Puzzled by strings

[Colonel Sanders]

I got a Fender J-bass that came with TI Jazz Flat (100-43). I would have expected a "spaghetti noodle" feel compared to my usual Rotosound Swingbass 66. Much to my surprise, the TI Jazz felt stiffer. More stifness for a lower total strings tension.

Intuitively, I would have expected a fairly good correlation between string tension and "perceived" stifness.

Obviously I am wrong. Or did I miss something? Can string core influnence this much the stiffness?

[cjj]

Yes, string core can affect stiffness. Think about it, if you had a very thin core wire, that wire would be much easier to bend than a thick core wire. Now wrap a thick wrap on the thin wire and a thin wrap on the thick wire so that they end up being the same diameter. Since the wrap itself can bend fairly easily, the thick core string will probably be more stiff than the thin core string.

Of course, that's not the only factor. The material can make a difference too. Think about if one string was made of nylon and the other steel. Different metal alloys will be different too. The shape of the core wire will also affect the stiffness (round vs. hexagonal, etc.).

And then there's the shape of the wrap. A round wrap will effectively have a bit more space between each wrap. Even if the wraps are touching, the contact point is very small. A flat wrap, assume it's more of a square or rectangular cross section will have a larger contact area between wraps. The larger contact area will make it harder to bend because the wraps butt up against one another.

So, there are a lot more factors that go into the stiffness of a string than just the diameter...

[cassius987]

TI Jazz Flats feel stiffer than Rotos? Not by feel nor tension in my experience, although it has been some years since I played any Rotos. Anyway, the other big factor is setup. If the action on your Jazz is fairly high compared to what you are used to it will add a lot more stiffness to the feel. TIs are some of the most supple-feeling strings out there, generally.

[jps]

How old are these TIs? Have they been on the bass and played for a while? My experience it that they feel very supple, initially, but over time with lots of play on them they seem to "tighten" up, but then that could just me having gotten used to the feel so they don't feel floppy to me, anymore.

[rictified]

TI flats were so loose I couldn't get used to them on my Rick basses. The tension on J basses is generally higher for the same string as on a Rick bass in my experience.

[jps]

I had JFs on my former AV '62 Jazz Bass, they sounded and felt fine on those, not too tight, if I recall.

[Captain Bob]

I got a Fender J-bass that came with TI Jazz Flat (100-43). I would have expected a "spaghetti noodle" feel compared to my usual Rotosound Swingbass 66. Much to my surprise, the TI Jazz felt stiffer. More stifness for a lower total strings tension.

Intuitively, I would have expected a fairly good correlation between string tension and "perceived" stifness.

Obviously I am wrong. Or did I miss something? Can string core influnence this much the stiffness?

There is correlation between the weight of the strings (mass), the length, and its tuned frequency (Tension) and stiffness as you perceive. But its core, and to an extent its wrapping have a modulus of elasticity. Think of 'stiffness' as its resistance to bend.

You can pull on a rubber band and place tension on it. It stretches until it breaks. It's quite elastic. Say that breakage will finally occur at 35 lbs pull or tension.
One could then get a string or fishing line which is much more stiff. I apply tension to the string or line and it snaps at 35lbs. Both the rubber band and the string have the same tensile strength for failure, yet the rubber band is less stiff than the string. Guitar necks experience both tension and compression under a given string loading.

[Colonel Sanders]

Thanks for all the replies!

After setting up the action on the Jazz Bass the way I like it, much lower than what it was setup, I am surprised by enjoyable is the feel of the TS. I guess I will put these on my 64 4001S when it will come back from Larry Davis.

[edski]

TI flats were so loose I couldn't get used to them on my Rick basses. The tension on J basses is generally higher for the same string as on a Rick bass in my experience.

I don't know where I stand on this...50/50 I guess. I still have Fender 9050's on my J bass and had them for a long time on my 4001. They feel/felt like bridge cables on both.

It could really be a matter of both pegging the stiffness meter. Kind of like having the voltmeter on the wrong setting. Maybe there is a difference between the two, I just couldn't tell.