Good string for tuning to drop D? [Upright Bass]

[tbassist4]

Hey everyone,

I've been experimenting with tuning my upright bass to drop D for bluegrass and jazz and really love the sound, but it tends to buzz a little too much with the standard tension E string that I have now. What do you recommend for an E string to drop tune?

Should I get a heavy gauge E string and tune down, or should I get something like a C extension string (I assume these are a heavier gauge than heavy E strings?) and trim it to fit a regular scale length?

Thanks so much,

Tyler

[BassMaster4s]

Unless I'm mistaken, a C-extension will be higher than your G-string and is meant to complete the string set for a 6-string bass. The normal string lower than the E is almost always a B (I don't know of any cases that it's not).

Go with a heavier gauge E or try flats which tend to have a better tension than standard round-wounds.

[Wespe]

This is the double bass forum, yeah?

[tbassist4]

Originally Posted by BassMaster4s

Unless I'm mistaken, a C-extension will be higher than your G-string and is meant to complete the string set for a 6-string bass. The normal string lower than the E is almost always a B (I don't know of any cases that it's not).

Go with a heavier gauge E or try flats which tend to have a better tension than standard round-wounds.

You seem to have wandered over to the wrong side of the tracks my friend! No worries though .

[tbassist4]

Originally Posted by Wespe

This is the double bass forum, yeah?

Yep, this is the double bass forum. I'm talking about drop tuning an upright.

[Marcus Johnson]

I think Spiro reds would be fine for that. Maybe raise the string height a hair?

You know who could really answer this one.... Glen Moore.... now there's a guy that's not afraid to detune!

[Andrew McGregor]

Well, I did this in the orchestra an awful lot with Spiro Weichs. My bass tends to stay put on the other strings when I do this, and it opens out nicely with a D on the bottom. But you need the clearance to get away with it without buzzing.

[Jake deVilliers]

Hey Tyler, try swapping the E and A peg assignments.

The extra length puts a little more tension on the E string and the A string often sounds better too.

[dchan]

I currently use an older D'Addario Helicore Orchestral medium E string tuned down to a D. The Helicores tend to be thinner when they're younger, and they fatten up as they get older. So the Helicore E serves me fine in that regard.

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

Hey Tyler, try swapping the E and A peg assignments.

The extra length puts a little more tension on the E string and the A string often sounds better too.

Agreed. A-strings tend to be wussy, so the sharper pegbox angle pull tends to give it more life.

[foilracer]

good luck!.....here is what I have used during the past 4 years of "drop D"...they all work well
with the bow...too bad there is not a low D string!

Spirocore STARK E
Helicore Orchestra Heavy E
Helicore HYBRID Heavy E
Pirastro (regular/orchestra guage) DOMINANT E

maybe for you either the Spiro Stark or the
Helicore Hybrid Heavy


- foil

[tbassist4]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

I think Spiro reds would be fine for that. Maybe raise the string height a hair?

You know who could really answer this one.... Glen Moore.... now there's a guy that's not afraid to detune!

Originally Posted by Andrew McGregor

Well, I did this in the orchestra an awful lot with Spiro Weichs. My bass tends to stay put on the other strings when I do this, and it opens out nicely with a D on the bottom. But you need the clearance to get away with it without buzzing.

Thanks guys! I hadn't thought about having to raise the string height at all - I just thought a thicker string would take care of that. My action is pretty low as it is, so I wouldn't mind raising it a bit for some clearance and perhaps a little added power.

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

Hey Tyler, try swapping the E and A peg assignments.

The extra length puts a little more tension on the E string and the A string often sounds better too.

Originally Posted by dchan

I currently use an older D'Addario Helicore Orchestral medium E string tuned down to a D. The Helicores tend to be thinner when they're younger, and they fatten up as they get older. So the Helicore E serves me fine in that regard.

Agreed. A-strings tend to be wussy, so the sharper pegbox angle pull tends to give it more life.

Thanks for the tip about exchanging the strings between tuning pegs. I've seen that on a few basses that I've played, and never quite understood that. The low E is actually quite good as it is, so I hope switching will only help to reinforce that.

Originally Posted by foilracer

good luck!.....here is what I have used during the past 4 years of "drop D"...they all work well
with the bow...too bad there is not a low D string!

Spirocore STARK E
Helicore Orchestra Heavy E
Helicore HYBRID Heavy E
Pirastro (regular/orchestra guage) DOMINANT E

maybe for you either the Spiro Stark or the
Helicore Hybrid Heavy


- foil

Thanks for some string suggestions! My professor has a box of extra strings of various types from years of playing and trying out different things. I'd guess it'd be more than likely he'd have most if not all of those - I'll ask it I can try a couple out!


Thanks to everyone for the help, this will really help to get me all set up for drop tuning.

Tyler

[foilracer]

Try switching "E" & A at the peg box...that is...

your "E" (D) to the A peg and the A to the "E" peg...

it works on many basses.....

[Tanglehead]

Glen Moore once gave me a Spiro C to try - it was actually stamped with a C on the 'ball', and was certainly thicker than my Helicore Hybrid E at the time. I chickened out of even going to a low C. (He gotten back to standard tuning last I knew after over a decade tuning C-A-D-C. He stil had an EUB strung that way, I guessed so he could keep up on that tuning.

I think you can get a low C on a Red Mitchell set - in fact isn't there one over in the classifieds, or was that sold already? Can't remember the make, though...

Good luck.

brian

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by Tanglehead

(He gotten back to standard tuning last I knew after over a decade tuning C-A-D-C. He stil had an EUB strung that way, I guessed so he could keep up on that tuning.

I hung out with Glen for the first time in the mid 70's when I played opposite Oregon, and he was tuning like that then, so it's probably more like three decades! I think it was his work with Rabbath that prompted him to use standard tuning again.

[low-endz]

Originally Posted by dchan

I currently use an older D'Addario Helicore Orchestral medium E string tuned down to a D. The Helicores tend to be thinner when they're younger, and they fatten up as they get older. So the Helicore E serves me fine in that regard.

+1 to D'Addario Helicore Orchestral used them well for drop D also dominants work well.
I also agree about rasing the bridge for clearance and tension.