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Down-tuned players with 5 Strings


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Hi Guys,

weird question, I got a5 string bass last year, first and foremost because I just liked the bass and it was a big improvement on my old 4 string. Also my bands guitarists play in a low tuning (we are a metal band after all!) of C standard. So in theory, with the extra low string I should be able to reach lower notes with ease and without having to get the bass set up for a different tuning...

Oh how wrong I was! Although I don't claim to be an amazing bassist by any stretch of the imagination, I can play my bands material with ease once learned, but playing C standard riffs in a metal band on a low B string seems utterly impossible! String skipping between the low B and the EAD strings is ridiculous, I would have to have either two hands or hold a world record for freakishly large hands.

Obviously if I wasn't just a muppet with a bass I'd have been able to know how hard it would have been before I bought it... time to swot up on some musical theory lmao.

So since discovering the difficulties I have reverted to tuning my low B up to C and the other 4 strings down 2 steps. The 5 string has still come in handy for out more proggy and technical parts for soloing and tapping sections including the G string, but I can't help but feel I've got a 5 string bass for no reason, or like a mug that can't play has bass right lol.

Is this sort of set up also likely to damage my bass in the long run? I haven't noticed any drastic issues with the intonation since using it but will it warp my neck or anything?

Considering selling my old 4 string and replacing it with a good one (or one with a high E) and retiring my 5 string for recreational use...

Rant Over. Any thoughts?

And happy new year to all! (Yep what sort of saddo is on basschat at 20 past 1 New years Day morning I hear you ask! A man's gotta work!)

Edited by Danthearsonist327
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[b]So since discovering the difficulties I have reverted to tuning my low B up to C and the other 4 strings down 2 steps.[/b]

??????????

So your low B is up half step to C and your other 4 strings are down 2 steps...?? to C,F,Bb,Eb.

As said above, it may have been better just to take the whole tune up half a step

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I think when I originally did it I didn't want to tune up past standard tuning because I figured the tension wouldn't be good on the bass (since I'd never heard of the idea of tuning up lol) but on reflection half a step really wouldn't make that much of a difference lol. I just read an article where a guy is "up-tuning" his bass using hipshots, so he has his bass in standard tuning and tunes the hipshots to half a step up, definitely think I will have to invest in some of those! I would be able to play my bands material much easier then just revert back to standard tuning on the fly to play along with songs I wanna learn! Don't suppose anyone has done this before?

Edited by Danthearsonist327
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As I see it you have 2 options,

1. get an extra light 5 string set (max .120 on the B) and tune up the entire bass to standard C

or

2. tune the bass in C, G, C etc = a drop C tuning. The top string = E (or should say D) not B should be at least .110 for that.

Do not forget changing intonation for either option.

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I don't see why you have to muck about with tunings. The bass strings are usually tuned in fourths to each other, so why change that?
It makes life a lot easier when your in this standard set up.

I'm no expert on tunings for metal right enough but have often wondered if I have a bass with a low B, and I want to play deep, dirty metal music, do the guitars have to be down tuned to a low B too? Or do they stay in concert pitch as if we were playing a normal tune with a five string bass?

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[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1420205853' post='2646665']
I don't see why you have to muck about with tunings. The bass strings are usually tuned in fourths to each other, so why change that?
It makes life a lot easier when your in this standard set up.

I'm no expert on tunings for metal right enough but have often wondered if I have a bass with a low B, and I want to play deep, dirty metal music, do the guitars have to be down tuned to a low B too? Or do they stay in concert pitch as if we were playing a normal tune with a five string bass?
[/quote]

Why wouldn't you "muck about" with tunings? It gives you extra options......

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I've come to the decision that it's all just me trying to fit a square peg in a round hole! The solution being (which makes an excellent excuse!) is to just revert back to 4 strings for my bands material, and use my 5 string for my own stuff/learning other bands songs... so since it's not up to scratch I guess I'll just have to buy a new 4 string! :gas: :gas: :gas:

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[quote name='HazBeen' timestamp='1420231466' post='2647048']


Why wouldn't you "muck about" with tunings? It gives you extra options......
[/quote]

I mean wierd tunings when I say muck about , not simply tuning the whole bass down

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[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1420274075' post='2647331']


I mean wierd tunings when I say muck about , not simply tuning the whole bass down
[/quote]
I can see the appeal in drop tuning on a guitar, such as dropping the low E down to a D, making fifth power chords on the bottom two strings possible with just one finger. But it feels like cheating! I don't see the point on bass, though, so I don't bother. In fact the main reason I bought a five string in the first place was to play drop d songs without having to retune. I keep my five strings in standard and my four strings tuned half a step down (on all strings), which seems to cover everything I need.

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