Tips for the heavy-handed

[kbit]

I like to hit my strings hard
For me the physical feeling is just as pleasing as the sound, but sometimes the sound does suffer (not as much sustain, clack-clack-clack, etc). I've been thinking of some ideas on how to change the set up on my P-Bass:

- Thicker gauge for more tension (thinking of going for a Circle K balanced set)
- Raise the action a bit to keep from fretting out
- Lower the pickup a bit to keep the signal from spiking so much (maybe?)

Any other ideas or tips y'all heavy-handers have?

[ChetMagongalo]

Those are all good ideas!
I think having a solid technique is pretty important esp with fingers. Plucking across instead of inward.
and obviously plucking near the neck to get more floppy strang action
There's only so much you can do about losing sustain etc.

[foomanfat]

I will say, as a heavy handed player, I switched to heavy strings for a while, but less clank came with more string breaking.
I end up with my action relatively high, but I've grown accustomed to it.

[terminator]

I kill my strings tone after just a couple shows because they get all stretched out. a heavier gauge helps, but I think my sustain suffers because I string it BEAD and my bass obviously wasn't designed for that.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Those are all good ways of doing it, and they've all worked for me. One other thing to think about would be just different strings that aren't necessarily heavier (although heavy strings rock, c'mon son), took me a while to find the set I was most happy with the tone of.

[Bon Hoga]

- Lower the pickup a bit to keep the signal from spiking so much (maybe?)

In addition to this, you might want to pick/pluck closer to the bridge to reduce the rotational orbit of the string and prevent it from slamming into the pickup. You *may* have to deal with more string breakage this way, but that can be cured by using good quality saddles.

[Greenfuz]

I have the action on my bass set up so the strings are about 2 inches off the fretboard at the 12th fret

[fiddelerselbow]

I guess on the strings bit experiment with a few brands to see what works. My and my guitar player used to snap strings like motherfuckers until we switched to D'addario 11's.

[Bassus Sanguinis]

I did try a crazy thing years ago to learn a new approach: I switched from heavy and extra heavy to flimsy light pics that just didn't deliver the picking hand force. It took a few weeks to learn out of the excessively heavy handed technique to a little lighter touch and I'd say it worked for me, learned to play with more nuances. Also, helped a lot moving from a 34" four stringer and 34" 12 string basses to shorter scale and lighter string gauge, when I took the bass VI stringed bass as my main instrument.

And I still can go all berzerk and bang the shit out of my poor instrument on stage when I feel like that. Guaranteed to brake strings with the bends and windmills.

[kbit]

Yeah I started using nylon picks so I could have more flex there. Helps with trem-picking and what not.

[Chaosmic]

I'm a heavy-handed bass player as well and I find that DR Low Rider Nickel strings handle the abuse as well as any string out there. They sound great and last a long time too.

[terminator]

I'm about to try some "heavier" DDT strings to see if i can tune down to B with a lighter gauge so i won't have to file the nut on this particular bass. Anyone try these strings before? Am i wasting my time?
They also sell a single 145 gauge high-tension string designed to tune below B (i'm thinking F#). I'm having a hard time resisting that one.

[Grrface]

I'm a heavy-handed bass player as well and I find that DR Low Rider Nickel strings handle the abuse as well as any string out there. They sound great and last a long time too.

Yup, that's what I string all my stuff with now. Also, higher tension strings seem to help tame my heavier hands occasionally.

[ChetMagongalo]

I'm about to try some "heavier" DDT strings to see if i can tune down to B with a lighter gauge so i won't have to file the nut on this particular bass. Anyone try these strings before? Am i wasting my time?
They also sell a single 145 gauge high-tension string designed to tune below B (i'm thinking F#). I'm having a hard time resisting that one.

I've never tried them either but that sounds pretty cool to me!

[Achtane]

I'm about to try some "heavier" DDT strings to see if i can tune down to B with a lighter gauge so i won't have to file the nut on this particular bass. Anyone try these strings before? Am i wasting my time?
They also sell a single 145 gauge high-tension string designed to tune below B (i'm thinking F#). I'm having a hard time resisting that one.

I've never tried them either but that sounds pretty cool to me!

I had them for a month or so before ditching them for a .150 balanced set from Circle K. Even though the size should have been fine, they felt floppy to me.
Also way too bright, but that's something I'm weird about.
If you gotta have it now, I'd go .145 for the B and then slap the rest of the set on.