Trouble with tuning

Fragdoll · #1 04-20-2006, 10:30 AM

Hey all, im a newbie so please bare with me on this.

I just got a Bass guitar and have been playing it for a few days. I purchased a Qwick Tuner for it and as im sure you all know it goes LOW E A D G B E.

Do I tune my Bass LOW E or E on the 4th and thickest string?

When I tried for E before my string just broke under the tension and when I string LOW E when you play it holding a fret it twangs and sounds awful so surely that cant be right for the sound.

So my dileama, play LOW E or E (I just dont want my E String snapping again).

Thanks people, hope to hear your replies in anticipation.

Matthew Bryson · #2 04-20-2006, 10:38 AM

Tune your bass to low E - do not try to tune an octave up from that.

A lot of times, raw bass sounds "twangier" than one would expect (kind of like metal rubber bands...) You can get more pleasing tones by adjusting your pick up blend and using your tone controls (both on your bass and you amp) to get a sound that you prefer and find less twangy.

Groundloop · #3 04-20-2006, 10:41 AM

Tune yor 4 string bass, low to high: E-A-D-G.

Fragdoll · #4 04-20-2006, 10:48 AM

Cheers guys.

Frets 1,2,3 twang bad though, a bit annoying when some tabs are in 1,2 and 3 and it twangs.

nicoli · #5 04-20-2006, 11:22 AM

Is it just those frets? Just on the E string or all the strings? Is it more of a 'twang' or a 'buzz'?

badgrandad · #6 04-20-2006, 01:34 PM

It sounds from your description that you may be using a tuner designed for a guitar and not a bass.

Some tuners can do both but mine has a switch to go between guitar tuning and Bass tuning because the fundamental of the E string on a Bass is octaves below the one for a guitar.

pocketmonster · #7 04-21-2006, 10:05 AM

If you just bought the bass from a shop of some sort, can you take it back and have them look at the setup? If you got it elsewhere, maybe you can take it to a local shop and have them look at it (for a fee). Since you said you are a new player it would be a good idea to get the help of a pro in evaluating and fixing the problem. Ask them to explain the problem and the adjustments they will make to further your knowledge of the instrument. That could help down the road.