5 string strings on a 4 string

[Buckminster Emptier]

Hi. I am new to this forum. I’m glad I found it because talk bass are kind of buttholes. Anyway, I have a question maybe someone can answer…

 

i would like to know if anyone has put the five string strings on the four string bass, in other words, BEAD rather than EADG. I want to know if there are any accommodations that would have to be made, such as:

 

will the bridge hold the string or will it have to be modified? I have a Rickenbacker bass by the way.
 

 What about the truss rod,  will the neck bend a little if I put a B string on there? Will I have to make an adjustment to the truss rod? 
 

that’s pretty much what I want to know, but maybe you can elaborate on your experience with it, that’s always helpful or at least interesting. 
 

Thanks

[jezzaboy]

Welcome! Yeah quite a few guys on here have done it. You may have to give the neck a tweak and alter the nut but not always. Someone who has done it will no doubt be along shortly.

[itu]

Make a search and try to find D'Addario's string tension file (13940 pdf or something like that). It has different tensions for strings, and how the tension changes, if you detune. If you learn to read that, you are able to make even tension sets or special tunings with similar tension compared to a, say .45 set.

 

BEAD is pretty common, just like CGDA. You can tune your bass to fifts, if you like. But that file will help you in your trials.

[Munurmunuh]

B strings are usually lower tension than G strings eg

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by Ricky Rioli

[Prime_BASS]

So.e will say one way of the other but I have done BEAD on a few basses.

Some I filed the nut to make room for the string. Other I let the string file the nut away over time.

The only real difference is that a properly filed nut will seat the the string a little better and catch less when tuning up or down as the coils won't catch on the bridge as they pass over in.

Other than that I made no other changes, apart from the usual tweaks you have to do when restringing.

I did have one B string never intonate correctly as the bridge saddle couldn't go far back enough.

[BreadBin]

I would definitely file open the nut slot first - I've had one break before by not doing so.

[moley6knipe]

And depending on your bridge, you may need to file the string hole (technical term!) to accommodate the thicker string. Wee round needle file job.

[Buckminster Emptier]

7 hours ago, itu said:

Make a search and try to find D'Addario's string tension file (13940 pdf or something like that). It has different tensions for strings, and how the tension changes, if you detune. If you learn to read that, you are able to make even tension sets or special tunings with similar tension compared to a, say .45 set.

 

BEAD is pretty common, just like CGDA. You can tune your bass to fifts, if you like. But that file will help you in your trials.

Cool thanks for the info i didn't know there was something like that, but I usually stick to standard tuning so never been needed it. Rather than ask a stupid  question I'm gonna look at this file first, which may answer it.

[Buckminster Emptier]

6 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

B strings are usually lower tension than G strings eg

 

 

 

I would have never thought that, interesting. So I won't be increasing the tension  at all, I will be reducing it. Cool, that puts my mind at ease. Thanks

[Buckminster Emptier]

5 hours ago, BreadBin said:

I would definitely file open the nut slot first - I've had one break before by not doing so.

Good to know. I was hoping not to have to do it as not to depreciate the bass, I haven't had it very long, but I should just commit to it and do what I want with it I think. 

[Sambrook]

Thomastik rounds work very well as BEAD without adjustment to the nut, as they have a slim profile. They sound fabulous, too...

[Bolo]

3 hours ago, Bi Amp Bass Player said:

Good to know. I was hoping not to have to do it as not to depreciate the bass, I haven't had it very long, but I should just commit to it and do what I want with it I think. 

Fit the strings first, to see if anything at all needs to be done. Then let it sit a day or two to see if any part needs tweaking.

[Grahambythesea]

Didn’t Overwater used to make one, I think it was called the C bass.

[Rich]

18 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

B strings are usually lower tension than G strings eg

 

 

 

 

Good lord. If I'd had to guess, I'd have thought it was the other way round. Every day's a school day!

[Rich]

16 hours ago, moley6knipe said:

And depending on your bridge, you may need to file the string hole (technical term!) to accommodate the thicker string. Wee round needle file job.

I think you'll find the correct technical term is 'thingy'.

[yorks5stringer]

To the OP, you are MDP and I claim my £5! 

 

Don't worry, someone will be along later to explain.

[itu]

5 hours ago, Grahambythesea said:

Didn’t Overwater used to make one, I think it was called the C bass.

36" scale, Original body shape. Some more data:

http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/overwater-c-bass/11886

[itu]

I nearly forgot this:

https://www.daddario.com/globalassets/pdfs/accessories/tension_chart_13934.pdf

[Richard R]

It's never occurred to me to string BEAD as I play 5 string almost exclusively. However my lad has my 5er on loan, and half the songs for next Sunday morning are in ruddy Eb.  Since my 4 string is also 35" scale I could restring it and play them as I usually would...

 

Or maybe just learn some alternate fingering this week and put flats on it another time 😎

[SteveXFR]

I've just set up an old Squier P bass with the 4 heaviest from a 4 string set and tuned it to drop A#.

I had to drill out the bridge for the heavier B string and file the nut. The truss rod needed a tweak as well. 

The other problem I had was the low string sounded muddier than a very muddy thing. I replaced the pickups with some cheap Tonerider pickups and now it sounds pretty decent. 

[Dan Dare]

9 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

To the OP, you are MDP and I claim my £5! 

 

Don't worry, someone will be along later to explain.

 

I wondered about that briefly when I saw the thread title. However, MDP doesn't have the ability to self-examine necessary to ask others whether something might be a good idea.

 

With apologies to the OP, MDP is well known to this parish as a "modifier" of electric stringed instruments, primarily basses. It's fair to say he has what might best be described as issues, not least of which is an unshakeable belief in the rightness of his, er, innovations. We don't mention him by name for fear of being accused of being discriminatory. 

[SteveXFR]

7 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

I wondered about that briefly when I saw the thread title. However, MDP doesn't have the ability to self-examine necessary to ask others whether something might be a good idea.

 

With apologies to the OP, MDP is well known to this parish as a "modifier" of electric stringed instruments, primarily basses. It's fair to say he has what might best be described as issues, not least of which is an unshakeable belief in the rightness of his, er, innovations. We don't mention him by name for fear of being accused of being discriminatory. 

 

Was he the dude with the incredibly complicated prototype bridge that claimed to solve all those problems no one ever has?

[Downunderwonder]

On 26/09/2022 at 07:03, Bi Amp Bass Player said:

Rickenbacker

There's a joker on your cross Atlantic forum who does 5 string conversions on 4 string Rics. I think you worry too much.

 

You could sign up and he would help you get your luthier to do one for you, if you dare coping with the reduced string spacing.

[Buckminster Emptier]

On 25/09/2022 at 23:03, Bolo said:

Fit the strings first, to see if anything at all needs to be done. Then let it sit a day or two to see if any part needs tweaking.

What is likely to happen? Like I honestly don’t  know anything about working on a bass except how to change the strings . I assumed changing the strings could change the tension, but i really don’t even know what would happen , I guess the action of the string would be too high , but then what would I do? I guess I’d try adjusting the bridge and if that failed I’d assume it’s the truss rod that needs adjustment?
 

Despite playing for the last 30 years I’m suddenly aware of how little I know about this, haha. I’ve never had anything to wrong, but then , I haven’t really changed anything  on it, you know, I just play the damn thing 

.

[Buckminster Emptier]

8 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

 

I wondered about that briefly when I saw the thread title. However, MDP doesn't have the ability to self-examine necessary to ask others whether something might be a good idea.

 

With apologies to the OP, MDP is well known to this parish as a "modifier" of electric stringed instruments, primarily basses. It's fair to say he has what might best be described as issues, not least of which is an unshakeable belief in the rightness of his, er, innovations. We don't mention him by name for fear of being accused of being discriminatory. 

I think for the reason you said , I am not that guy. and just cuz that isn’t me, I don’t tinker with things, I just play. 

I am basically asking this because I have a predicament. I had not played bass for nearly 10 years, didn’t even own one, then I decided I wanted to start playing again. So I bought a bass I really liked, one I had always wanted back in the day. But for some reason , I don’t know why, but I thought it would be cool to go back to playing a 4 string. I thought it would be, I don’t know, like starting all the way over, and something like that appealed to me. It was a really dumb idea, I had played a 5 string for all but the first few years, and I just cannot be without a B string now.

 

So I’m trying to cope with a bad decision and I thought this may be a solution, and maybe a kind of cool one at that. I thought of how losing the G string would cause me to lower certain riffs , which I though would be better than where I am now, where I’m force to play higher for certain riffs, you know, stuff that can’t be changed up without totally messing up how it’s best to play it. 
 

there you go , a novel about why I’m asking a weird question. The end.
 

Edited September 27, 2022 by Bi Amp Bass Player