black beauties for drop tuning?

[rydin4lifebass]

How do black beauties (medium gauge) work for drop tuning? I would be dropping the E to D or C.

[mmbongo]

They might do okay if you get the 50-110 set. They are fairly low tension to begin with.
https://bassstringsonline.3dcartstor...-Set_p_50.html

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Yup! Start with the 50-110 set...

Or you could put together your own set using singles... .120 on the bottom for the C / D, and the other 3 strings depending on how you are going to be tuning those.

[rydin4lifebass]

Well I'm throwing around different options...I knew they were lower in tension than some others so I wasn't sure how they'd be. I was also looking at EB Power Slinkys so I think I'll try a set of each and see what feels/sounds the best.

Out of curiosity, what makes them lower in tension versus other roundwounds of a similar gauge?

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Its not so much the tension but the string construction.

The Black Beauties (Basically Coated SunBeams) are Round Core strings. These are a bit more flexible than strings with a Hex Core. The strings arent as rigid since the core does not bite into the outer windings like on hex core strings.

The Slinky's are Hexore coated with Tin so they are a little more flexible than some other hex core strings it seems.

[rydin4lifebass]

So comparing the two, you'd say that Slinky's have more tension than the BB's but not as much as some other hex-core rounds? I went with a set of power slinky's tuned BEAD..but having second thoughts, thinking I should have gone with the BB's. I'm using them for some marilyn manson, rob zombie, rammstein, and even some Pink Floyd in drop D....so think the punch from the slinky's will fit better. I went with medium black beauties on my standard tuned 4 string for stuff like The Beatles, CCR, and some country as well...I like the sound those provide for that sound.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

If you are going to tune Slinky's BEAD you should really go with single strings or purchase a 5 string set and run only the B E A D string, no need to d-tune them any... same with the Black Beauties, just get the B E A D strings.

[rydin4lifebass]

I did..purchase the 5-string Power Slinky Set....and will find a use for the G....actually ordered them from you late last week!

[SLaPiNFuNK]

I was just hoping you didn't purchase a .055 - .110 set to tune down B E A D! The result would not have been as good.

(Single Slinky's is something I am working on getting on the site but they are available. That set would have costed about the same from them though, with the DR set the singles would have been a little less than using the B E A D from the 5 string set)...

[rydin4lifebass]

Gotcha..and no, definitely using the 5 string set minus the G. I think the uncoated EB's will be better for the particular application I want my one bass for. The BB's will be in EADG on another bass.

[SLaPiNFuNK]

Best thing is to give the ma try and see what you think! So we will be finding out soon enough. Good luck!