said:


> Meshuggah use bass strings, and they sound fine to me. I don't know what everyone's problem is.



they wouldn't do that if there were guitar strings long enough to fit their huge scale guitars


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## Adam Of Angels (May 5, 2010)

Lern2swim said:


> No. Don't use bass strings on a guitar. They aren't made the same and don't have the same tonal qualities.



We're talking about tuning a guitar DOWN to E, and you're advising based on tonal properties?

If anything, bass strings are made to sound clear at bass E, so you're likely to enjoy the way they sound on a guitar tuned that low.


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## AVH (May 5, 2010)

Lern2swim said:


> a D'addario .070 guitar string may be single wound but a D'addario .070 may be double wound.


 
This is essentially correct.




drmosh said:


> they wouldn't do that if there were guitar strings long enough to fit their huge scale guitars


 
The rest of the strings on those guitars ARE guitar strings, it has nothing to do with the length of the string, which have no problem fitting, it has to do with gauge and what's available. The ball ends are cut off anyways, large or small...

And never make presumptions about what people would or wouldn't do - you don't know what they'd think, really.


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## Sponge (May 5, 2010)

I have no idea how a guitar string at .80 sounds and would really like to experience that. So far the bass string sounds good, but then again, I'm ignorant to a reference point with a guitar string at the same gauge. 

A few times at different music stores I have asked for hexcore strings and get looked at like I'm some pompous tool. But hey, THEY should know this! So (and not to hijack the thread) does anyone know which brand of bass string would be hexcore? 

The Intrepid is tuned down to D at 30 inch scale, what would the difference in tone be between a bass string (D'addario)or guitar string?


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## ShreddingDragon (May 5, 2010)

Dendroaspis said:


> The rest of the strings on those guitars ARE guitar strings, it has nothing to do with the length of the string, which have no problem fitting, it has to do with gauge and what's available. The ball ends are cut off anyways, large or small...



So the only bass string on their guitars is the lowest one, right?


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## Soopahmahn (May 5, 2010)

Sponge said:


> I have no idea how a guitar string at .80 sounds and would really like to experience that. So far the bass string sounds good, but then again, I'm ignorant to a reference point with a guitar string at the same gauge.
> 
> A few times at different music stores I have asked for hexcore strings and get looked at like I'm some pompous tool. But hey, THEY should know this! So (and not to hijack the thread) does anyone know which brand of bass string would be hexcore?
> 
> The Intrepid is tuned down to D at 30 inch scale, what would the difference in tone be between a bass string (D'addario)or guitar string?



 I've asked that question like 20x and searched through the forums and pretty much nobody knows. Some people say "bass strings are dull" and then somebody inevitably jumps on them saying "bullshit Meshuggah rulez!"

You're going to have to do what I'm going to have to do - order one from juststrings.com sometime and write a comparative review. My guess is the differences are negligible and it's going to come down mostly to price (0.080 guitar string is like half as much as a bass string from D'Addario stock).

Most strings are hex core, round cores are kind of special. Just check your favorite manufacturer's website.


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## Scarpie (May 5, 2010)

ShreddingDragon said:


> So the only bass string on their guitars is the lowest one, right?



 It's a .70 I believe. But yes a bass string.


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## sessionswan (May 5, 2010)

I'm using a .70 bass string as my low B (tuned down 2 steps) and it's absolutely perfect - on a 25.5" scale guitar too.


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## Matt-Hatchett (May 5, 2010)

I used a bass string on my old ltd baritone and it worked fine. We played in G# and it helped tighten it up. If I were you I would order the guitar strings and then just grab a bass string to hold you over.


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## coreysMonster (May 6, 2010)

Scarpie said:


> It's a .70 I believe. But yes a bass string.


yup, it's a 70.


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## oniduder (May 9, 2010)

use a 65 and 85 for the two low end and both (surprise) are bass strings, mine came with la bella bass strings sound fine in my little opinion, luthier thought the same thing i suppose,


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## anthonyferguson (May 9, 2010)

I'm using a .075 bass string on my 8 at 28" tuned to E. Sounds tight as hell. Much tighter than the .070 guitar string I had previously.


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## Metal Ken (May 9, 2010)

As someone who's used .065 bass strings for low B's for years, i say go for it.


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## leipzig175 (May 9, 2010)

i once got a .065 D'Addario bass string for a low B when I was experimenting with thick strings, and it sounded great.


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## damigu (May 9, 2010)

i tried it out long ago but decided against it. the tone wasn't quite right for what i wanted, but the tension and feel was just fine.


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## bs_tritonus (May 9, 2010)

Hi

I broke my 080 guitar string on my Roter at rehearsal today. I did not have any spares, but needed to finish the rehearsal, so I had to improvise. I found a string on my Stick that I thought looked about the right size, and tried it on. It sounded very good. I do not know if this qualifies as a bass string, but it was from the bass-side of the stick!


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## xtrustisyoursx (May 9, 2010)

My standard string set for tuning to Bb standard is a set of Elixir 10-46 with an Ernie Ball bass .65. The EB goes dead quicker of course, but it sounds fine.


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## Soopahmahn (May 10, 2010)

I just added an 0.080" bass string to my low E on my 8. A) huge improvement from 72 @ 27.5", B) sounds fine. It's a nickel wound string while the rest of my guitar is strung with stainless steel, so it does have a different sound, but it blends in pretty well. I unwrapped it to fit into my locking tuner, and noticed that the string is double-wrapped - are guitar strings double-wrapped? There was a very fine wrap around the core that I left intact.

I may try downgrading to 0.075" for the E because it's a big gauge jump from 59-->80. Just feels weird even though it sounds good.


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## Tom Drinkwater (May 14, 2010)

We have to take into account that every maker has a different string forumula for each and every string that they make.

Considerations are:
core shape, diameter, material
outer wrap diameter, material
other wraps diameter, material
coated or not
overall string length
ball end

Then the manufacturing process itself affects how tightly the string is wrapped and every other aspect of the strings physical properties. 

There is alot that goes into a string. So much that overall outside diameter only plays a small part. Its like judging the taste of a slice of bread by the outer dimensions of the loaf from which it was sliced. 

The only way for you to be satisfied is to try as many as you can through your rig until you find the best one for you. One string on two different guitars or through two different amps or even through the same rig by two different guitarists will sound totally different.


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## Soopahmahn (May 14, 2010)

Tom Drinkwater said:


> We have to take into account that every maker has a different string forumula for each and every string that they make.
> 
> Considerations are:
> core shape, diameter, material
> ...



Wise.

I am talking to O4P strings and they say they'll wind me low strings with regular guitar ball ends for my Hipshot bridge that will be considerably tighter than a typical production string. No clue how they attempt to accomplish that but I'd like to see if they can get me a 75 or 80 that's tighter than this bass guitar 80.


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## 6Christ6Denied6 (May 14, 2010)

I use a .75 in my floyd equiped guitar tuned to F. I had to drill out the tuner and file down the floyd sadle a little bit but other than that i seen no differences in tone or playabillity. i say go for it if you cant find the right size guitar strings.


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## Ben.Last (May 14, 2010)

Tom Drinkwater said:


> We have to take into account that every maker has a different string forumula for each and every string that they make.



Considering the fact that about 90% of the guitar string companies out there actually get their strings from about 3 factories, that's really not that many different "formulas"


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## alexguge (May 14, 2010)

I have a question, I like a .60 for my RG7321 tuned to B.
would a 75 have the same tension on my RGA-8 tuned to F# ?


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## Tom Drinkwater (May 19, 2010)

> Considering the fact that about 90% of the guitar string companies out there actually get their strings from about 3 factories, that's really not that many different "formulas"


 
Even so, how many different .042's does each company market? There are alot of different formulas out there. That is why everybodies strings don't sound the same. Some are probably nearly identical but still...

Wise.



> I am talking to O4P strings and they say they'll wind me low strings with regular guitar ball ends for my Hipshot bridge that will be considerably tighter than a typical production string. No clue how they attempt to accomplish that but I'd like to see if they can get me a 75 or 80 that's tighter than this bass guitar 80.


 
I have had good luck with Garry's (O4P) strings. I use his .104 on my 30" 8 string. I am a firm believer in his low strings. Here is a link to a video of me and my 8 string featuring an O4P in the lowest position.


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