Bass Guitar String Gauges 

Victor said in an interview that he prefers the tone of thicker gauge strings and actually has a fodera strung with thicker gauge ones at home for recording purposes. But he usually plays the light gauges because he wants to feel comfortable while playing :) In his words (roughly): "I don't want to fight my instrument, I want to be comfortable - Because when I feel comfortable, I believe I'll play better"

"Don't spend too much time worrying about gear" - Best advice EVER! I'm a gear head and I love twisting knobs, but I wish I had all that money back I spent on gear to spend on lessons.

“ I don’t even know if I can get calluses from these strings they’re so light “ Guitar players: >:( 🎸

Just if anyone is curious, Ernie Ball does 40-95's in steel, cobalt, round-wound, 2 kinds of flat-wound and probably some others. The cobalt sound *amazing* if you like that Dan Andriano/Roger Lima sound and make playing waaaaay easier if you have juvenile arthritis, although I just turned 33 so I guess it's just regular arthritis now 😅

Now I know why I need an additional bass.

Great statement on 'learn your fretboard vs. too much focus on gear'. 👍🏼

I've seen Victor wooten live at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London and I can confirm that the light gauge strings DO NOT SOUND THIN OR LACK BOTTOM END. I guess it's the way you eq your bass that matters? Great video dude cheers for making it

Cliff burton plays 35~95 I believe and that gauge helps him shred fast. I plays 45 to 110 cause that extra tension on E string actually feels better and normal on my finger compare to 105, and I think the sound is better to my ears and not harsh on my finger at all. Good video!

The type of strings you want is relevant to your playing style, tuning and the style of music you're playing. I much prefer heavy gauge for multiple reasons. Firstly, my playstyle fits heavy strings far more than light, I have a really heavy pluck and play incredibly fast and the heavier the gauge the more comfortable it is for me and the tighter it sounds at high speeds. Second, I play in low tunings and heavier gauge allows me to down tune without the strings feeling too loose and I've been told the heavier gauges helps with the lower register notes as well.

Also the Marcus Miller clip you played had tones of compression on it and the two players have completely different styles... Tone from the hands too

D'Addario also makes a Super Light Gauge that is 40-55-70-95. You could play higher up on the neck; adjust your bass' tone (if playing with active EQ); adjust tone on the amp. Sure, there's a little less bottom with lighter gauge, but you can compensate with adjusting technique and EQ. Won't get you the exact same results as using heavier gauge, but gets you closer with the added benefits you mentioned.

I play gospel bass. 5 string. I use light gauges for for the D and G and keep it heavy in the low end. It’s the best of both worlds. I use DR lo-riders and i feel that the hex core gives the lighter gauged strings a stiffer solid feel and not too flimsy floppy.

Coincidentally, I started using light gauge string 2 weeks ago. I play with a band and with distortion and I find that they sound BETTER than the normal gauge I always used. I guess it's got a lot to do with preference.

Your bass sounds like it's turning into a guitar

The reason I'm using .50 gauge nowadays is mostly because of low string action. You can lower your action more by using heavy string gauge, without having too much issues with fret buzz and lack of sustain. I'm doing mostly solo stuff and as for the muddy tone thing, you can always fine tune your EQ to bear with this. The problem with light gauge is fretbuzz in a lower action setup. I'm very into touchstyle and for me, the lower the action of the strings, the better.

How about doing a video on a comparison of different string types? (Something like "Stainless Steel vs Nickel vs Cobalt") I'd love to see your reaction and your opinion on that! :) (Especially on the cobalt strings from Ernie Ball because I think they're perfect for some slapping action!)

I respectfully disagree with some of what you said about using a lighter gauge set of strings. I use Rotosound medium gauge strings. 40, 60, 75 and 95. They sound and feel amazing and cover in all styles. Hard rock. Funk. Tapping. These strings are awesome.

I love the timing of this. I've been using 40-100 for 15 years and just two weeks ago switched one bass to 45-105 and another to 35-95. So far my preference is still the 40's but I'm thinking a hybrid could be ideal.

i tend to hit the strings hard in band situations so i use 45-65-85-105-135, love them

I play 110-90-55-32 to get a skinny top heavy bottom kind of thing. Great for shredding and having a huge low end. I can play drop D and eb standard with no hesitation. With the thinner tone, the heavier E and A strings balance the D and G string, and besides, it punches really awesomely in a mix and playing with people.

So many questions answered in one video. Super helpful. Thank you so much!

My experience is very similar to yours. At home it's like super comfortable, but as soon as you get into a rehearsal room with big amps etc. the low-end just isn't satisfactory for me (in standard band situations at least). I've heard that Marcus at the beginning of his tours starts with lighter gauges (surely not lighter than 100s but still) and increases to heavier ones as soon as he feels comfortable to do so, and the more he gets used to playing full sets every night.

I love ultra-low tension on my strings. I’ve tuned to B standard using 40-95’s before. I probably wouldn’t go that low with that gauge nowadays, but maybe as low as C#, and it’s my go-to gauge. I even use a pick with those strings, you just gotta pick *really* lightly, more like just gently tapping the pick onto the string. But the overtones sound incredible, the sustain is super long, and it requires almost no effort at all. I love it!

I've been using ultra light gauge strings for the LONGEST: G-25, D-45, A-65, E-85, B-105! EQing helps out when needed. Works great for me.

You could always adjust your amplifier's EQ. That's if you find your thinner strings not as beefy sounding. Or even your active pre-amp EQ on those kinds of instruments. Let the amp do the heavy lifting!

Very interesting video! I never have really even thought of changing my string gauge (actually strings in general). Just use which ever my local store recommends lol that being D’addario light gauge 45-105. That being said I agree with what you said about gear, still what I’m working on before thinking about gear

I'm a guitar player new to bass. My Warwick came with 45-135. I didn't like how thin the D and G string sounded compared to the others. (Playing rock) I switched to 50-135 and really like that better. They're harder to find though. Only the D and G are thicker. The E is still a 105.

I played 45 100 all my life 40 years or so about 3 years ago got a great deal on line for a lot of strings 40 95 change my Strings about every month for 3 years in the 3 years broke less strings maybe just getting old. bit faster I think and adjust my amp for any ton difference. Out of 40 95 put on a set of 45 100 and it is hard to go back. One more set of 45 100 if I feel anything like I do now in a month or so it looks like 40 95 for life!!! Thanks for the vid!! And rock on bass players!!!

I'm just seeing this now but it is still relevant after 4 years. Thanks for the good info and the clear explanation. Well done.

Was wondering if I'm the only bass player who doesn't like Rotosounds? I love DR (Hi-Beams, Lo-Riders)... I like Ernie Ball Slinkys too. But, I've tried Rotosounds, I like the way they sound, but not the way they feel. They always feel tight.

Heavy string gauges help w/ backbowed necks, and the opposite w/ lighter string gauges, since they apply more/less tention on the neck, getting it straight again. But in case its bowing once again to the opposite side, change it for a lighter/heavier string gauge ;)

I switched to a lighter gauge a few years back when i got problems in my hands and never switched back, because i got used to it and liked it. Seeing your video, i might take a shot back to the heavier gauges!

Excellent video & insight Marcelo, always thinking outside the box and thanks so much for always dropping ur knowledge for the bass player community. thanks you

Great video! I changed to a lighter gauge and it reminds me you definitely need to adjust your intonation after switching to that gauge. That riff you played at the top of the neck sounded a little pitchy.

Bass shredding is about as far away from what good bass playing is. I like the odd flashy riff or section. But playing the bass like a guitar sounds crap to me

I bought extra light strings by mistake and was annoyed at first, but I grew to love them. Especially as I get older. It’s SOOOO much easier and the sound isn’t really that different

You can still get a full tone with lighter gauge strings. The trick is to not have your action ultra low. That really is critical for having optimum tone, sustain, and dynamic response regardless of string gauge choice. As far as finding them, most stores will not have them, unless they're the more rare bass specialty shop, so you most likely will have to get them online. I personally have recently been really liking the Elixir coated strings because the lighter gauges have some good tension that is stiffer than most lighter gauges.

I appreciate this video,I don't own what some may call a high end bass but even with this guitar I strive for a crisp clean sound with every note I played so that a listener would not know my instrument is not ,high end. From what I learned from you and other bassist is this, knowing your fundamentals are everything to become a good bassist, starting with the fret board

Another reason people use those lighter sets is because they have more even tension across the strings. 040, 055, 075, 100 and 135 (for a 5-string with a low B) are much more balanced in terms of tension than a traditional set of 045, 065, 085, .105 and .125. 045, 060, 080, 110 and 145 also work well.

I just bought a used Squier P bass and it has the Ernie Ball Extra Slinky 95-40. I like them a lot. They're very easy to fret and the action can be set really low.

I play super heavy gauge strings and they sound great and fat and boomy but they hurt my fingers and hands so badly. I'm gonna get terrible arthritis.

Good info!!! I always looked at what are the best strings to buy never put much thought into gages. Thanks

Victor Wooten uses light gauge strings for performing live, but uses heavier gauge strings when he is recording bass lines.

I Totally agree with you 45-105 &45-125 is the key & with the lighter Guage strings you need to do more neck adjustments as well and you have to make adjustments on your amp to compensate for a Deeper Tone.

Hoorah! I'm not crazy for using light gauges!

Another great video for the bass community. Thanks bro, God Bless!!😎👍

I completely ignore the shifts in high/low frequencies when choosing string gauges, because it's basically what an equalizer already does. The main reason I use low gauge strings is because they don't become muddy as fast when using overdrive or distortion.

Good insights. This is why I string my Fodera Monarch with light gauge strings and my Stuart Spector NS 4 with medium gauge.

45-105 on my jazz and 45-100 on my precision, nothing fancy but versatile enough for my needs.

You described it perfectly at 5:02, it sounds very guitar-like. Kind of an in-between between a bass and a guitar. Very interesting!

Agree 100% with everything you say here! For a while I actually worked with an online shop to build custom gauge sets for my 5 and 6 string basses from singles they had in stock... Feel and response to your technique is paramount! So, my concern atm is what my dominant approach will be on each of my instruments, and then string them appropriately. Currently DR standard gauge on my Sire P7 5 string, light gauge DR on my Ibanez Btb 6 string, and heavy gauge tapewound on my Ibanez Sr 5 string. Tuned the tools of my toolbox 😃😍

The advice on playing vs gear at the end! I need to loop that for days.

I’ve always played heavier gauge strings. When touring with the Motown group The Miracles I played heavy gauge LaBella Deep Talkin flats because, well… it’s a bass and not a guitar. I’ve been a gigging session bassist for over 40 years and never played lighter strings because frankly I want to work. Even as dexterous and amazing as Victor Wooten is doing his own thing, he’s not a first call session guy for commercial recordings like Nate East , Abe Laboriel or Marcus Miller who have a fatter sound and are actually a bit more versatile bassists. I can tell you producers will not typically want a thin sounding bass for every day working gigs. 45-105 at a minimum though I go 110-50 as my preferred gauge. All these shredder guys on RU-vid aren’t getting the calls which is why they’re on RU-vid and not gigging. I never run into RU-vidr musicians on gigs. If you want to work and get paid you want to play and sound like a bass player. The art of the bass is in its simplicity and that’s where you’ll make your money. Think about the most iconic bass lines. Carol Kaye, James Jamerson, Joe Osborne, Abe, Nate and Marcus. Brilliant in their simplicity and groove. I studied for several years with the great Wrecking Crew bassist Max Bennett in the 70s. He always said bass solos were as necessary as tits on men. He was a six figure session guy his entire career. Best advice I’ve ever got. We all enjoy letting loose but remember it’s only bass players who care and not the people who will pay you to play.

Mate, I accidentally bought .50 - .105 Ernie Ball strings for my vintage Japanese Fresher Jazz bass. Before I was using lighter strings and I kept slapping the string off the pickup, causing a big nasty spike. Now, not only does my playing sound MEATY AF, but my tone has dramatically improved (note, it helps that I've learned how to properly perform a setup. V.important). Apart from that though, the blisters!! Going to be using a pick for tonight's practice, looks like. Pick playing sounds sweet, too!

Really a great report on the difference in the gauge of medium versus light gauge..I can completely understand exactly what you’re saying regards to the sounds in the field but I do have to say I have to use the lighter gauge our E 40 on the G string, maybe 95 or 100 on the Estring, I Actually use the lighter gauge on my Alembiic basses. Hi have noticed over the years that Olympic basis especially the higher level bases like a series one pull bass strings much more taunt. But indeed your report and presentation on string gauging is very good and very informative. Thanks man.

I just tried some Rotosound 30-90 light, don't really like them that much (G string is really tinny), going back to medium-light

I really like light string gauges too. Helps with soloing and playing fast

I find that I bend the lighter gauges, .35-.40, out of tune when I fret the strings and pull them off the fret board too much. I like a lot of tension because it also helps me have a lower action.

Best channel. Period

I have a pinch nerve In my fretting hand, which is effecting my feeling in my pinky and ring finger. Heavier gauge are hard on me due to the tension. I used 40-96 gauge make it easier for me to play due to the lighter tension. I have no issues with tonal different to me

That bass is soo sick looking... i bought myself a schecter watching you play... bought the Schecter Model T 4... just got it yesterday and it sounds great...

I've been playing 40-95 for years now, and I can say that they go well with some basses and some others less so. Different strings will play differently, and gear does matter if you want the tone in your head to translate into the music that you make. Thicker strings will sound better and fatter with single coils and parallel wired humbuckers placed near the bridge (as is the MM style hb), but thinner strings sound much better with humbuckers wired in series and neck focused pickups in general. If you're a serious musician, your gear is almost as important as your playing (obviously skill needs to come first), if you can't translate the sound in your head accurately to the music then what's the point? You're not going to have double bass like tones on a Jazz bass plugged into an markbass, nor are you going to get Marcus Miller slap tones out of an EB-3 into an orange.

A lot of manufacturers offer custom sets. Having 10-12 basses made me scour ebay for deals and as a result I tried a bunch of brands and gauges. Now I stay with certain gauges to avoid spending all my time intonating rather than playing. Balanced tension sets are nice and manufacturers are starting to offer them off the shelf whereas for years if you wanted balanced tension you had to have custom sets made.

You could get some more low end if you played on a bass with a neck or middle pickup. I use 45 to 100 on my P bass and it sounds phenomenal. It is however too light for drop tuning so I have a second bass with 50 to 105 tuned to D standard.

Interesting comments. I've gone both ways over the years with strings: everything from 35-95 to 55-110. I think it all depends on the sound (and feel) you want. I generally go in between these days with 40 - 100 or 45 - 100 . But I honestly can't stand it in a band setting if I cannot hear any definition. I know a lot of guys like a thuddy, kind of undefined sound, but it drives me nuts--I just hate being buried in the mix. So, whatever gauge, I generally go with stainless steel (or the Dunlop super bright nickel) to keep my ears hearing some note definition. I find that I get plenty of low end no matter which strings I use, but some (like flats) just don't do it for me because of the lack of note definition on the higher end). Everyone's ears and tastes are different though. I'm definitely someone who loves Marcus Miller's tone and don't think much of the sound of flats at all, in most settings. "Full range" is my preferred sound--even if I'm on heavy gauge strings (like 55-110) I can still get definition with stainless steel strings (and plenty of low end).

I been using 30-90 Rotosound Funkmasters for the last 6 yrs

i play 30-50-70-90 mark king rotosound strings on my stingray with very low action. i started to play some kinds of punk with it too. just boost the low frequenzies a bit and your good to go. you can play faster with the same energy too :)

Huh. I'm getting back into bass playing after 15 years, and just bought some 40-60-70-95 flatwounds. Had no idea they were considered "really light", I totally forgot choosing a gauge was even a thing lol. Interesting that Victor Wooten plays them! If anyone's curious, they are the Ernie Ball Extra Slinky Flatwounds.

Dean markley blue steel and the cobalt slinky ernie balls are my go to. 45-105

I use the different strings for different tones for different styles as a rationalization to buy more basses. I string one 6 string with extra light flatwounds, one with light halfrounds and one with regular gauge round wounds. If I need more booty then the e string can provide on the extra lights, I find that note in the B string.

Very good video with great advices and comparisons. IMO every player has own preferences - which could change with getting older, playing different bands, styles, genres etc... I started with light 0.40 gauges about 25 years ago, then changed for medium 0.45 when I couldn't buy the set I preferred, and kept the thicker. One year ago I tried 0.50 for a lower speed/thrash session, and that gave so strong and massive sound, so I kept and using it for normal tuning for everyday gigs - I feel both of my basses reborn with the heavy gauges, no matter what is the price with the comfort - you have to practice more on it and you'll be OK with it, not to use threads on a bass - I love Victa but not really love his sound for by that, to sacrifice the sound for the comfort ...

I’m betting you could compensate the loss of tone that comes with lighter strings, if your Bass has a 3 band EQ Tap Coil/pickups balance blending etc, with enough tweaking to make it to where you’d eventually forget it. I have been primarily a guitar player for most of my years as a musician and I used mediums on on my acoustics because I thought it sounded fatter, and I’ve always like a fat bass heavy sound. But... that all changed when I once watched a string shootout on Acoustic Letter with custom lights, lights, extra lights, and medium strings. I learned that the lights (12-54) had more of a balanced tone than the mediums, or any of the other strings. I realized there was so much mids in the mediums that it starts to lose clarity and bass. I switched to lights for good after that experience. I don’t know enough about bass yet to make the assumption that it’s the same, but I imagine a similar principle is present.

Add to the plan! I am, thank you!

Actually I really liked the sound as well, but maybe you can compensate it in a bass with neck pickup when you need to play in a band and noto solo or chords, harmonics. The tone was also great with tapping, also considering they are easy to play double thumb, tapping etc... It is a shame you did not show us a direct comparison with the previous strings

Thanks man, this was helpful. I already know the effects of gauges on guitar but not on bass, and now I have been educated! I'm gonna stick with fairly average gauges.

I'm trying to figure out if length matters for accoustic, but I'm willing to hear out if girth matters too.

Read that the grandaddy of funk slap Larry Graham uses light gauge too. Experimented myaelf back in the day but went back to standard as I'm just not a melodic player

I've been playing 55-110's for most of my bass playing but recently switched to 65-130's. I like staying in B Standard

The color of that bass🤤🤤

@TheBassWizard Hey man, I edited this video by separating the bass from the voice, then processed the bass sound by itself and rejoined the audio and the video to show that the 'thin' vs 'beefy' difference of light vs thicker gauges isn't so huge when you adjust your amp and pedals for it. I would really like it if I could send you this edited video to show you what I mean. And, maybe, pass on the information, because people seem to have a sense of finality about it that I think is incorrect. (PS I'm not going to do release the video edit somewhere or anything, it is your property, not mine)

Just ordered 45-100 with D'Addario Chrome flat wounds. Not many brands have the lighter gauges...D'Addario also have Chromes 40-95

I prefer .45 - 1.30 with a tapered B string for B for the 5-string basses and .45 - 1.05 on 4 string basses. Normally we tune down half a step. This is why I prefer slightly thicker strings. I tried lighter strings, but they didn't work for me and my hard digging fingerstyle.

When I started playing I used the light gauge bass strings from Fender. (We’re talking ‘80 or ‘81) and I like the way they felt on my fingers. Then when I got into the slapping thing I used Rotosounds medium gauge string (I thing they were Swing 66) and notice more meat (tone wise) around the E & A strings. But I like light gauge for chordal stuff. They do sound clearer. I just experiment. 🤨

Your comparison may not be completely fair, in my opinion GHS strings never sound great....no offense to anyone. But if you tried them in another brand you may find a fuller sound

James Jamerson played the same strings for the whole of his carer! 52-110. He never changed a string. The dirt kept the funk!

I used to play my 5 string with something like 65-135 something like that, but now I play my 5 string in drop A# with very light strings minus the lowest one to hold tuning, to me strings that have more slack are not only way easier to play because it takes no pressure to fret notes but also the tone is nicer in my opinion, I’ve noticed thin strings have more fundamental frequency, the thick strings have way more overtones which can be muddy as hell with distortion

I'm a heavy player, I prefer .50s. -.125 on my 5 string and .45-.105 on my 4. Ernie ball cobalt. I'm not a pop and slap guy, or a very technical guy. I just play.

Les used .80 E and A, and .40 D and G during the early Primus years, though he uses .45-100 now.

Cliff Burton used 35-90 rotosound strings, there was nothing thin about the bass sound on the first three Metallica albums, I think you need to sort your EQ out, amp end or bass end.

If you can find them, try Billy Sheehan’s custom strings. I believe they’re 43-110, heavy strings on the E and light strings on the G. I rather enjoy them.

D’Addario used to (Or maybe they still do) make a set that is 35-95. I think they called them like “super light” or something similar. You can also tune a half or whole step down and capo at the first or second fret. That way the strings have lower tension therefore feel more like a lighter set.

Yeah I just bought extra slinky,and super slinky strings to see which ones will work for my style.I bought the JB used so I don't know what gauge the strings are.The action is rather stiff,so I'm changing them hopefully I hit the jackpot 🤖🛸

So being a string freak like I am I've been through lots of different things. With that said I found that too heavy gauge you don't have the same clarity but it does sound fat. On the reverse end I've tried funkmaster strings which are maybe even lighter than this guys ghs strings and it's very thin and I ended up not getting the tone I needed because of how aggressive my fretting hand fingers are. I kinda choked off the notes and learned that I needed to be in the middle. Medium light or medium heavy. So point being you should experiment and see what your hands tell you and that is my best advice. Heavy handed guys might tend to go thicker and light touch guys can go thinner usually.

Thank you. This information was very useful.

I"m currently on G 0.040 - D 0.060 - A 0.075 - E 0.095 - B 0.125. I find it very odd because I have been around many websites and I can't find a match to my setup. It is really close to that Victor's signature, but still not the same.

Interesting and helpful video, thank you

This was a really good video

As soon s you played that first chord I was like woah it even sounds like Victor Wooten.

I don't know how your low-end sounded where you were recording but it rattle my car when you hot those strings and I just have a factory stereo.

Dude, I always wondered how Vic got that sound! Played my hands to the bone, haha! Thx for the vid! Yo, check out Power Slinky Strings if you can.