Tuning a BEADG 5er to BF#BEG#

[Piggy8692]

Will tuning 'up' my Eadg strings on a 5 string add too much tension on my neck? I'm trying to match a 6 string guitar tuned to drop B.

I know I could go BF#BEA, but I'd like to match exact.

I would prefer this option, but I could also tune a 4 string way down to drop B.

What modifications if any would I need for both options. Has anyone ever heard of tuning up a 5 string?

[Ric5]

Dude you are suffering from guitar envy ... You can play all of your bands songs with a BEADG tuning ... any other tuning will make scales and octaves cumbersome. Guitar players do all of the wacky tunings to help them play chords. Bass players play single notes.

[DiabolusInMusic]

Save yourself the hassle and just get a Fender bass VI or a warmoth clone.

If you slot the nut and use the right gauge strings I don't think it would cause any long term problems but I have been wrong before.

I also agree with Ric5 though, this doesn't seem very practical or helpful, but it is your style not mine.

[Piggy8692]

If I was just playing root notes, I could understand the logic. But I want to be able to match runs and complex fingerings. I just want to know I won't damaging my bass by tuning up too much.

[walterw]

this is an old argument, the "tune like the dropped guitar player" vs. "play a regular 5-string" people.

for most metal guys, matching the guitar tunings just makes more sense. (this is also why 5 and 6 string basses can be weird for those styles, it's harder to get them into the same tunings as the guitar players, who are often somewhere below E but above B.)

anyway, you aren't gonna hurt anything, as long as the neck is still adjusted to be nice and straight. it might feel a little unbalanced though, with the B feeling more limp than the other strings.

you could get a super-light 5-string set, then swap in a regular-sized B, so the tension evened out more.