(noob question) why are my strings so tight?

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frankn

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Jan 11, 2017
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#1
Hello, I play a fender jazz bass and I used to have some halfround strings on it and recently i changed my strings to full round regular strings and before i changed the strings everything was setup perfectly and the strings were very loose (but not too loose) and i could play perfectly without any struggling. now since i changed the strings are so tight and i cant even bend them very much. can anyone tell me why this is? the new string gauge is 105-50.
 
#2
All strings have varying degrees of tension. The spec is available but not always easy to find. Plus most people don't think about tension until it's so different that you really notice it. A new setup will help but I hate to drastically change my setup for new strings.
I went through the same thing today when I took my TI JF344's off and put some D'addorio XL170's on. After seeing the action get higher and my bass playing like crap, I put the TI's back on.
 
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#3
FunkHead said:
All strings have varying degrees of tension. The spec is available but not always easy to find. Plus most people don't think about tension until it's so different that you really notice it. A new setup will help but I hate to drastically change my setup for new strings.
I went through the same thing today when I took my TI JF344's off and put some D'addorio XL170's on. After seeing the action get higher and my bass playing like crap, I put the TI's back on.
Click to expand...
thanks alot, i was thinking that might be it.
 
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#4
frankn said:
Hello, I play a fender jazz bass and I used to have some halfround strings on it and recently i changed my strings to full round regular strings and before i changed the strings everything was setup perfectly and the strings were very loose (but not too loose) and i could play perfectly without any struggling. now since i changed the strings are so tight and i cant even bend them very much. can anyone tell me why this is? the new string gauge is 105-50.
Click to expand...

How much thicker are they than the old strings?
 
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#5
String tension is going to depend on the material, type of string, and gauge. If the only thing you are changing is the string gauge, then the lighter gauge (you installed medium gauge) will have less tension and be easier to play. For most people, Regular light gauge (100-45) is probably the more comfortable gauge.
 
#7
pcake said:
that's one of the big querstions. 50 to 105s (that the OPs new strings are) are pretty thick strings. ones commonly found on basses in stores are 45-100s, and i use 40-95s (or 90s) on some of my basses for a lighter touch.
Click to expand...
I wish they didn't call the 105 gauge strings Medium or Regular. My bet is the OP, like me, assumed medium was average and that he wasn't so weak and pathetic that he needed "Light" strings.
 
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