Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

[millsart]

Okay, first off, I'm not a bass player, but I do like to play around on a slightly different stringed instrument and I'm trying my best to lay down some generic basslines on songs I record at home. So thats just a little about where Im coming from

That all said, I've got a Fender Jaguar bass which Im pretty happy with. Standard 4 string, EADG tuning.

Thing is I find Im never playing on the top G string, I doubt most bass players use it except for solos or some crazy funky jazzy stuff ?

Anyways, some stuff I like is from players with a 5 string and that low B string really sounds great. But I'm hardly a good enough bass player to spend the money on a 5 string and as a guitar play a 5 string bass neck would be really rough for me (i dont have huge hands as is)

So Im thinking, what if I just tune down, E to B etc. Basically the bottom 4 strings of a 5 string bass

Probably would need a little heavier strings and couldnt play anything that needed that G, but otherwise is there any reason not to do this ?

Is this commonly done ? I know plenty of guitar players who play six strings tune to dropped C etc

But have no clue about bass so I thought I'd ask

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Floppy B syndrome is the only real risk.

That said, I had a Warwick 5 that had a floppy .135 B on it and I've got a Peavey Fury with a .115 tuned to B that feels nice and tight.

PS: Oh, and you may need to re-setup the bass to keep the intonation correct all the way up the neck.

 

[millsart]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Floppy B syndrome is the only real risk.

That said, I had a Warwick 5 that had a floppy .135 B on it and I've got a Peavey Fury with a .115 tuned to B that feels nice and tight.

PS: Oh, and you may need to re-setup the bass to keep the intonation correct all the way up the neck.

Is a floppy B pretty much an issue on any 5 string as well ? What factors make it feel tighter on one bass than the other assuming they have the same scale length ?

 

[dg.riff]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

I thought you needed active electronics if you want a low B on a bass?

Anyway, if you're not using the G-string then you need to work on your bass riffs! Listen to some Jamerson for starters.

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Magic?

It's a risk on any bass, though longer scale lengths help fight is obviously (some 5s and 6s come in 35" or 36" length). But so can other design choices and the particular formula is one that I've never really discovered. My Warwick Streamer Std. (34" scale) had a floppy B no matter what I did. The best solution I could find was to put a .135 non-tapered hex-core string on it. That made it tolerable, but nowhere near as tight as I would have liked.

And no where near as tight as a smaller string on the same scale length tuned to the same note on other basses.

So who knows?

As for your bass, I say go for it. You're not gonna hurt anything by trying. The worse that can happen is you don't dig it. Start by just downtuning your normal strings. If that doesn't feel good -- it probably won't -- go buy some heavier ones and try those.

And look into hex-cores, if you need to add in some stiffness. They feel just like normal strings, but are stiffer and just a touch darker in tone. Still very growly, though. Not flat and thumpy like flats.

Is a floppy B pretty much an issue on any 5 string as well ? What factors make it feel tighter on one bass than the other assuming they have the same scale length ?

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

No need for active electronics.

And I can imagine all sorts of (non-heavy, even) music that I'd rather have a BEAD bass for than a EADG. It's not just about the extra five notes; it's about having some of those low E string notes available higher on the neck too.

I thought you needed active electronics if you want a low B on a bass?

Anyway, if you're not using the G-string then you need to work on your bass riffs! Listen to some Jamerson for starters.

 

[millsart]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

I thought you needed active electronics if you want a low B on a bass?

Anyway, if you're not using the G-string then you need to work on your bass riffs! Listen to some Jamerson for starters.

The jag bass actually does have both active electronics as well as passive



Really can't seem to find many basslines at all that use the G string, of the 100's of tabs I've checked out probably 90% of the stuff is just on the E and A strings

I'm talking basic rock and blues stuff. Im just playing basic basslines for my own home demos and stuff here, not trying to be the neck Jaco lol

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Just buy a 5 string set and throw the G away...it'll require a set up and such but lots if guys ranging from Billy Sheehan to Tim Commerford have done and do do it

 

[millsart]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Just buy a 5 string set and throw the G away...it'll require a set up and such but lots if guys ranging from Billy Sheehan to Tim Commerford have done and do do it

Thats really intresting ? Why do they take the G off ? Do they feel it gets in the way ?

I guess Keef played a 5 string and and I know Max Cavalera from Soulfly takes off the E and B as he likes a 4 string but personally I never really saw much point in it as extra strings never really bothered me

Probblem for me with the 5 string neck is it just feels a bit uncomfortable, especially coming from guitar. Thats one thing I like about the Jag, its a very thin Jazz style neck and very narrow at the nut making it feel a bit more like a guitar with a longer scale.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Thats really intresting ? Why do they take the G off ? Do they feel it gets in the way ?

I guess Keef played a 5 string and and I know Max Cavalera from Soulfly takes off the E and B as he likes a 4 string but personally I never really saw much point in it as extra strings never really bothered me

Probblem for me with the 5 string neck is it just feels a bit uncomfortable, especially coming from guitar. Thats one thing I like about the Jag, its a very thin Jazz style neck and very narrow at the nut making it feel a bit more like a guitar with a longer scale.

I know in the cases of Tim C and Billy Sheehan they both said they'd been playing a 4 string so long that going to 5 was out of the question so they set up a spare 4 string dropped a 4th for recording...oddley enough both Billy and Tim have custom made double neck basses that tour, with neck one 4 strings tuned "normal" and one neck tuned down a 4th with 4 out of 5 strings from a 5 string set...

 

[theodie]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

The drawbacks, it will sound like a cookie monster bass!

 

[millsart]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

I know in the cases of Tim C and Billy Sheehan they both said they'd been playing a 4 string so long that going to 5 was out of the question so they set up a spare 4 string dropped a 4th for recording...oddley enough both Billy and Tim have custom made double neck basses that tour, with neck one 4 strings tuned "normal" and one neck tuned down a 4th with 4 out of 5 strings from a 5 string set...

I just reread your first post and realized you were talking about a 5 string set of strings! I was an idiot and though you said buy a 5 string bass and dont put the G string on lol. Sometimes my reading skills are lacking!


I did read a bit about Tim here and he does seem to like the BEAD tuning on a Fender Jazz bass

I guess if it works for him it could be worth a try for me

 

[millsart]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

The drawbacks, it will sound like a cookie monster bass!

Whats a cookie monster bass ?

Ive heard of cookie monster vocals in metal music where the singers "vocals" sound like Cookie yelling in the mic lol

But a B string if its got enough tension should still be able to ring out pretty clear I'd hope, just deeper.

I guess if youve got a little practice amp it could distort the speaker if it can't handle the lows though.....

 

[NoOnesFang13]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

i use the g string alot... am i alone?

 

[millsart]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Just an update here, but I have tuned down on my bass and I've been really happy

The slightly "rubbery" tension feels pretty good to me and makes it a bit easier on my wimpy guitarist fingers lol

actually what I think I like most, besides the extra low notes, is that I can play stuff higher on the neck. Shifting it up like that makes the fingerings so much more natural feeling to me on alot of parts.

probably wont work for everyone, and maybe not for real bassplayers, but im finding I'm enjoying playing around more with my BEAD bass

 

[ex-250]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

good to hear, im probably gonna do that to one of my basses soon

 

[baritone]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Awesome. Normally, 4-strings are 34" and 5-strings are 35", but my Ibnaez 5-string has a 34" scale. I just use appropriate string gauges.

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

I'd be curious to see numbers for current production models to see if that's really true. Anecdotally, it feels like I've seen more 34" extended range basses than 35" or 36", but the longer scale lengths may have truly become the norm at this point. I'm not sure.

Awesome. Normally, ... 5-strings are 35",

 

[baritone]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

Also, buying a 5-sting pack and throwing away the top string would work, but bass strings are so expensive. At the Ernie Ball website, you can by strings individually, and it ends up costing the same as their packs.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Tune 4 string bass down to B ? Any drawbacks ?

you will be floppin' around like grandma at the pool