Have you ever tried an acoustic bass with thicker strings?

[UM300 aka MZ]

Regular acoustic bass strings sets are sold in the same size as electric bass strings sets, (45, 65, 80, 100).

In other hand, acoustic guitar strings sets are meant to give a tension of ~30lbs of tension, an 150% more than electric guitar strings. The difference in tone and volume is notorious.

Has anybody tried an set of 5 strings on a 4 string bass for an average tension of 60lbs?

 

[HaphAsSard]

Regular acoustic bass strings sets are sold in the same size as electric bass strings sets, (45, 65, 80, 100).

In other hand, acoustic guitar strings sets are meant to give a tension of ~30lbs of tension, an 150% more than electric guitar strings. The difference in tone and volume is notorious.

Has anybody tried an set of 5 strings on a 4 string bass for an average tension of 60lbs?

A couple observations:

- string tension depends on gauge, make and model. Ernie Ball Earthwood bronze bass strings are very light gauge; GHS bronzes tend to be lighter than their steel and nickel-plated steel strings of same diameter; on the contrary, D'Addario bronzes have more tension than their "electric" equivalents;
- string tensions vary across strings of the same set, because traditionally-gauged sets are imbalanced to begin with - a .065 D at 34" scale is already in the >50-pound ballpark, whereas low E's seldom are (unless you use a 115 low E or larger). For the same reason, buying a 5-string set, discarding the G and tuning the rest (originally meant for BEAD) to EADG may be doable for the 120~130 string, less so for the 60~65 (which may not survive the experiment, and break before reaching G);
- I've never gone beyond 45-60-80-105 on my (cheap, no-name, East-Asian import) acoustic bass guitar because I eventually noticed the top bulging behind the bridge, so I went the other way and started using nylon-core silver-plated copper strings.
The usable window of tensions that the top and bracing of your acoustic bass can safely allow might be narrower than you think. In order to make the instrument safer for bigger strings, you could convert it to bridge + trapeze tailpiece string loading, and add a reinforcement pillar (known as a "sound post" in the violin family, but it serves other purposes there) under the bridge if the top starts caving over time.

 

[Paulabass]

What are you trying to achieve? If it's more volume, I think you are fighting physics, and the size of the body.

 

[MD]

LaBella 760N - 060, .070, .094, .115 on two acoustics. Acoustic volume varies between them due to construction. One is fine siting by myself with the TV on low, the other projects into neighboring campsites without issue.

 

[jd56hawk]

Regular acoustic bass strings sets are sold in the same size as electric bass strings sets, (45, 65, 80, 100).

In other hand, acoustic guitar strings sets are meant to give a tension of ~30lbs of tension, an 150% more than electric guitar strings. The difference in tone and volume is notorious.

Has anybody tried an set of 5 strings on a 4 string bass for an average tension of 60lbs?

Since I've found the perfect strings for my acoustic bass...both of them...absolutely no need.