Bob,
Yeah, I've got bald covered too.
This is off subject but I am responding to a request for clarification from within this thread. This relates to scale length in that shorter scale length is usually equivilent to lower string tension and vise versa.
Regarding String recovery; This is just personal opinions and empirical evidence gathered over many years of playing and thinking about electric bass. I don't have an engineering degree so feel free to contribute more valid scientific arguments.
To put it simply, I think I can play faster on higher tension strings. Now you don't have to read the rest of this posting.
You asked for an elaboration so here it is.
In general, higher tension strings are also higher mass strings given an equal scale length. However a low tension string on a short scale bass will have even lower tension than design specifications indicate.
Newton said, That which is in motion, tends to remain in motion. er, approximately. When a string is plucked, kinetic energy is imparted into that string and it is set in motion.
So sustain is Newtonian motion effected by various dampening factors such as body resonance (transduction of energy), friction of the string against the fingers and fingerboard. Acoustic coupling, string characteristics, etc.
String recovery is the time it takes the string to stop motion and reinstate motion for a new note, when the new note and the old note are played on the same string, such as an ostinato.
If the new note is on another string this is less important but is still a factor in speed due to rise time (the amount of time it takes a string to propagate a frequency along it entire length and to stabilize) of a plucked note.
When a new note is plucked the finger first touches and dampens the string, at this time the string continues to move with random harmonics and vibrations moving up and down the string, because some of the previous energy is still effecting the string. Sort of like waves shloshing around in a small pool. Then, within milliseconds, the plucking finger continues to move across the string imparting enervating energy to create the new note.
It is at this time that String recovery is important. The string must be able to be rapidly dampened and the pluck impulse of the new note must be converted into motion (percussive impulse and then sustain).
I belive that the inertia of a string with higher tension characteristics is easyer to control than one with floppy characteristics. Just as a firm spring is easyer to control than a Slinky. It may take more countering energy (dampening effort) to bring the higher tension string under control (dampened) but it will occur in less time. The lower tension string will still be jiggling with random harmonics milliseconds after the higher tension string has been fully dampend, or a new note has been plucked. I belive this is due to the high tension string having more effective induction with enervating and dampening forces. A lower tension string will continue to vibrate along its length for a longer period even though being dampened because its motion is less powerfully inducted (linked) to the dampening force. Conversely, when the lower tension string is enervated, this same inferior induction creates a longer rise time, and more unstable harmonics until the string settles into a regular oscillation for the note to propigate.
The important idea is that to play very quickly the string needs to minimize the time that random oscillations between notes occur and enable the string to respond to the players plucking impulse rapidly. Ramping up the new note frequency without combining latent energy left over from the prior note.
Of course there are aways exceptions. The newer slap technique using lighter gauge strings completly obviates this entire argument because the slap technique is so dynamic that the percussive impulse of a thumb hit or a pop overwhelms latent vibrations.
Best regards, and I look forward to your superior argument.
Fretless (bald) Old Guy
