Electric Cello project Ray Brown tuned in 4ths

[agfrag]

I understand that Ray Brown did an LP where he used a cello and had it tuned in fourths like a bass. I am constructing an electric cello and would like to not have to learn fifths tuning (after 35 years of fourths playing!), so I wonder if anyone knows what the heck strings Ray used on this recording to allow him to tune to fourths???

[Michael Eisenman]

You should post this question in the DB Strings forum. I bet you'll get an answer there.

[Lokire]

You can get certain upright bass strings in 1/8th or 1/16th scale. I looked into it a while ago, and I think the 1/16th scale bass strings will get you close to a 30" scale length, which is about what a cello is.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-1-16-Size-Pi...QQcmdZViewItem

[agfrag]

Thanks low.eadg and Lokire. I will post on db. And I had thought of using piccolo strings on the cello, but to me, piccolo bass strings are kind of in the same range of guitar strings, one octave higher than the bass. I was sort of thinking (hoping?) that I might find a string set that would allow me to start at the same "C" a cello does, C2, vs the E3 that both the guitar and piccolo bass start at. I was even thinking of using the upper 4 strings of a short scale 6 string bass set, A2,D3,G3,C4. We'll see!

[FunkyFlashFive]

i have heard of very very young DB players learning on cellos strung with bass guitar strings because the distance after the bridge makes up for less scale length.
but, i don't know what they sound like.