Full Answer
Why buy a Fender guitar or bass?
Fender guitar and bass strings deliver the sound you expect from the world's greatest guitar brand. The best selection of electric and acoustic strings. Fender.com Play Tune BEGINNERS Sign In Free Shipping on orders over $50 + See Holiday Deadlines| The Beginner’s Hub: Find Your First Fender Get Started
What is the model number of the Fender Precision Bass?
FENDER APPS Fender.com Play Tune BEGINNERS 0 0 Home Electric Basses Precision Bass American Performer Precision Bass® new American Performer Precision Bass® Model #: 0198600300 Color Select Guitar Color 3-Color Sunburst
What strings should I buy for my bass guitar?
Some bassists prefer to buy individual strings in gauges that match their own preferences rather than being limited to those gauges found in string sets. There is no simple formula that can tell you what strings will sound best to you ears and feel best to your fingers.
What gauge bass guitar should I buy?
The heavier a gauge the lower the tone it is capable of producing. Generally speaking, heavier gauges produce richer tone, but demand more strength in your fingers. Most medium-gauge 4-string bass sets range between .045 and .105.
What bass strings does Fender use?
Fender 8250 Bass Strings, Nickel Plated Steel Taperwound, Long Scale, 8250M . 045-. 110.
What is the normal gauge for bass strings?
The Bass String Gauges Most bass strings have a medium gauge, a standard 4-string bass guitar ranges between 0.045 and 0.105 inches thick. Some manufacturers are known to take the mix and match approach in creating string sets.
How thick are P basses?
The P bass is similar to a Stratocaster with its double cutaway. The Precision bass neck is thicker at the nut (around 43mm) whereas the Jazz tapers towards the nut (38mm). The P Bass features a hum cancelling split coil pickup.
What is the string spacing on a Fender P-Bass?
the regular . 75" spacing should be just fine. it's the Jazz spacing that needs to be a bit wider if you want it to line up between the pickup magnets. Turnaround likes this.
What gauge string should I use?
Guitar StringsTuningFender Scale (25.5″)Gibson Scale (24 3/4″)Eb Standard10-52 (tigheter feel on low strings)11-48 (normal tension)Drop C#11-48 +52 (normal tension)11-54 (normal tension)D Standard11-54 (higher tension)11-48 (normal tension)C Standard12-56 (regular tension)12-56 (normal tension)6 more rows•Jun 4, 2019
Does bass string gauge affect tone?
String gauges 105. An important element in both the tone and playability of your bass, string gauge (how “heavy” or “light” your strings are) can make a real difference in your sound.
What are P basses good for?
The solid fundamental delivered by the Precision Bass makes it a great choice for classic rock, country, punk, surf, and grunge. We would definitely recommend doing some research into what your favorite bassists are playing.
What does P-bass stand for?
Fender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass (often shortened to "P-Bass") is a model of electric bass manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.
Who uses Fender P-bass?
There are a lot of bass players who prefer playing a P-Bass. The Motown legend James Jamerson uses a '62 P-Bass that he calls “the funk machine”. Donald “Duck” Dunn, Carol Kaye, Pino Palladino, Steve Harris, Willie Weeks, Sting, Paul Simon and George Porter Jr. are just some of the notable P-Bass users.
How do you measure string spacing bass?
0:171:59How to Measure Your String Spacing and Pickup Size - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe tools we need a ruler. In a business card J&F measuring the string spacing over the bridgeMoreThe tools we need a ruler. In a business card J&F measuring the string spacing over the bridge pickup. We take the distance between the two outside strings. We have 2 inches and 7/8. Over the neck
How do you calculate string spacing?
The easy way to get this is take your total string spacing and divide it by one less than the amount of strings you have. So if you are measuring a 4-string bass, you would divide by 3. our bridge is a 4-string, with a 57mm total spacing, so our string-to-string spacing is 57mm/3, or about 19mm.
Where do you measure string spacing?
String spacing is measured from the center of one string to the center of another string; this results in the actual spacing between the lower strings, which are thicker, being smaller than that between the higher strings, which are thinner.
What are flats on a P string?
Flatwounds: These strings are smooth as you run your finger up and down them. They are similar to cello/violin/viola/double bass (sometimes) strings. They typically are of higher tension then roundwound strings. They usually give a deeper tone. Famous users of flats on a P are James Jamerson, Steve Harris (however, his sound is not like most percisions with flats), Phil Lynott, Sting, John Deacon, and more jazz players than I can ever remember. They get deeper sounding with age, and if you are using flats, that is probably something you want.
What is a pressurewound string?
Also, there are types of strings that seek to combine the best of flats and rounds. These are called either pressurewound or groundwound. They consist of a roundwound string that has had all the edges polished off. I do not have enough expertise on these to give advice.
Can you use a pick or slap with a jazz bass?
If you are used to using a rig and switch to them you'll have to adjust your preamps/distortions, those babies clip with the increased lows. Surprisingly you can use a pick or slap with them pretty good. I used them with my jazz bass aswell.
What is the gauge of a bass string?
Bass String Gauges. String gauges—the diameter of the string—are expressed in thousandths of an inch. The heavier a gauge the lower the tone it is capable of producing. Generally speaking, heavier gauges produce richer tone, but demand more strength in your fingers.
What is the most common metal used for electric bass strings?
Most electric bass strings have an outer wrap around a steel core wire. The most common winding metals are stainless steel and nickel. The type of winding affects both the feel and tone of the string.
Why do bridge strings taper?
They taper gradually or abruptly at the bridge so that the core wire makes direct contact with the bridge saddles to enhance sustain. It’s particularly important to purchase taperwound strings that match your scale length so the tapered portion of the string falls in the correct place in relation to your bridge.
How long is a bass scale?
Five - and six-string basses often have 35” or longer scales. If in doubt, check your manufacturer’s website or measure the length between the nut and bridge saddles. However if your strings are routed through the body of the bass, things get a bit more complicated.
What are the most important things to consider when buying a bass guitar?
The most important factors to consider in shopping for bass guitar strings are: The number of strings on your bass. The scale length of your bass. Your playing style and music genre. How often you play. The sound character and tone you want to achieve.
What is the difference between pure nickel and stainless steel?
They offer the sound of ‘50s and early ‘60s pop, rock, and country bass. Stainless Steel: They produce a very bright tone with good corrosion resistance. Popular with rock, jazz, and metal players.
Can rusted strings hurt your guitar?
But keep in mind that ancient, rusted strings are likely to infect your frets and pickups with corrosion—causing damage that’s far more costly than a new set of strings. If you’re looking for that relatively dead-sounding “thunk,” a set of pure nickel strings will give you that as we discuss later.
STRINGS
New strings can breathe new life into your bass. Much of the thump and pop you expect from your bass starts right there. For strings to stay in tune, they should be changed regularly. Strings that have lost their integrity (worn where pressed against the fret) or have become oxidized, rusty and dirty will not return to pitch properly.
TUNING KEYS
How you wind the strings onto the pegs is very important. Start by loading them through the bridge and then loading them onto the appropriate keys as follows:
INTONATION (ROUGHING IT OUT)
You can preset the basic intonation of your bass by taking a tape measure and measuring from the inside of the nut to the center of the 12th fret ( the fret wire itself; not the fingerboard). Double that measurement to find the scale length of your bass.
TRUSS ROD
First, check your tuning. Affix a capo at the first fret and depress the fourth string at the last fret. With a feeler gauge, check the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 8th fret—see the spec chart below for the proper gap.
ACTION
Players with a light touch can get away with lower action; others need higher action to avoid rattles. First, check tuning. Using a 6" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance between bottom of strings and top of the 17th fret. Adjust bridge saddles to the height according to the chart below, then re-tune.
PICKUPS
Setting pickups too high can cause a number of unusual occurrences. Depress strings at last fret. Using a 6" (150 mm) ruler, measure the distance from the bottom of the first and fourth strings to top of the pole piece.
INTONATION (FINE TUNING)
Adjustments should be made after all of the above have been accomplished. Set the pickup selector switch (if your bass has one) in the middle position, and turn the volume and tone controls to their maximum settings. Check tuning.
What kind of strings do you use for bass?
Like most of the bass-playing world, you probably use roundwound bass strings, but you might find it interesting and useful to experiment with other types, such as flatwound, groundwound (or half-round) or tapewound strings, as a possible addition to your sonic palette.
What is the most popular bass string?
Roundwound. The most popular bass strings consist of a steel core string wrapped with a round wire, usually stainless steel or nickel; the former being the brightest and loudest of the two.
What is a groundwound bass string?
Groundwound (or Half-Round) Groundwound (half-round) bass strings are far less common than the aforementioned, but provide a nonetheless interesting option as a sort of combination of roundwound and flatwound.
Do flat strings chew up frets?
Further, “flats” don ’t chew up frets and fingerboards as much as roundwound strings do, which makes them the preferred type for fretless basses. For years after the commercially successful electric bass guitar was introduced in the early 1950s, flats were the only kind of bass string you could get.
