Looking into 5 string standard C tuning...

[Bradass]

Hey all, first time poster, my apologies if this has already been answered but I didn't see anything exactly on point...I've recently returned to playing bass after neglecting it for far too long. I have a Peavey Fury 5 tuned to BEADG, and I rarely use the low B for the stuff we play/jam to. I was thinking about switching the tuning so I could have the high C for chord purposes and that higher range.

My question is basically what I need to do to achieve this, and theres conflicting info out there based on the little research I did.

Simply tuning each string up obviously puts a ton of tension on the neck...can adjusting the truss rod (loosening? or tightening?) relieve the tension enough to avoid damaging the neck over time? (I would almost always leave it in this tuning, so I think it's important that adjusting the truss rod can relieve all the tension, but I'm admittedly somewhat ignorant when it comes to these things...)

Can I buy a set of 5 strings that can be tuned EADGC and put those on, or would this probably require getting a new nut?

Any help/suggestions would be great, I'm a bit in over my head with the intricacies of tuning, etc. Thanks for the help, and sorry for being so n00b!

[lowfreqgeek]

Buy some strings. Put them on. Go play.

You *might* have to get a new nut, maybe. But you won't know till you try it and see. I've done it without a new nut on several basses and it worked out fine. You will have to readjust the intonation and neck relief, just like you do when changing gauges or brands.

[Bradass]

Originally Posted by lowfreqgeek

Buy some strings. Put them on. Go play.

You *might* have to get a new nut, maybe. But you won't know till you try it and see. I've done it without a new nut on several basses and it worked out fine. You will have to readjust the intonation and neck relief, just like you do when changing gauges or brands.

Well, which strings do I buy? Just a standard 5-string set and tune them higher, or do I need to get a set of 4 tuned to their intended pitch plus a high C string?

I put a new set of strings on (45-130) and the neck bows like crazy when I tuned up to EADGC...Is adjusting the neck relief all I would need to do to fix this?

[knuckle_head]

.102 .076 .057 .041 .029 - this is the set I suggest for E standard tuning with a high C. You can round to the nearest .005 and get pretty close if you don't want to use my strings.

[lowfreqgeek]

Sorry, I should've mentioned that... It's not cost-effective for long-term use, but if I have need to string E-C for a particular gig or something, I'll get a 6-string set and use the E-C and hold on to the B string. I often use up the B when I go back to B-G tuning and purchase a matching 4-string set to add to the extra B-string. I hope that makes sense.

Once you determine that's how you want to use it, you can purchase sets made for E-C tuning, or buy individual strings from a number of retailers online. Welcome to Bass Strings Online - Your Custom Bass String Shop... is a great place for this, and has TB member discounts.

[madbassplaya]

Originally Posted by lowfreqgeek

Sorry, I should've mentioned that... It's not cost-effective for long-term use, but if I have need to string E-C for a particular gig or something, I'll get a 6-string set and use the E-C and hold on to the B string. I often use up the B when I go back to B-G tuning and purchase a matching 4-string set to add to the extra B-string. I hope that makes sense.

Once you determine that's how you want to use it, you can purchase sets made for E-C tuning, or buy individual strings from a number of retailers online. Welcome to Bass Strings Online - Your Custom Bass String Shop... is a great place for this, and has TB member discounts.

This! Sign up as a VIP with bassstringsonline.com then you can build your own custom set from brands like D'Addario, DR, Ken Smith etc...

OR

You can order a 4 string set and add a High C to that set.

Either are very affordable options. The owner of the site is also a tb member and if you have any questions he can help you out.

[Bradass]

Great answers guys, thanks

[ixlramp]

Originally Posted by Bradass

Well, which strings do I buy? Just a standard 5-string set and tune them higher, or do I need to get a set of 4 tuned to their intended pitch plus a high C string?

I put a new set of strings on (45-130) and the neck bows like crazy when I tuned up to EADGC...Is adjusting the neck relief all I would need to do to fix this?

Don't tune up a BEADG set. Since tension is proportional to frequency squared, tuning up by 5 semitones almost doubles the tension, this may break strings and possibly damage the neck, also unplayable. No wonder the neck bowed Sets for EADGC are available, or buy a 4 string set plus a single .025 > .032 for C. New nut probably not needed. Just thinking about how it may slightly change the tone of the open notes ... soften the tone slightly would be a good thing to blend with the fretted notes ... ?

My first bass, a Hohner B2V Steinberger copy, came from the shop secondhand with 40-125 BEADG strings tuned up to EADGC and i didn't realise anything was wrong for days, it did seem somewhat hard to play. Amazingly the bass survived fine ... extremely strong neck and good headless design.