4 string bass tuned to BEAD
1Do any of you do this? Any thoughts/do's/don'ts ahead of setting up a bass like this? If you play roundwounds, what gauge is your B?
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
2I've considered doing this for quite a while, but never got around to it. Conversely, for entirely different reasons, considering taking another bass and tuning it UP to ADGC.
Following w/ interest.
Following w/ interest.
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
3I have this on an Ibanez ATK, which can be strung through the body with extra long strings. Not sure if that’s giving me extra tension that helps, but it works fine. The nut needed to be filed and maybe the bridge saddles too. It’s using the bottom 5 strings of a standard medium 5 string set, I forget which brand. I’m guessing it’s a 125 or 130 for the B.
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
4A long time ago I played bass in a band that was tuning down to C and I found it way too floppy with my standard .105 set on bass.I wound up just buying a 5-string set and using the low four strings from that. This required opening the nut up a bit and committing to those gauges on that bass, but it played much better, imo.
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
5A friend of mine was looking for a 5 string Thunderbird so he could have a low B. He already has 2 Thunderbird 4 string basses. When I suggested that he just tune to BEAD he looked at me like I split the atom. Seems to be like it is how bass guitars should be tuned. 99% of anything played on the g string above the 7th fret or so is usually super silly. I had a early 60's Silvertone bass that was extremely short scale that I kept in ADGB and I liked that too. Like a baritone guitar. It's weird that people don't get weird with bass tunings more often.
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
6This is exactly what I did in Laurium with my Ovation Magnum, tuned to B F# B E. Worked great.Dr Tony Balls wrote: Wed Sep 22, 2021 10:22 am A long time ago I played bass in a band that was tuning down to C and I found it way too floppy with my standard .105 set on bass.I wound up just buying a 5-string set and using the low four strings from that. This required opening the nut up a bit and committing to those gauges on that bass, but it played much better, imo.
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
7I did a light 5-string set with high discarded. It worked fine.
We're headed for social anarchy when people start pissing on bookstores.
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
8GHS and Ernie Ball have 65-130 sets now. Probably not available at brick and mortars though.
Literally the only time I’ve played the G string at all was when a friend asked me to fill in temporarily when the bassist from his emo band quit. I could probably have a 3 string BEA and not miss the D much, either.
Literally the only time I’ve played the G string at all was when a friend asked me to fill in temporarily when the bassist from his emo band quit. I could probably have a 3 string BEA and not miss the D much, either.
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
9I might have got this totally wrong, but I don't think D'Addario agree with you!bishopdante wrote: Thu Sep 23, 2021 3:52 am I'd be really wary of doing this to a cheapo bass guitar with a weak truss rod.
Same deal as putting strings an octave thicker on an acoustic guitar, you want to be *really* careful about that, it'll be a lot more tension/load.
That bottom string is really beefy, and takes quite a bit to bring up to tension. Even mediocre five string basses end up looking more like a bow and arrow than an instrument given a below-grade piece of timber and a damp-cycling environment.
On a heavily overbuilt instrument like a Kramer aluminium T-beam neck bass, or any of the TB/EGC examples, it'll very likely be exactly the same as a normal pitched instrument.
Here's a comparison of their stated tension for their EXL strings for EADG and BEAD:
XLB045 G 1.143 mm 19.29 kgs
XLB065 D 1.651 21.93
XLB080 A 2.032 18.17
XLB100 E 2.540 15.75
Which totals 75.14 kg
versus
XLB065 D 1.651mm 21.93kgs
XLB080 A 2.032 18.17
XLB100 E 2.540 15.75
XLB130 B 3.302 14.58
Which totals 70.43 kg
Re: 4 string bass tuned to BEAD
10Full Agreement with @dudley, the low strings on a bass are under less tension than the high ones. Tuning to low BEAD or ADGC isn't really an issue. If things get too muddy go with a lower gauge and a lighter touch and be mindful of the intonation. As for tension, I think it's the core of the string that really matters and the low strings on a bass are usually double-wound.
Last edited by MRoyce on Thu Sep 30, 2021 5:20 am, edited 1 time in total.