Detuning and string response
 

I play in a metal band, we do D standard, drop C, and drop B (but I just go to b standard, because drop B is just stupid) I play standard and half step down when I'm alone.
I do all this on a single 4 string bass, and my guitarist simply switches guitars. After about a week of doing this, I'll notice that my strings lose all tension, and I feel as if I'm playing a 32" scale bass, and most of the notes on lower frets go almost completely dead. I want to buy a new bass, but I want to have just 2 GOOD basses, instead of 4 crap basses. I don't have money saved currently to afford a new quality bass, although I'm almost there.

Are there any cheaper alternatives, or will I just have to watch my neck slowly die in front of me?

Thanks as always, I love you TB

Pills

Get one of the cheaper Ibanez BTBs. You can get them used for around 400 and they're designed to be tuned BEAD, that is if you're not looking to go to a 5-String. If you can find a used Warwick Taranis, they're also pretty slick, but a little pricier.

All the tuning is stretching out the strings. Only solution is to play in one low constant tuning or get more basses. Sorry boss.

A 5 is next on my list, the bass I'm saving for is a Spector euro 5lx (I'm gonna throw a Hazlab in there)

Doing it mostly for the 35" scale, but a low B never hurt anyone :D

Hi Pills,

For a long time I played a Cirrus four-string; the 35" scale helped out a lot. I used DR stainless strings most of the time, did lots in drop-D, one song in drop-C, and one song in drop-B (yes, tuned that .105 E down to low B!).

It did the job and didn't sound all that bad really - wore out a few tuning heads though, but it worked.

Now I have a nice, custom five string bass. 34" scale but I'm using a heavy gauge balanced string set from Circle-K (.150 B). My band has three songs that are impossible to play without detuning my E string to D, so I'm going to pick up another four string in the future so that I can switch between them when needed.

When I had the Cirrus I didn't experience any of the symptoms you are having; IMHO get decent five and four string basses and you'll be set.

Raz

I spoke with Joe Zon about the detuning insanity on my old Hyper bass.

Detuners on all 4 strings etc.

You'd fry them quick.

The trick is to minimize the amount of string windings on the turners, so the bare min, maybe, 1-2x around the post. This will make them last longer and importantly, STAY in tune better when you detune. You can also apply this same trick to whammy/trems. It fries strings, but this can minimize it.

Never hurts to try different strings, take the advice above, but a dead puff string= toast.

Also, play lighter on the strings, some people tear into their strings, you'll play better if you can lighten that up and simply turn the volume up, let the amp do the work.

As Raz mentions, dropping a .105 to a B is possible. I've heard a few people do VERY well with it.

The Graphite and the composite neck basses also will have less tuning issues generally.

So that will give you a few things to work on.

I always found DR DDTs to do what was on the box pretty well. Whether or not you like them for feel/sound is another story but I found they held tuning quite nicely. Then again, I generally only stayed in one or two tunings.