Hello, World!

As some of you may have read in another post, I'd like to experiment with some bass tunings on my SB8. Since I don't have a new set and it's still an experiment, I'm going to use my current (and spare) strings.

Does anybody know what the string gauges (i.e. 95w or 22p) for Dual Bass Reciprocal?

If anyone has them for the 12-string grand stick it would be great, as I'm not sure if I'm going to go for symmetrical 4+4 on my SB8, but rather 5+3 or even 6+2.

Thanks in advance!

Cheers
Walter

String gauges seem to be a closely guarded secret.
Sometimes you get lucky and someone will post them.
I'm curious, how many musicians are using DBR?

That's true, although I don't understand why the secrecy...

When you buy a new stick you get a document with the exact tuning and string gauges.

The other option is to take a caliper/micrometer and measure them yourself. Which is weird as in most packs of strings the gauges are the first thing you see!

I suspect that the profit margins on finely crafted instruments is pretty low. A lot of work goes into finding the materials and investing in the equipment and skills required to put it all together. After the initial sale there is money to be made selling strings, books, DVDs, T-shirts, etc.

It reminds me of the auto industry in a way. Dealerships make most of their revenue in parts and maintenance.

Most guitar manufacturers have developed two product lines. Gibson and Epiphone come to mind. PRS has their Custom 24 line and there SE (student edition) line. The difference is where they are made and what materials and workmanship went into making them.

So, when it comes to strings, it seems that if you don't have the information for the different tunings, you will have to go back to the instrument manufacturer to purchase your strings from them. If you have access to a string calculator, it will definitely help you to find what you are looking for. https://tension.stringjoy.com/

Thanks for the link! It helped a lot to “find” the best gauges for my tuning. Always keeping in mind what Emmett said that the gauges should follow an exponential trend

I can post my findings later as well as my current tuning with whatever strings I found.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Alright, so I re-strung my SB8 with whatever I had at hand and these are the results:

String. Note - Gauge

Melody: in 4ths
1. G2 - 30w
2. D2 - 43w
3. A1 - 65w
4. E1 - 106w
Bass: in inverted 5ths
5. B0 - 106w
6. F1# - 63w
7. C2# - 39w
8. G#2 - 22w

As you can see, the gauges are all over the place, as I'm mixing a heavy straight 4ths SB8 set with a light classic 10-string set. Furthermore, the lowest B0 - 130 string was too short and could not make it from 8. to 5., but the notes are all there!

Walter, ixlramp posts on these pages about gauges. I believe he is a "Teflon" player, possibly builder of his own instrument(s), and is knowledgable about single, and dual range tapping instruments. I do DBR 12-string but need a new set so I don't know what the gauges are (Med.) w/out taking them off and mesuring w/ my calipers.

Thanks, I'll check out his posts!

My first impression of this tuning is that I like it and that I gives me a lot of overlap and hence flexibility. However, the current string gauges are not ideal (as I improvised).

Strings 1 - 5 feel and play good, as they are the original ones from the SB8 Straight 4ths tuning.

String 4 is way too tight, as this is intended to be a C1 in light gauge, so I might have to go 60-65.

String 5 is too loose, as this is also as this is intended to be a C1 in light gauge, so 128-130 would be ideal.

String 6-8 are a bit loose in comparison to 1-3, as they are from a light gauge set AND tuned down half a step. So I have to find their gauges for a medium or heavy set.

I think the solution for now would be to get two sets of bass strings (.030w - .045w - .065w - .085w - .105w - .128w) to get better distribution of tension and a more comfortable feel while playing.

Scratch that! I just realized that I can order a brand new custom set from Newtone for the same price, so I guess I'll do that.

I chose the gauges based on the heaviest string they have and then going down following Emmett's exponential trend.


The tension also follows a rather smooth trend within a comfortably playing range.


Now, if anyone has the actual SE gauges for DBR, I'd really appreciate if they can share it so I can compare.