This is your B string.....

[knuckle_head]

...and THIS is mine;



I win!





It's a .275 (nominal) and will give me my octave down B methinks.

[SuperDuck]

Yikes. What that picture doesn't convey is that the dime, shortly after being photographed, quickly slid across the fabric, trapped in the gravitational pull of that might piece of telephone cable you call a "B string".

[Magelus]

Wow, that's impressive. Who made that? And is it even going to be within the human range of hearing?

[KeithBMI]

I can see it now... a loose B string smacking people in the face.

[knuckle_head]

Alrighty....

String comes up to tension and is recognized by my tuner, and initial response is I may need to go to a finer core material to give me the upper harmonics I want out of this string. An amplified test will happen within days but cannot happen right now as my power amp is a corpse.

On a design level the B string poses an interesting challenge - this string is of a wide enough girth that in order to get it on a bass with its higher frequency bretheren I will have to use a standard 5 string nut for a 4 string bass that makes use of this B string. A 5 string tuned to octave E is pushing it hard, but the B string puts it over the top.

A 5 string bass with the low B string will need to be a standard 6 string width, and so on, and so on.....

[phxlbrmpf]

Awesome. This may just be the end to the problem that is downtuning-crazy guitarists.

[PaleMelanesian]

Is it still 39", or is it something crazy-long?

Is it made by Everly?

[i_got_a_mohawk]

If size mattered, how come the guitarists get the girls

[semblum]

That makes me want to do the Mr. Burns-teepee-hands-thing and laugh about all the evil things I could do with that. And, um, where can I get one?

[knuckle_head]

...be patient as I expect there to be a round 2

The string comes to tension wonderfully and is recognized by my tuner (an old hand held Korg cassette style DT-1).

I don't know at present whether the construction issue that is the culprit in this less-than-stellar first attempt is something that can be remedied.

The construct of this string is a very rigid core material that measures .038" and is then wrapped with 4 courses of wire. If the core needs to be .038 in order to bring this string to diameter this experiment may very well be done.

If the core can be brought to either the .021 or .025 that comprise the sets I am currently, and successfully, using there is hope for success overall.

I doubt very seriously anyone will want or need to make use of what I am trying to prove out here. That the octave is usefull and being played is as much a success as I had hoped for. As others are down in this 15 Hz range, and in my opinion doing it with poor physics, I feel compelled to prove to myself the viability given the proper approach.

I still don't know if it is possible. I will be the first to admit it isn't once I play it out and it proves itself to me.

[BassJunkie730]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

If size mattered, how come the guitarists get the girls

Because the chicks haven't come to my show yet. I eat wimpy guitars for lunch.

Mmmmmm.... That freebird solo tasted good.

Tony Robbins Hungry

[knuckle_head]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

If size mattered, how come the guitarists get the girls

If size indeed matters then singers would be virgins, eh?



New string on the way; I'll keep you posted.

[Matthew Bryson]

Isn't there a TB'er - Jaco XXX or sometghing like that, who is doing simliar experimnets with giant custom guage strings and basses tuned like an octave below a normal bass... have you read his threads or consulted with him? Might help your experiments along.


P.S. - Let us know if you figure out how to make the brown sound

[knuckle_head]

Originally Posted by Matthew Bryson

Isn't there a TB'er - Jaco XXX or sometghing like that, who is doing simliar experimnets with giant custom guage strings and basses tuned like an octave below a normal bass... have you read his threads or consulted with him? Might help your experiments along.


P.S. - Let us know if you figure out how to make the brown sound

Jauqo and I have spoken at length, though never really long enough. He is a great guy with a very sharp mind. His C# sounds amazing too.

I am approaching it from a different physics perspective - his idea follows traditional thought in going lighter as you go lower to increase excursion. Mine is to maintain or increase tension as you go lower to maintain or enhance overtones and harmonics.

Jauqo's approach most assuredly works and works well. My octave down B is an experiment stemming from my A-based meanderings, and my success at having gotten a very useable octave down E.

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by Matthew Bryson

Isn't there a TB'er - Jaco XXX or sometghing like that, who is doing simliar experimnets with giant custom guage strings and basses tuned like an octave below a normal bass... have you read his threads or consulted with him? Might help your experiments along.


P.S. - Let us know if you figure out how to make the brown sound

It's Jauqo III-X(and I'm not at all offended)I support what Skip has set out to do with this string and Skip knows if he needs me I'm there.there is a bassist by the name of Yves Carbone who has a couple of multi string basses that goes down an Octave lower than standard bass.if you would like to know more here's Yves website

http://www.yvescarbonne.com/

[Matthew Bryson]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

It's Jauqo III-X(and I'm not at all offended)

Oh good - I'm glad I didn't offend, because I really slaughtered your screen name... sorry, I really couldn't remember it but I really wanted to mention the trail blazing work you've been doing in the big string / low note world.