Looking for suitable string gauge to go between Eb tuning and drop C.

[Danhole]

Hey everybody, I have done a few searches on the forum but I can't any threads with relevant answers.

I play bass in 3 bands that all gig and I also play bass for various studio projects whenever the opportunity comes up. Two of my bands, a crust punk band and a strange hardcore band, both play in Eb. Another band, I guess you could call it Death Metal or something, plays in drop C. I've been using the same bass between these three bands for just over a year now and don't want to buy a new bass as I have seymour duncan pick-ups set in the bass. The bass is a mexican jazz fender.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what string gauges I could use to stop the low c becoming too "flappy" but at the same time not twist my neck when I tune back to Eb?

Someone told me not to go above 125 on the E string if I'm going to have it at Eb, not sure whether to trust that person or not.

[rockstarbassist]

In my last cover band, I tuned my Spector E/Drop D for one set and Eb/drop C# for another set. However I had to have another bass for drop C which was our last set. That's just too far down (1.5 steps) to cover all of those tunings unfortunately and still have the strings sound well and not flop all over.

[ixlramp]

Looking at the D'Addario and Circle K tension charts, a .110 will roughly have a tension of 30 lbs at C and 40 lbs at Eb. It's best to stay above 30 lbs, that's a low tension. You could go up to .115 or .120 without excessive tension. A .120 at Eb would be roughly 45 lbs, that's medium tight. A .125 Eb would be perhaps a bit too extreme at about 50 lbs, but that's the same as a .065 D string, very tight.

[rockstarbassist]

Originally Posted by ixlramp

Looking at the D'Addario and Circle K tension charts, a .110 will roughly have a tension of 30 lbs at C and 40 lbs at Eb. It's best to stay above 30 lbs, that's a low tension. You could go up to .115 or .120 without excessive tension. A .120 at Eb would be roughly 45 lbs, that's medium tight. A .125 Eb would be perhaps a bit too extreme at about 50 lbs, but that's the same as a .065 D string, very tight.

The problem that's going to have is intonation, IME. Believe me, I've tried. That's just too far of a jump (esp on a Fender-style bass which aren't world-renown for their dropped tuning capability in the first place) for it all to sound right. Remember drop C is 2 whole steps down from std. E and even though he's in Eb, 1.5 steps down again is just too much. I barely got away with using my Spector like I did with those 4 tunings but that's because it was solid and I got it set up properly to where it could handle it. But yeah I tried going down to drop C w/ that bass and it just doesn't work.

[greenboy]

I use Hipshot d-tuners on my basses and two half-steps is all I can stand for string tension change. 3 half-steps change on any lower-pitched string just feels and sounds too different. It doesn't bother me much at all on the higher-pitched strings. Doesn't seem to bother Michael Manring too much then either ; }

[lowendgenerator]

I've used a DR Lo Rider .115 for drop C for years now, and it's hex core is plenty stiff. It also works in E standard without any fuss. There's enough tension in the stock Lo-Rider's A,D and G strings to tune down a full step.

[knuckle_head]

Splitting the difference between Eb and C is a compromise on bot sides, but a .115 to .118 will work.

The balance of the set ought to be something like;

.080 .058 .043 .031

[ixlramp]

Yeah it's a big change in tension. Since tension is proportional to frequency squared, dropping by 3 semitones drops the tension by 29%. Dropping by 1 semitone drops the tension by 11%. The total drop in tension is 15%. The neck will change shape and the action will change. Best to change tuning before bed and leave it on a stand overnight to let the neck settle. To minimise the stresses on the instrument it's a good idea to use ultra-light strings, the change in tension is then smaller in absolute number of pounds.

So yeah it's possible but it may cause problems.

[Danhole]

Hey all, thanks for replying and giving your suggestions.

I bought D'addario's in the end. 120-85-70-50. Will post again if I have any problems but this new set-up sounds far superior than having a .105 downtuned.