New Hollow Body Bass project

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G.S. Monroe
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Location: Lakeland, Florida
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New Hollow Body Bass project

Post by G.S. Monroe »

Hey everyone, I'm starting of the year venturing into unfamiliar territory.
I'm going to build a hollow body 4 string short scale Bass.
It will be a variant of the hollow body electric guitars I was building last year in a 4 string, 32 inch scale configuration.
It's still in the design and planning stage at this point though, and I have hit upon a question.

How much string tension is there on a typical 4 string bass?
Is it comparable to an electric 6 string guitar?
More or Less?

I'm hand shaving a neck for this build and I want to know how much string tension I'm going to have.
In the past with 6 string guitars I've allowed 12-15 lbs per string when tuned.
I have no idea if the larger diameter strings will need more or less tension at a 32 VSL.
The tension vs pitch "cheat sheets" that I have don't go above a .042 gauge.

Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.
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Bob Gramann
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Location: Fredericksburg, VA
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Re: New Hollow Body Bass project

Post by Bob Gramann »

This page from D'Addario has everything you need to know about string tension along with a link to a chart so you don't have to calculate yourself.
http://www.daddario.com/DAstringtension ... bc16a14949
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