4-string B, E, A, D

tobie · #1 06-17-2009, 12:52 AM

Had anyone dropped the G-string in favor of a low B on a 4-string bass, thus stringing it B, E, A, D? I'm considering it since I dislike the sound of notes played on the G and I have an unused B just lying around - but will it work considering the differences in the 'traditional' string length?

... or am I crazy (my wife gives me the silent look on that one) ...

line6bassist · #2 06-17-2009, 12:56 AM

i have done it before on a cheap yamaha bass..it works great but the bad thing that you might have to file down the nut a bit...so i would really think about that before you do any mods....FYI

tobie · #3 06-17-2009, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6bassist

the bad thing that you might have to file down the nut a bit

Mmmm, never thought of that one - thanks!

mcnach · #4 06-17-2009, 02:44 AM

Yeah, easily done and will work... but you *will* have to either widen the nut slots, or (the solution I favour) get a new nut cut for it. I'd keep the original nut, in case you go back to EADG, and I'd simply go to my trusty favourite luthier/repair guy and ask him to install a new nut with the new strings on. A job like that will be cheap. The nut itself will be about £10 for a nice quality one, and then the work. Best time to do that is if you take your bass for a set up anyway, as adding a new nut would easily be included and just pay for the material.

tobie · #5 06-17-2009, 10:58 PM

Thanks for the replies guys

Ric5 · #6 06-17-2009, 11:04 PM

Before you go that far try DGCF.

SuperFineLin9 · #7 06-18-2009, 10:46 AM

I did that once on a cheap bass but then I tuned the B up to C. I was playing in a metal band at the time and they wanted drop C and tuning the E down to C, I hated the way it sounded
so maby im the crazy one

tobie · #8 06-18-2009, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric5

Before you go that far try DGCF.

Interesting idea! My gut-feel is that the 'D' is not going to sound too good, but worth a try - something to do this coming weekend!

T-Bird · #9 06-18-2009, 11:51 PM

Hi.

BEAD conversion is a quite popular one, pops up every once and a while.

Replacing the nut may or may not be the only thing You have to mod. In my Ibanez SR, I had to move the bridge backwards to be able to intonate B correctly.

Regards
Sam

Solarmist · #10 06-19-2009, 07:54 PM

One of my 4-bangers is tuned DGCF (sometimes CGCF) using 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 gauge strings, but like ^ said to go BEAD you must file the nut, and once filed - you can't go back. If you got a nice bass - I wouldn't mess up the nut, but rather try it out on a beater bass, and see if you really like it.

I tried it, but couldn't get used to not having a G string mainly because of it being a reference point (as the outside string).

greenboy · #11 06-19-2009, 08:01 PM

Never owned a four-string, but I'm all over the map on my Five and Six tunings, even did fifths-tunings for awhile. Really helps me that I have done a fair amount of both reading and writing in the past, and grok enough theory to understand the basic relationships that are also represented in fingerboard patterns.

Sometimes switching to a new tuning after a long bout in another will throw me when I'm thinking what the note name is that I'm currently playing, but that goes away pretty quickly, and I'm never at a loss for the relationships which are more important anyway (or the hearing part when playing with others).

Sure, do it if you want. Just get yourself some touch stone so you aren't flying deaf dumb and blind.

greenboy · #12 06-19-2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solarmist

to go BEAD you must file the nut, and once filed - you can't go back.

I do it on a fairly regular basis and have for years, and never have problems. That's using graphlon from Carvin or GraphTech. The lowest pitched slot accomodates up to a .185 and has had as small as a 110 in it, and all the others corresponding ranges fit in them too, and no problems.

spywebco · #13 06-19-2009, 08:07 PM

One of my basses now is tuned BEAD. As it is a 34" scale, the B is a little floppy. Since it is not under as much string tension, it is now super sensitive to humidity changes. It sounds nice when it's in the house, but when I take it out to a gig (here on the coast in FL, a LOT of my gigs are outside at the beach) it needs a lot of adjustment to be playable. Therefore, I go out of my way to avoid playing it now at gigs. I will buy a 5 string before I get rid of this one, but if the 5 isn't too big to be playable for me, it's on the way out.

greenboy · #14 06-19-2009, 08:14 PM

Learn to do truss rod adjustments, and study D'Addario's string tension guide if you think gauges are hanging you up. Any 34" bass that can handle EADG should be capable of stability with BEAD.

Solarmist · #15 06-20-2009, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenboy

I do it on a fairly regular basis and have for years, and never have problems. That's using graphlon from Carvin or GraphTech. The lowest pitched slot accomodates up to a .185 and has had as small as a 110 in it, and all the others corresponding ranges fit in them too, and no problems.

You mean you swapped out your stock nut with a Carvin replacement graphite nut that have oversized slots that will accommodate a .185 down to a .110 - a difference of .075 in the same slot?

greenboy · #16 06-20-2009, 07:38 AM

I'm saying that once I filed that type of nut out for lower tunings and heavier gauges I could use other finer-gauged strings later with no tuning issues whatsoever. But perhaps I should also mention that both basses have a decent headstock back-angle, because that too is a factor. My way might suck on basses that require string trees (hate those things anyway).

Ach · #17 06-20-2009, 10:05 AM

Tryed both: DGCF and BEAD on my stingray. Both sounds ok

HogieWan · #18 06-20-2009, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobie

but will it work considering the differences in the 'traditional' string length? :

most four and five string basses share the same 34" scale length

Solarmist · #19 06-20-2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenboy

I'm saying that once I filed that type of nut out for lower tunings and heavier gauges I could use other finer-gauged strings later with no tuning issues whatsoever. But perhaps I should also mention that both basses have a decent headstock back-angle, because that too is a factor. My way might suck on basses that require string trees (hate those things anyway).

That's what I was wondering about - if there was enough downward pressure to hold them firmly in the widened slots.

Ric5 · #20 06-20-2009, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tobie

Interesting idea! My gut-feel is that the 'D' is not going to sound too good, but worth a try - something to do this coming weekend!

Ues a .110 E string and the DGCF will wotk fine ... I did that before I went to a 5 string bass. The open low D sounds great. What screwed me was I needed lower notes than the D.