Bass Guitar Single Strings
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About Bass Guitar Singles
Bass players buy singles more than any other instrument, and for good reason: a five or six-string set rarely matches what you actually want, scale lengths vary more than on guitar, and a single bass string costs a fraction of a full set. This is the deepest singles range we make.
Start with scale length
Get this right before anything else. Standard long scale fits most production basses. Extra long is for 35" and longer instruments, and we stock separate extra long singles because a standard string either will not reach or puts winding over the nut. Both lengths are listed below.
Then pick the construction
| Line | Gauges | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Power Wound Nickel | .025 – .135 | Warm and punchy, the usual starting point |
| Power Steel Stainless | .025 – .140 | Brighter, harder attack, more cut |
| Fusion Wound Nickel | .025 – .135 | Tighter and more focused than Power Wound |
| Fusion Wound Stainless | .025 – .135 | The tightest, brightest option |
| Foundations Nickel | .030 – .125 | Brighter and more flexible, red ball ends |
| Foundations Stainless | .030 – .125 | The same string with a stainless wrap |
| Silencer Nickel Semi-Flat | .030 – .120 | Polished surface, far less finger noise |
| Plain Steel Bass | .009 – .020 | Unwound, for octave and extended range sets |
Extra long scale
| Line | Gauges |
|---|---|
| Power Wound Nickel, extra long | .025 – .135 |
| Power Steel Stainless, extra long | .045 – .125 |
| Foundations Nickel, extra long | .030, .045, .065, .085, .105, .125 |
| Foundations Stainless, extra long | .030, .045, .065, .085, .105, .125 |
Tapered and exposed core
Tapered singles thin the string where it crosses the bridge saddle, which tightens the low B, improves intonation and adds sustain. We stock them in nickel from .100 to .135 standard, and .100 to .145 in extra long — tapered singles only exist in the heavy gauges, because those are the strings that need it.
Our Power Steel exposed core singles go further still. The core sits bare at the saddle for the strongest fundamental and the most articulation, and the range runs from a plain .008 all the way to a wound .195, which is the single heaviest string we make. These were developed for extended range basses — seven, eight and more — where no standard set exists at all.
What singles are actually for
Replacing one dead or broken string. Building a set a manufacturer does not make. Drop and extended tunings that need one string heavier than the set provides. Multi-scale and headless instruments with unusual length requirements. And repair shops, who need to fix one string on a customer's bass without opening a set.
Made in the USA.