Wondering

if electric guitarist around here deal with string tension and in what ways?
 
 
 
Sorry....or electric bassistzzz.

Now that's a great question.
 
String gauges...I imagine more guitarist may due to tunings.
String angles...scale length preferences and str gauges due to...
I could go on and on....metals, energy-such as unbalanced/balanced output due to no independant pole adj. etc.
 
Maybe for you-because I think you have a bass with a drop tune...do you notice, like or not like what happens when the tension drops from dropping the pitch? Did you go to a larger gauge because of it? Do you track the tension of different strings or do you play the same set on all your basses? Do you have different scale length basses and have found different gauges/tension work better?
Do you build custom sets to achieve a volume output that you hear as "better"?
 
I'll stop...I know you get my drift now.

Randy I believe that many guitarist share your position.
 
It's not all about "tunings". For example....a player on a short scale Gibson may find it to sloppy or to easy to play out of tune so increases the string gauge (add tension). 
Someone that likes to play Drop D may have found that a .052 rather than the .046 normally used worked out better...balanced out the tension at a lower pitch...for example.
 
Maybe string angle after the bridge or nut solved a problem...just wondered what players had run into.

 
I've been aware of D'Addario's trip.
 
So you do increase (some strings gauge) for the short-scale Gibson.
 
I know that Hendrix used a lot lighter gauge than most would imagine but his guitar also had an "odd" set (in that there are no sets I'm aware of) that had a closer range G string to the second string to lower the volume.
With a humbucker one can adjust the poles for such needs but not so with most single coils. With them I guess string gauge is the move.
 
If "higher tension equals more stable tuning" then it would stand to reason that all 25.5 scale lengths hold tuning better than 24.75, strings being the same...not sure I buy into that.
 
I don't "worry" or get concerned about "equal" tension or tension unless there is an issue I want to address. If so, it's something I will consider.

I don't know that you should just take my word for it.  But I do know that if I pick up a bass that I haven't played in some time, I'll often find it's still perfectly in tune and that doesn't happen with the guitars.
 
But I've wondered if string tension might be a part of the explanation why some guitarists seem to have endless problems with trems and tuning while others don't seem to complain much, given similar usage.

drewfx1
tension=(frequency*(2*Length))^2 * linear density

I thought that was the Am formula.

The higher the better as far as I'm concerned. I've never had a light touch and anything lower than 11's my fingers just keep squeezing out of tune. For electric I use the heaviest strings I can bend without difficulty. Plus I use 13's (sometimes 14's) on my acoustic and switching from acoustic to electric would feel too weird if I had extra lights my my Tele.

It really depends on your playing style. Personally I think my playing has more character and feeling when I'm fighting with the instrument a little, which is why I prefer my action on the higher side as well. Oh and I hate fret buzz with a passion.

I think this is whatever meets your requirements and works for you.
 
Personally I use 9/42's, d'Addario make from Thomman. They suit me fine and I keep them clean (using a wipe after each rehearsal or gig). As for using gauges - it it doesn't buzz then that's fine. (For me).
 
What is the advantage of using feelers ?
 
The guitar i have with the lowest action is a Stagg LP copy. The neck is one of the straightest I've ever seen (made in China !). Fenders are a b**ch to set up (I prefer a Jeff Beck height on the vibrato) and my LP is, well, it took 6 months to get it set up correctly.
 
My 2 Euro cents !
 
Cheers,
Jerry
 
 
 

I have been most consistent with electric guitar strings.  For 25 years I played Super Slinky 9's.  Maybe about 5 years ago I switched to Slinky Hybrid 9's to keep the lighter strings the same, but add more chunk to the E and A string.  Now I am playing Hybrid Slinky Cobalt's because I like the tone better.  Maybe there isn't much tension difference between the 25 1/2 and 24.75 guitar neck lengths, but my hands handle the shorter length better in tension and feel.  I played both scales about the same number of years.  One thing that I do on my Les Paul is top wrap the bridge, it seems to give the guitar a little "slinkier" feel as well.  I do most of this for ease of bending.  Fret wire is also a big factor in bending.
 
On Bass, my Rick 4003, I used 45-105 for round wound for many, many years; settling in on Ernie Walls as well.  They have a nice growl to them with a Rick.  Just in the last 6-8 months I have been experimenting with flats.  The first set of flat wounds that I bought was Rotosound 45-105; the tension on those was really high, much more than the same gauge in rounds.  I was actually concerned because they seemed to be bowing my neck slightly.  I took them off after a couple of days and then started really doing some research and reading up on rounds.  I began to regularly hang out at TalkBass and read every thread that I could on flats.  Someone eventually posted string tensions and rated the feel of most brands and gauges.  I settled in on a lighter set of La Bella flats and really like the tension and feel of these strings.  I miss that biting growl sometimes that I get with the round wound bass strings on the Rick, but I have a real nice McCartney-esque thump going right now.  I guess I need a second 4003 to have strung with rounds as well.
 
What was said about Basses staying in tune better than electrics or acoustics, I have found to be true as well.  When I grab the Rick 4003, 9 times out of 10 it is still dead on in tune.  If its off, its not but by a couple of cents.  The electrics and acoustics always need tuning.  It has been that way for me on Deluxe Fenders, Gibson LP Standards, Rickenbacker 330's, Larrivee acoustics, virtually every guitar I have owned in the last 35 years. 

Kev999
I find that with the made-up sets that you buy, whether bass, 6-string or 12-string, the tensions of the different strings are always wildly inconsistent.  So I normally buy individual strings and made up sets myself.
 

I was curious about the issue and how many address issues by making their own sets. Not many by what I'm reading.
So far I think "what feels good" is as far as it goes for many.
 
The selection of sets compared to the selection of singles and the posts I've read has answered my curiosity.
I appreciate the feedback everyone.