Taking off B string... how bad is this?

[pattyløve]

How bad is it for the neck to leave it strung without a B?
I have a music assesment on friday and im still unsure of what bass to play! I was going to play my MM SUB but its currently in the middle of a electronics project and i dont have time to fix it up because of study.

I have my uncles sr5 and im fine playing a 5 string bass.. its just that with the bass medley im playing, the b string gets in the way alot and i dont even use it. Id hate for the string to get in the way mid performance. Can i leave the B off, even just for a until friday?

[bongomania]

Not a problem at all. You may need to adjust the truss rod to accommodate the change in overall tension, but that's not a big deal.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

A sr5? Like Ibanez?

All the Ibbys I've had/set up/etc, has had really skinny, highly responsive necks.

Even changing the strings to another make without changing the gauge, has sometimes required a tweak of the truss rod.

I'd imagine that taking the B-string out would make the bass unplayable unless the truss rod is adjusted.

Try it, and please report back. I'm sure other people would like to know the result too.

Taking the string off temporarily won't cause any harm, and then You'll know. If the truss rod adjustment is beyond Your capabilities, try to use the B for a thumb rest or something .

Regards
Sam

[varunkapahi]

make sure you take off the string today if you plan to. that ways you and the neck get enough time to tweak it up and let it settle down

[pattyløve]

Sorry, SR5 as in MM stingray 5... sorry for the confusion.
Took the B string off, no problems whatsoever. I was ready to do a truss rod adjustment but there was barely a regonizable change in the neck. But then again, i hear the high G string has the highest tension, so wouldnt that give the low B the lowest tension and therefore the least change in neck?

[ByF]

Actually, all the strings in a set should be pretty similar in tension. They vary the thickness of the strings so that they can be tuned to the correct pitch, at similar tension.

The G string might feel tighter because it is narrower.

Ed

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by ByF

The G string might feel tighter because it is narrower.

Ed

Regards
Sam

[Jamie_Funk]

Originally Posted by ByF

Actually, all the strings in a set should be pretty similar in tension. They vary the thickness of the strings so that they can be tuned to the correct pitch, at similar tension.

The G string might feel tighter because it is narrower.

Ed

D'Addario tension for a 5 string set - look at the tensions in lbs or kg for reference - depends on one's definition of similar....and of course FEEL and tension are not the same thing.....

EXL170-5 Long Scale 5-String 45-130


Diameter Tension
Item# Note inches mm lbs kg
XLB045 G 0.045 1.14 42.8 19.41
XLB065 D 0.065 1.65 51.3 23.27
XLB080 A 0.080 2.03 32.9 14.92
XLB100 E 0.100 2.54 36.5 16.55
XLB130 B 0.130 3.30 34.5 15.65

J