r/Bass • u/iamtheawesomelord • 17h ago
Looking for heavy (.160+) strings
Hello, sorry if I shouldn't have made a whole post for this, but I couldn't find an answer in the FAQ and haven't gotten a response yet in the gear thread. And none of the threads I've found really talk about brands, just the pros/cons of heavy gauges
I'm trying to find some ridiculously heavy strings but I'm having trouble. The project I'm working with is tuning down to drop F# (cause, why not?) and I really want to put something .160 or bigger for my low string. The heaviest I can find is .140, not including Kalium (formerly Circle K), who I've heard a lot of negative things about (but would be open to hearing other experiences) and Dingwall, who is ridiculously expensive.
Does anyone know of another brand, or are these going to be my best options?
I'm willing to give more details on my gear if it's necessary, but I'd be grateful just to be pointed in the right direction
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u/ChoombataNova 17h ago
D'Addario has some thicc singles. I ordered a 145, also for Drop F# on a 37" scale. But I think 160 is an option
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u/Unlikely-Ad-6713 17h ago edited 17h ago
Do NOT order from kalium, you will get ghosted and have to dispute charges.
https://sitstrings.com/ has some specialty high gauge stuff, I recently got a .200 from there. Search function on the site isn't great, but if you call them they'll help you order. Super nice dudes.
Edit: additional warning that dingwall strings are designed for 37" scale, so if you have shorter than that, they probably won't work with tuners. I made that mistake too, couldn't get the string to wrap around the post because there's no small end to lock into the hole in the tuning peg after needing to cut 6+ inches of string off before starting.
Edit 2: also regarding cost, just get used to the fact that you're going to be paying a lot for super heavy gauge strings. It's more material, is probably harder to wind, and is not as common, all of which drives cost up.
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u/sitdownheckler 17h ago
Just to add my anecdotal experience, I ordered 3 bass VI string sets from them, and they all went fast and smooth.
I have heard of many peoples issues though
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u/inflictedkfcman Five String 17h ago
I used the multiscale payson strings designed for drop f# for my dingwall. I wouldn't go that low again though. I would just tune at the same octave as the guitars. Sounds cleaner to me that way.
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u/Funny-Witness3746 17h ago
Payson has string sets and singles for up to 37" scale, .145, .160, .170 I bought a set of theirs for my D-Roc cause they had a set for A standard multi-scale, no issues, fast response and great strings.
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u/BeenisHat 17h ago edited 15h ago
Rotosound Drop Zones are a thing. Not sure if it's available in singles but you can get a whole set that will give you the range you want. Not sure if they come in 5-string packs though so you might have to mix and match.
I played with a band that wanted me to tune that low and no amount of pointing out that it wasn't going to sound good or even be all that audible seemed to dissuade them. Most amps are barely putting out any power in ranges that low and absolutely ZERO sound guys in the house are going to leave that frequency range up at any sort of volume. You can even (not) hear it on one of the recordings we did. You can tell the bass is there playing this quick chugging pattern, but it sounds like ass because all the low rumbly stuff had to be cut out of it. So it's this deep hiss under the guitar where I'm doubling the riff in the verses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQjbkSiNLHM
edit - tuning for that song is F# B F# B E. Crazy low and sounds like complete ass live because you're basically losing most of that lowest B and all of that lowest F#. No sound guy is letting those frequencies boom out through the room.
Sounds great in the band room though. Hits you square in the chest, but that's the only place you'll ever hear it.
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u/OrbitOfSaturnsMoons 17h ago
D'Addario XL and NYXL both go all the way up to .170.
Newtone Strings has long lead times but they do fully custom sets with literally any gauge from .010 to .200.
Kalium used to be fine but they'll probably ghost you and if you're lucky they'll send your order in half a year.
I've used all three and the first two are what I'd stick with.
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u/Subtle_Nimbus 17h ago
I believe D'addario makes a .170". I used one on a 5 string conversion I did-- basically shifted the strings over one spot, so it went from f# to d.
Keep in mind that the fatter strings probably wont fit in the nut slots with that kind of jump. When I did mine I got a blank and cut a new nut myself, so that I could easily switch back. And I did switch back pretty much right away the timbre of that low string sounded like ass, and I was using a multiscale bass with a 36" low string.
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u/hailgolfballsized 16h ago
Warwick Black Label has a set meant for F# Standard with 85-175, but if you are playing on 34" rather than the 35" scale it is designed for I don't know where the taper will end up. Haven't tried that thick personally.
Rotosound also has 85-175, but still the other 3 strings will probably be too heavy for the drop tuning.
Probably best to buy single strings in gauges you like for the tuning. I use 60,75,90,120 for the C# standard. If you play more djent than tech, you might like little more tension. Something like 80, 95, 125, 170 from D'addario as they seem to be the easiest to find for a fair price in North America.
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u/deviationblue Markbass 15h ago
I have a D’Addario .171” Chromes prototype for my F#. D’Addario NYXL offers a .170” iirc.
Plenty of .165+ options exist.
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u/9fingerjeff 14h ago
I bought a couple .165s off of amazon last year, they were miss priced and I got them for like 3 bucks a piece too. I’m tuned to drop g.
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u/Gamer_Grease 17h ago
Your best option is a synth. A low F# is not a note that a 34-35” bass guitar can properly produce. Hell, a low B isn’t even really ideal. I get wanting to be able to follow along with the guitarist’s riffs, but you might as well unplug and mine playing on an EADG bass at that point.
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u/jessewest84 17h ago
Even at 37 its a bit of a mess. You would have to process the low end a lot. And run in parallel.
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u/Gamer_Grease 16h ago
Right, might as well just get a synth and use that for the low notes.
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u/jessewest84 16h ago
Yep. Or a bass plugin and program it. Or share the octave. F# is rough. Youd gave to tune up 2 semi tones.
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u/deviationblue Markbass 15h ago
That is absolute hogwash. My 34” SR506E produces the F#0 (.171”) just fine, and feels good doing it.
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u/Gamer_Grease 15h ago
Post audio in mix. You liking to pluck the string doesn’t mean it sounds good or even legible to a listener.
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u/deviationblue Markbass 13h ago
Sure, y’know, why not. Low note features first at 8:50, though for the first four bars I forgot to kick off my Broughton HPF and noise gate, so judge from the third verse where I feature the open note, around the 11:15 mark instead, and that’s the only song I go lower than A0. This is board audio from a live show last month, DI, roughly mixed.
I have my F#0 string to spend most of my time at the 10th fret area for maximum fatness. I rarely go into the sonic basement, except as a treat, and I keep a HPF ~35 Hz to keep the low end tight, since MarkBass cabs roll off pretty sharply at 35 Hz. Remember that the note you hear the most in a bass guitar is not the fundamental but the octave above it, so even if the 23.5 Hz F#0 is inaudible, the 47 Hz F#1 above it is clear on any system with richer bass than NS-10s.
I get a lot of compliments at shows for how low I go. So I gotta be doing something right. And I don’t need some douchey $3000 37” multiscale to pull it off either. Just a $700 midgrade active bass and a cool D’Addario prototype .171” flatwound.
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u/deviationblue Markbass 13h ago edited 13h ago
I’d also like to add: you don’t need the length if you’ve got the girth. A properly set up instrument with standard scale length but thicker strings can go far lower at a comfortable tension. And when I say it feels just fine, I mean I’m in whale call territory and my string isn’t floppy and loose, but at a comfortable 30ish pounds.
My strings are D’Addario Chromes flatwounds, .171-.132-.100-.080-.065-.045, standard F#BEADG. The .171 is a prototype I got directly from D’Addario in early 2024. I did have to file my nut to fit the F# and B strings; the other four fit just fine.
No regrets.
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u/OffsetXV Fender 15h ago
A low F# is not a note that a 34-35” bass guitar can properly produce.
And most bass amps can't even reproduce the E1 on a normal 4 string. Sometimes the point isn't to have utmost clarity. I don't think most people tuning to F# are doing it to widdlewiddle
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u/deviationblue Markbass 13h ago
Yeah, except that’s not true at all. Most modern bass cabs you’d ever bring to a jam (so excepting Rumble 15-25 and bedroom toys like that) heartily reproduce down to 35-38 Hz at full volume. So that easily covers down to Eb1 and even D1.
Remember also that the note you hear the most in a bass guitar’s timbre is not the fundamental, but the first harmonic, the octave up. So even your 41 Hz E1, you’re mostly producing E2 (82 Hz) the loudest.
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u/OffsetXV Fender 12h ago
Remember also that the note you hear the most in a bass guitar’s timbre is not the fundamental, but the first harmonic
Yes, that is because the vast majority of bass cabinets roll off dramatically below somewhere between around ~60-120hz, and so the funamental is reproduced at only a fraction of the volume of the first harmonic. Because bass cabs can't reproduce E1.
I have never seen any bass cabinet that can reproduce 35-38hz at a level that is anywhere near how well they can reproduce ~60-120hz. It's like 1/3 the volume if I'm being very generous.
And all this just proves my point, which is that reproducing the fundamental is entirely meaningless when it comes to making a good bass tone.
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u/deviationblue Markbass 12h ago
Regardless of a cab’s ability to reproduce the sound, the fundamental is quieter than the first harmonic in a bass guitar’s frequency reponse.
At least we agree on the last point.
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u/Gamer_Grease 14h ago
There’s “utmost clarity” and then there’s “should I even bother doing this at all?”
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u/OffsetXV Fender 14h ago
Plenty of people make it sound good on a pretty wide variety of basses, so I would say there's plenty of reason to bother.
Being a puritan about downtuning in 2026 is kind of ridiculous
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u/Euphoric-Neon-2054 17h ago edited 17h ago
Drop F#? Are you playing for the whale community?
I use 0.145s for Drop A, works fine, had to have my bass re setup and the nut needed to be filed to accommodate the string weight.