I've having a problem getting a great sounding low B and haven't found the answers I need in any of the EBMM forums, so I'm asking for some help here in strings.
I play a Yamaha BX-5 five string headless bass for a metal band, using EB stainless Hybrid Slinkies with a .130 B string added. I can never seem to get the same clarity and "ring" from the B as from my other strings. My bridge saddles are steel, with a slightly rounded top surface and a groove for the string cut in at the factory. However, all of these grooves are the same size, unlike the grooves in the nut. So the G, D and A strings look like they fit well enough in their saddle grooves, but the E looks like it's sitting slightly on top of its groove (it does sound great though) and the big fat B string is so much larger than the groove that you can see daylight under it!
I'm wondering if I should take a file and make the grooves bigger for the lower strings. Also, the EB stainless strings have a larger diameter with more windings near the ball end, so would I aim at making the larger groove fit this larger diameter near the end? Currently the B string sits on the saddle where these extra windings occur. There's not a lot I can do to put the ball end farther back so that the string hits the saddle in its regular .130 diameter area; this is due to it being a headless bridge. I'm going to try to do what I can with a spacer though.
Any thoughts on this, or am I barking up the wrong tree? Ernie Ball's bass strings have always sounded great so that's why I've been thinking there might be a problem with the setup on my five string. I'm switching to Cobalts pretty soon to see if that helps, but I'd like to try to get a better sounding low B before the switch. Thanks everyone.
I play a Yamaha BX-5 five string headless bass for a metal band, using EB stainless Hybrid Slinkies with a .130 B string added. I can never seem to get the same clarity and "ring" from the B as from my other strings. My bridge saddles are steel, with a slightly rounded top surface and a groove for the string cut in at the factory. However, all of these grooves are the same size, unlike the grooves in the nut. So the G, D and A strings look like they fit well enough in their saddle grooves, but the E looks like it's sitting slightly on top of its groove (it does sound great though) and the big fat B string is so much larger than the groove that you can see daylight under it!
I'm wondering if I should take a file and make the grooves bigger for the lower strings. Also, the EB stainless strings have a larger diameter with more windings near the ball end, so would I aim at making the larger groove fit this larger diameter near the end? Currently the B string sits on the saddle where these extra windings occur. There's not a lot I can do to put the ball end farther back so that the string hits the saddle in its regular .130 diameter area; this is due to it being a headless bridge. I'm going to try to do what I can with a spacer though.
Any thoughts on this, or am I barking up the wrong tree? Ernie Ball's bass strings have always sounded great so that's why I've been thinking there might be a problem with the setup on my five string. I'm switching to Cobalts pretty soon to see if that helps, but I'd like to try to get a better sounding low B before the switch. Thanks everyone.
