What is the frequency of low E on a 4 string?

[Matthew West]

With all of the constant talk about frequency response, I thought it might be interesting to see if anyone knows what the fundamental frequency (not counting overtones) of the low E string is.

[JMX]

41 Hertz (I think)
Low B is 31 Hertz (I do remember that)

[cb56]

I've seen more complete charts out there but this will get the job done.

http://www.mjorch.com/hertz.html

The lowest "E" (164.841)they are showing is 2 octaves above low "E" on the bass. Divide that by 4 and you get. (41.21025) Low "E" on the bass.

In other words,Yeah what JMX said

[Doug]

How does string gauge effect that? Or doesn't it?
Will a .105 be different from a .100?

[reedo35]

Originally posted by Doug
How does string gauge effect that? Or doesn't it?
Will a .105 be different from a .100?

A Low E is a Low E is a Low E,the only difference another
gauge string would make is what overtones are more pronounced.

[Quzumm]

Does this mean that a cabinet with a frequency response at 41 Hz is needed to get a low E to sound as good as the rest of the bass? Many cabinets doesn't have a frequency response that is so low...???

[michaeln]

Not necessarily. We don't hear those fundamental tones all that well anyway, the human ear has this tendency to hear the harmonics and mentally fill in what the fundamental should be. That's why you can hear even a low B on a decent recording played through a relatively crappy car radio.

[MikeyD]

Originally posted by Quzumm
Does this mean that a cabinet with a frequency response at 41 Hz is needed to get a low E to sound as good as the rest of the bass? Many cabinets doesn't have a frequency response that is so low...???

I basically agree with Michaeln about the "psychoacoustics": much of what people hear with low bass is harmonic content. However, yes, to get a strong fundamental, you would like the cabinet to have a good low frequency extension. This does not mean that you always need it to be flat down to 41 Hz. One can compensate with EQ and lots of power. I have an 18" Carvin that will generate a big low E, but I do have to dump a lot of power into it. Another case in point (although I don't have experience with one, just info. from factory specs.) is the Ampeg SVT 810 cabinet. It's flat down to about 60 Hz. (which is about a B above low E). Yet, because of its size and power handling, it can generate prodigious volume at low E if enough power is applied.

Personally, there are situations in which I really want a strong fundamental, which is why I'm scoping out cabinets again. I'm also mindful of possibly getting a 5-string someday, which means I'm looking for cabinets that do well down to around 30 Hz. Ampeg's SVT 215 , SWR's Big Ben, and some others seem to have good specifications.

[lawnpatio]

MikeyD,
You say you have a Carvin 18? Would it be possible to play with just that or would you need to hook it up with some 10s for a more complete sound?

Lawnpatio

[MikeyD]

Originally posted by lawnpatio
MikeyD,
You say you have a Carvin 18? Would it be possible to play with just that or would you need to hook it up with some 10s for a more complete sound?

You can use the 18 alone if you don't like/need higher frequency stuff. It might do well with a Jamey Jamerson (Motown) bass sound, where there is very little treble. I'm sure some (older) rock styles are similar. However, if you like to hear much in the way of overtones and/or do slap style, then the Carvin 18 isn't enough to give you a full range or "punchy" transient response. I use it in a stack with a Carvin 2x10 (+horn). The two combined give a well-rounded sound that's good for most any style.
- Mike