30" scale bass. Currently have D'Addario 50-105 mediums on it but they are a bit too rough on my fingers, ordered some D'Addario 45-100 lights. Playing rock/punk with a pick. Am I going to notice a big drop off in tone with the lighter gauge? Don't care if its slight but dont want a noticeably more mellow sound. Thanks
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What exactly do you mean by "too rough on my fingers"? Are you talking about them being too stiff, or are you talking about their surface texture?
Tone should be identical...assuming you use the same make/model of strings that are on the instrument already. You might experience a slight drop-off in signal strength, which is the price one pays to enjoy the extra suppleness of lighter gauges. If so, simply adjust your playing technique and/or bass/amp settings accordingly.
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Mostly the thickness of the E string, not so much the tension. My Chromes are higher tension.
I agree with @Mystic Michael that the tone difference is not all that significant between a medium set and a light set; it's a matter of adjusting your technique.
@mbell75 Went from standard gauge to light gauge in 2007 after getting a Greco LP clone with a very thin & fast neck that could not handle Rotosound's normal gauge. Went to 40-60-80-100's and then in 2014 to a similar brand that the E is 95 and the price is about 1/5 that of Rotos.
The only adjustment made here was to modify the input gain and EQ slightly.
Everything else is in your hands or should be.
The only adjustment made here was to modify the input gain and EQ slightly.
Everything else is in your hands or should be.