Floppy B String

MrBump

Hi guys - the B string on my 34" scale Yamaha BB bass is quite floppy.  I've not played around much with string gauges and the like.  Internet wisdom suggests that a thicker gauge low string will be tighter, as you need to place more tension on it to get it to tone.

Anyone had experience of this?

mart

That's exactly right. Get a higher gauge string and it should feel less floppy. Do you know what gauge of B string you have at the moment?

MrBump

Cheers for that - the low B is ~3.2mm, and the G is ~1mm, making them something like a Dunlop Light set.

To be honest, they do feel a little light for me.  I like 10's on my guitars.  The higher strings on the bass seem to lack a little volume.

mart

That sounds like a .4 on the G string and .125 on the B string, which is a fairly normal light gauge. Certainly you should have no problem getting a heavier gauge to try.

guitarfishbay

I find 130 feels pretty good to play in B on 34" scale.

MrBump

Cool - thanks a lot.  Just ordered a set of EXL160s (50-135), I'll see how those feel.

speshul91

I love .135 low b strings. I even play in drop a without it being floppy

MrBump

Much better,  thanks.

fretmeister

Depends on the bass.

All mine are 34 scale.

My Marleaux is fine with a 0.125

My Stingray has a .130, but my Sandberg has a 0.135

All the same brand and type strings.

I have no idea why, but after getting the right gauge for the right bass I don't care anymore!

Phil_aka_Pip

I also have a 5 string Yamaha (RBX375). IIRC the B string is 130 and it's not too floppy

strtdv

I use .135 for the low B on my Warwick. The only issue is that you need to use a tapered B on the Warwick for the .135 as it's too thick for the standard saddle

MrBump

Yeah, the 135 was tight on my Yamaha, but it was ok.

The whole thing needed tweaking, truss rod tightening and the saddles dropped slightly.  But it's way better now, I can properly use the B string and get a decent tone out of it.

Blueingreen

I think to a certain extent you may have to live with it.  bought a 35" scale Lakland precisely because the B string on my Yamaha was floppy but it wasn't as much tighter as I would have hoped. But it was really a feel issue, sound-wise the B string was fine, I just didn't like it feeling a tad looser than the other strings.  The solution was to stop letting it bother me.

MrBump

Yeah, I've had some time to get used to it and I think you're right.  The sound is great, but it is still looser than I'd have liked.  

usedtobe

4 string bass!

Winny_Pooh

I made up a custom set of Daddario (the only brand I could do so with) that would have a decent B on a 34" scale. The tension measurements are from their site.
XLB045 G 42.8 lb
XLB060 D 42.9
XLB080 A 42.0
XLB105 E 40.3
XLB145 B 41.5

You can see from the tension that putting a 125 or 130 for the B is a waste of time. The set lives on a Squier deluxe V and sounds great. The 145 just fits although on some basses you might have to widen the bridge or tuner post as this 145 is not taper wound.

http://i.imgur.com/94eFKqV.jpg