smaller or larger?

[Phil Bondi]

..I had to replace a bass string today on a Grand..it was left for me by
the previous tooner..anyway, I carry enough wire with me to re-string
most pianos, but this particular size fell right in between what I had
with me. So in a case like this, where you don't have the exact size
Universal to replace a bass string with, should you go with the thicker
density or the thinner?

I replaced it with the thinner.

Rook