ToLo Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 Try as I might, I just can't get on with a 5 string bass. I'm therefore intrigued to know what people use for a 4 string bass tuned BEAD? Would you consider a multiscale 4 string essential for BEAD, or could you get away with a regular 34 inch scale bass? I don't really want to have to faff around mod-ing the hell out of the tuning peg and/or nut to take a B string gauge. There don't appear to be many 4 string multiscale options out there outside of Dingwall. I'm not a huge fan of the Dingwall sound - plus they're very expensive! If anyone has any experience with these I'd be keen to find out more about these: Ibanez SRMS800 G4M 972 Fanned Fret Bass Guitar Let me know if there are any other basses I should check out (preferably on the more affordable end of the spectrum). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 Plenty of 34” scale 5 strings out there (‘Ray5 for example) so a 34”, 4 string, tuned BEAD, shouldn’t be an issue. Avoiding smaller tuner capstans will remove any need for alterations there (Fender/MM/etc type). However, widening of the fret slots will probably be required, as all 4 slots will be taking a thicker string than intended, unless you go for a gauge that is light enough to negate this small modification. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 48 minutes ago, ezbass said: Plenty of 34” scale 5 strings out there (‘Ray5 for example) so a 34”, 4 string, tuned BEAD, shouldn’t be an issue. Avoiding smaller tuner capstans will remove any need for alterations there (Fender/MM/etc type). However, widening of the fret slots will probably be required, as all 4 slots will be taking a thicker string than intended, unless you go for a gauge that is light enough to negate this small modification. And maybe a slight slackening of the truss rod as the low B is quite a bit lower in tension than the G. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 34 minutes ago, BigRedX said: And maybe a slight slackening of the truss rod as the low B is quite a bit lower in tension than the G. Good point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 (edited) Short answer: It's more about having the right strings than a longer scale bass. 34" is fine. Long answers in here https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/462156-death-core-bass-in-f/#comment-4698604 https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/473406-longer-neck-for-fender-p-bass/page/2/#comment-5369697 https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/461893-a-standard-adgcf/#comment-4694130 Edited November 15 by Doctor J 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 It also depends what sort of a low B sound you want. Some down-tuned styles seem to require a loose floppy string, others don't. IME If you want a nice balanced feeling and sounding low B you need the right strings coupled with a stiff neck and a tight well-made neck/body joint (or through neck construction). Also look at lowering the pickups slightly from what is usual with a standard 4-string bass. The fatter the string the more likely it is to be influenced by the deadening effects of the pick up magnets. Finally I always go for a slightly heavier than standard string for low B. 130 would be a minimum for me - ideally 135. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 (edited) Best bass for BEAD? A P bass (or variation thereof). Edited November 15 by Skybone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted November 15 Share Posted November 15 I strung up a bitsa P bass BEAD and it worked fine. My head couldn't handle it but the bass could! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted November 16 Share Posted November 16 16 hours ago, Skybone said: Best bass for BEAD? A P bass (or variation thereof). STRONG disagree. But forums are for opinions, so there's that. A bridge pup or mm bucker sound tighter when going that low. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted November 16 Share Posted November 16 PM’d you. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted November 16 Share Posted November 16 Anything well built and. crucially, well set up will work, preferably with hum buckers. Getting a "good" B is 99% about making sure the neck and bridge are set up optimally. String gauge is preference, scale length is a huge 2nd to setup. I currently use a StingRay and Alpher bass in B. I left 5's behind back in 2019 in favour of drop tuned 4's, never looked back. Realised I never liked using a G string and felt much more comfortable on a narrower neck, so made total sense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackroadkill Posted November 16 Share Posted November 16 Didn't Sandberg to al Olli Riedel signature that was made for BEAD? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grassie Posted November 18 Share Posted November 18 I had my old G&L Tribute Kiloton strung BEAD for a while. 34in scale plus gurt humbucker style pup near the bridge combo worked a treat. 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obrienp Posted November 18 Share Posted November 18 On TalkBass a few people were posting about using a Nordstrand Acinonyx BEAD and that it works. If that is really true, I would have thought any full scale 4 string would be fine, as it is going to benefit from greater string tension than the 30.75” Acinonyx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andruca Posted November 18 Share Posted November 18 (edited) I've done it so far with many of my 4 strings: Jazz, my Yamahas (SBV-500, SB500S). I even punked the crap out of a (30.5" scale) Epiphone Viola strung BEAD for years, it just worked. 100% pick,with plenty of crunch and compression. Just pick a 4 string you like and start with that. As others point out, experiment with string gauges for a low B with authority. Just consider a bridge pickup always helps with low B articulation. Edited November 18 by andruca 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andruca Posted November 18 Share Posted November 18 (edited) On 17/11/2024 at 00:18, Jackroadkill said: Didn't Sandberg to al Olli Riedel signature that was made for BEAD? There was also the Ibanez Paul Grey (Slipknot) signature ATK. Basically an ATK-300 with widened nut slots. Edited November 18 by andruca 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted November 18 Share Posted November 18 Ibby SR300, 305, 306... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolf Posted November 19 Share Posted November 19 I have my parts P-bass strung in BEAD and it works good. I also have a Hipshot d-tuner so I can go down to A, it's a little floppy with a .130, a .135 would be better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.