Double Bass Spiro EA + Permanent DG? (Edgar Mayer style at standard tuning)

[nogbert]

Thanks for this article Nogbert. A solid read. Based on this makers statements and measurements it seems perhaps I should be using the term "down pressure" or "down force" to describe the "perceived tension" that I'm referring to.

I’ve been chasing that soft “low tension” feeling for a long time and I thought low tension strings were the answer with limited success.

I recently found these adjustable saddles that allow you to change the break angle over the bridge. I just need to fork over the cash to buy and get one installed lol.

 

[Daniel Immel]

Id love to see those. Who is the manufacturer?

I’ve been chasing that soft “low tension” feeling for a long time and I thought low tension strings were the answer with limited success.

I recently found these adjustable saddles that allow you to change the break angle over the bridge. I just need to fork over the cash to buy and get one installed lol.

After 30 years of playing this thing "perception" isn't simply a flippant sensation. That being said I'm not a luthier nor an engineer. I'm assuming you must be.

Key word: perceived.

I’ve been chasing that soft “low tension” feeling for a long time and I thought low tension strings were the answer with limited success.

I recently found these adjustable saddles that allow you to change the break angle over the bridge. I just need to fork over the cash to buy and get one installed lol.

 

[nogbert]

Id love to see those. Who is the manufacturer?



After 30 years of playing this thing "perception" isn't simply a flippant sensation. That being said I'm not a luthier nor an engineer. I'm assuming you must be.

i've seen a few different versions online but i think many are just made in house by a luthier; the one i saw for sale was made by Moser. They make a bunch of really interesting things for bass that i'd love to try some day
MOSER Saddle Bass

I'm neither an engineer nor a luthier (maybe someday);im not trying to imply that the "percieved" tension isn't a real thing or something that we are imagining... I just don't think we have an english word to describe it besides "tension" which in the physics world means one specific thing and is the only stat listed on strings that people rely on for predicting how a string will feel. it's just a colloquial vs. technical jargon issue. im not even sure what the technical term for this parameter is... perhaps "stiffness"? i'd really really like to track down an equation for this that incorporates the break angle and string tension so i could more easily figure out what i want to try without as much trial and error lol.

just found another paper about this with regard to bowed instruments: http://knutsacoustics.com/files/String-stiffness.pdf

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I did install a Moser adjustable saddle on my bass. Needed to remove the old saddle and put on some wood there instead to lift the saddle up a bit, otherwise the Moser saddle may press onto the top. Needed to cut a bit of the saddle sides because it was a bit too wide.
You get three positions, even the lowest a bit higher than the previous saddle. Not much difference on the lowest position, less power on the middle one but not too much, but the highest did loose a lot on my bass.

The reason I installed it was that the top has sunken over the last decades and I want to rescue it from damage in the future.
The reason might have been a shrunken top and the missing width might got compensated with a flatter top. But that repair is expensive, maybe a bit too much for the bass and my pocket.

So it was not for optimizing sound but to avoid further damage of the top or slow it down a bit.