Danthearsonist327 Posted January 1, 2015 Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) 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 January 1, 2015 by Danthearsonist327 Quote
Woodinblack Posted January 1, 2015 Posted January 1, 2015 Couldn't you just tune the whole thing up 2, and just have a C / F# / B / E / A tuning? I tuned my ibby 4 string down to C standard for some queens of the stoneage stuff last year, which obviously took different strings, but it is now back up to C. Quote
AttitudeCastle Posted January 1, 2015 Posted January 1, 2015 Or you could go lower, and have it in Drop C/C standard with a Low G on the bottom, (like Strapping Young Lad ) I use that tuning in Drop C/ C standard stuff a lot for some extra thunder! Quote
Danthearsonist327 Posted January 1, 2015 Author Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) I guess I'd have to give it a bash and see how it sounds and feels! Edited January 2, 2015 by Danthearsonist327 Quote
Danthearsonist327 Posted January 1, 2015 Author Posted January 1, 2015 A low G! Dear god... the concept intrigues and boggles at the same time lol Quote
JTUK Posted January 1, 2015 Posted January 1, 2015 [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 Quote
Danthearsonist327 Posted January 1, 2015 Author Posted January 1, 2015 (edited) 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 January 2, 2015 by Danthearsonist327 Quote
HazBeen Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 As I see it you have 2 options, 1. get an extra light 5 string set (max .120 on the 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. Quote
ubit Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 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
HazBeen Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 [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...... Quote
Danthearsonist327 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Posted January 3, 2015 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! Quote
ubit Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 [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 Quote
KingBollock Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 [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. Quote
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