drop D tuning for 5 string / good or bad

[BeefyB]

I turn my bass B D A D G i just drop the E string to D. All the guitar players in my band tune to drop D also. Is it typical to drop to D to match the guitar players or do most stay in standard?

[kgoism]

you could just hit the 3rd fret on the b...

It's not exactly typical, but it's not good or bad. It's tuning.

[BeefyB]

I have tried that, but we do have song that hammer on. Like open D to F(3rd fret on open d). If I played the 3rd fret on the B for my D I would not get that hammer on sound.

[FrigginChris]

i usually keep my 5's tuned standard B-G but in past projects that tuned down to d i'd tune my 5's to ADADG, the low A was a tad looser than i would have liked but the set up did work very well in that project

Originally Posted by BeefyB

I have tried that, but we do have song that hammer on. Like open D to F(3rd fret on open d). If I played the 3rd fret on the B for my D I would not get that hammer on sound.

why not? i do hammer-ons all over the neck with no problems

[justincest]

You have the lower d already on your five string, no need to drop tune! Build up hammering on from fret to fret.

[kenlacam]

If you can deal with the looseness of the string, go for it