Bass String Gauges

[Metalman_666]

So I'm looking to tune my friend's bass down to C Standard and Drop Bb. I have no idea what gauges are on it right now, it's in E... they feel relatively light.

For reference... I like the feel of 11-56 on a 25.5" scale guitar, in C and Drop Bb. They're a little light on the top strings, nice and stable on the bottom strings. What's the equivalent of that in bass strings? I'm assuming the 45-100 is like a 9-42?

 

[nuntius]

Re: Bass String Gauges

Look into a regular/light 5 string set and just use the lowest 4.

Bear in mind it's very likely you'll have to get the nut recut to accomodate the strings necessary to get decent tension down that low.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Bass String Gauges

Due to the much longer scale and different string construction of an electric bass, it´s nearly impossible to approximate guages to an electric guitar...

But FWIW, I play 12-52 in standard on guitar, and 55-115 in standard on a normal (34" scale) bass