Adam "Nolly" Getgood on bass strings
Producer & Bassist · Peripherypaid endorser · Reviewed by the Change Your Strings editorial team ·
Nolly Getgood is one of the most technically-detailed producers working in progressive metal. His approach to bass, Dingwall Combustion, multi-scale, custom Circle K gauges sized by tuning, is a case study in why "what gauge" is always the wrong question without "for what tuning, at what tension, for what production goal."
Both quotes above come from a 2012 No Treble interview during Periphery's Periphery II cycle. Nolly was sponsored by Dingwall and Circle K at the time of these statements; the relationship is disclosed alongside each quote.
The bottom-string flap problem he describes in drop tunings, pitch definition smearing under pick attack, isn't solvable with a heavier off-the-shelf set. The solution is a custom-gauge per-string choice tuned to tension, not diameter. Circle K is one of the few makers that will sell a .160 single string for exactly this case.
Related
- Adam "Nolly" Getgood's producer page, full production context.
- How often to change strings, recording-cadence section.
Discussing how to get low-tuned bass to sound solid on Periphery records, particularly the problem of keeping the bottom string from flapping under pick attack.
“I use Circle K strings, who make custom gauge strings. They make something up to a .260. I use a .160 for the tuning that I'm using on the bottom end.”
Explaining why Circle K's equal-tension approach, not just the gauges, is what makes the Dingwall Combustion work at Periphery's drop tunings.
“They're kind of designed to be equal tension as well, even with the fanned frets in the tunings that I use. That end of things is extremely important, and without that I don't think the tone would be anything like it is.”