Double Bass Strings

The Double Bass String Chant

Spirocore, Flexocore, Gut, Gut, Gut!

Velvet, Presto, String Height, Nut!

Weich - mittel - stark! Fifths Tuning, Solo!

Chromstahl, Ropecore, Solid core, Nylon core,

Perlon core, Tynex, Nickel, Aluminium, Silver, Copper, Silk!

Hooray!

(Written by Reuben Radding - Arranged & adapted by Jake de Villiers)

Bass String Gauges

Strings can have a huge effect on the sound and the feel of a bass. Some are designed primarily for arco play, some for pizzicato and there are also many strings that do both well. Manufacturers websites tend to have tension data but not sizes, so with the help of many other bass players I've collected some size data.

Gauge and tension are not necessarily related - construction has much more influence on tension than does size. The gut and gut-like strings have imposing size and need to be much higher off the fingerboard in order to speak clearly but because they are looser they are just as easy on the hands as higher tension strings set close to the fingerboard.

G D A E

ARTONE

Gut .092 .110

Wound Gut .110 .140

CORELLI 370

Forte .043 .055 .067 .089

Extra Forte .044 .054 .071 .096

D’ADDARIO

Prelude

Medium .050 .057 .078 .106

Helicore Hybrid

Light .082 .110

Medium .049 .058 .082 .115

Helicore Pizzicato

Light .049 .060 .078 .110

Medium .082 .120

Zyex

Medium .062 .070 .077 .103

Pro Arte

Nylon/Nickel/Al .089 .084 .107 .140

DLUGOLECKI GUT

Maneri Custom .088 .110 .106 .128

Kissell .086 .108 .106 .136

EUROSONIC

Ultra Light .046 .060 .077 .104

Light Tension .074 .098 .118 .149

FISOMA GUT

Red gut/Silver .095 .133

GAMUT GUT

Medium .083 .114 .104 .127

Medium + .085 .1165

Heavy .087 .118

Heavy + .089 .120 .110 .132

INNOVATION

140B Braided .067 .081 .089 .115

140H Honey .065 .073 .098 .117

Ultra Black .078 .088 .102 .124

Rockabilly .078 .087 .100 .124

140SS Super Silver .086 .093 .106 .126

140SLP Silver Slap .088 .095 .105 .125

140GLP Golden Slap .088 .095 .105 .125

Psychobilly .105 .115 .126 .148

JARGAR .047

LA BELLA

Gut .086 .107 .114 .135

LYCON

NLA .049 .077 C - .135

PIRASTRO

Chorda .080 .110 .100 .140

‘Carlos Henriquez’ .085 .106 .100 .124

Eudoxa .071 .079 .090 .108

Evah Pirazzi

Weich .057 .069 .086 .107

Regular .059 .071 .089 .110

Gut Slaps .085 .105 .092 .106

Flat Chromstahl .047 .055 .074 .098

Flexocor '92

Regular .047 .060 .076 .098

Stark .050 .060 .105

Flexocor Deluxe

Jazzer .051 .069 .083 .111

Obligato

Solo .058 .063 .080 .106

Orchestra .060 .069 .088 .111

Oliv .070 .085 .105 .135

Original Flatchrome .052 .063 .087 .109

Original Flexocore .052 .062 .088 .109

Permanent .053 .064 .080 .106

Perpetual .045 .064 .076 .1065

Pizzicato .084 .120

THOMASTIK-INFELD

Belcanto .050 .063 .080 .105

Dominant

Solo .075 .102

Orchestra .055 .065 .085 .113

Spirocore

Solo .044 .061 .076 .103

Weich .046 .063 .079 .107

Mittel .052 .070 .085 .111

Stark .054 .065 .095 .120

Red Mitchell 5ths .044 .069 .092 .134

Superflexible

Solo .046 .064 .072 .096

Orchestra .052 .074 .079 .107

VELVET

Anima .078 .081 .095 .110

Compas 360 .065 .072 .086 .109

Garbo Light .087 .097 .106 .119

Garbo Gut .085 .097 .100 .125

Blue .060 .068 .086 .105

Thanks to all those TalkBass Double Bass Forum members who posted string measurements in the Forum and a special thanks to Francois Blais and Phil Manieri for their dedication to expanding the world's double bass string knowledge base.

If you have more data to add or any corrections, I'd be happy to have them.

Please send to: jake@thebassspa.com

Velvet Garbo, Anima and Compas 360 all have the same tension, 25 kgs per string (55 lbs)

The Velvet Garbo Light have a tension of 23 kgs per string (51 lbs)

The Compas 180 and the Compas 180 solo have a tension of 26kgs per string (57 lbs)

The Compas 180 Suit and the Compas 180 Solo light have a tension of 24 kgs per string (53 lbs)

The Compas 180 V tuning also have a tension of 26 kgs per string (57 lbs)