1/4 Double Bass CGDA

Hi Giampi.
There are a few brands available for 1/4 size basses; Corelli, Obligatos, Spirocores, Helicore orchestrals, Preludes, Supernils.
I only see the standard EADG strings available, sorry.

 

CGDA? Have you considered cello strings?

If you want strings for an octave or more down from cello, know that a 1/4-size bass will have trouble speaking those low notes. It will be like an acoustic bass guitar, but more so.

 

The vibrating lenght of a (4/4) cello is 70cm, far from the 90cm of the 1/4 bass.
I don't think they'd fit, and even if they did, I'm not sure at what pitch he could tune them.

 

You might have to try plain gut strings from a harp-string maker like Bow Brand in England. Their website is not very informative, but if you email them a request for their catalogue for plain gut, you will find them to be very professional strings at a relatively low price. They sell them in 10ft lengths...just cut to whatever size you want. At 90cm, you might get away with three guts.

 

Main problem is low C string, plain gut will not work for that, would get much too thick. Most of the time, tuning up G to A and tuning down A to G will work, but E can not be down tuned to C (too floppy). Since only standard tuning EAdg is available for quarter size bass, at least the lowest string has to be custom made. To stay with manageable diameter, only heavy metal strings should be considered.

 

You could consider a tuning Gdae with A string down tuned to G and normal d string from some standard set and a and e gut from source mentioned above. Or use the 3 highest strings of standard 1/4 set and a not wound high C string for 3/4 size cut much for that tuning. That tuning would match size of 1/4 bass better the the Cello tuning down one octave.

 

If you want a fifth tuning for a 1/4 bass, don‘t try the low C. The string is too thick and too short and the resonant chamber is too small.
A G as the lowest string would work well, so better try a tuning two octaves below the violin.
I have no concrete hints for strings, but you can have a look at my Dropbox files (link in signature and string sticky) and use the formulas.html to check tension on a different vibrating string length. You need JavaScript activated for the automatic calculation.

 

@Anne Millington may be able to offer advice on strings. She plays a small bass tuned in 5ths.

 

I always use for my basses regardless of size the standard orchestra strings and tune DAdg, that means tune low E string down to D and rest is standard. That gives a good range and is easier to play then 5ths tuning between all strings. If I would use a 1/4 size bass with complete 5ths tuning, I would use the higher 3 strings from D'Addario Prelude 1/4 set, forget the low C (E string), get a Thomastik Superflexible 4/4 high C string and shorten that. Together I get a tuning of Gdae, that is not very expensive. I have tried to use Cello tuning one octave lower on 1/4 size bass in the past: There are no easily available strings that allow that tuning. If you play 5ths tuning on 1/4 size bass, forget about cello extensions. You can use 4 finger technique even in lower positions (maybe will need a slight pivot), but extension fingering is hard on 70 cm string length and impossible on 90 cm.
Guitar has 65cm string length, full size cell 69cm, e-bass 84cm: many people prefere Simandl fingering in the low register there. Anything longer make playing with all four fingers difficult.

 

This is practical because the bass guitar does not depend on resonating wood.