2nd bass for Eb tuning?

[wintremute]

In my last band, the guitarists used the Digitech Drop pedal ( DigiTech Drop Polyphonic Drop-tune Pitch-shift Pedal ) to handle the Eb tunes. I used my HXFX to do the same thing, and and worked pretty well.

DigiTech Drop. This is what I do. It makes things sooooooooooo much easier when bouncing between songs that are E and Eb, and D and Db and C (with a hipshot d-tuner). HIGHLY recommended.

 

[bherman]

DigiTech Drop. This is what I do. It makes things sooooooooooo much easier when bouncing between songs that are E and Eb, and D and Db and C (with a hipshot d-tuner). HIGHLY recommended.

I use one of these also, we have a few tunes that are down 1/2 step and some that are a full step. I have a drop tuner on my main bass also and it helps with the occasional low pedal tone, but I find it confusing at times since the other strings stay in standard tuning. If you want to stick with one bass, the pedal is your best option. It will also keep your string tension the same.

 

[FronTowardEnemy]

How's the latency on any of these? The zoom bass stomp will do it but the latency is too great.

I’m able to play Weezers Say it Ain’t So, and Tazmin Archers Satellite against the recording with 100% accuracy with the Stomp.

 

[KenSmithFan]

The easiest solution is the best. If the band won’t play EVERYTHING down 1/2 step, Just bring a second bass. I’ll never understand why people want to make things harder.

 

[ryco]

I have a bass tuned down to E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ = slack tuning - because my guitar player plays a lot of Hendrix and SRV tunes. Don't mind having a bass tuned slack, it's a cool sound and feel. Could get around it just by tuning the E string down to D - did that for years - but it's fun having one bass slack. Gives teh 4001 something to do

 

[FullumMusic]

- One of the options a bunch of people mentioned is, why are you playing half the set in Eb and the other half in E? Is that a deliberate decision by the Band Leader/Group, or is it by chance? The first option would be convincing the band to tune to Eb and treat all the Eb and E songs the same. (Or tune to E standard and pretend all the Eb songs are in E if the singer can hit the notes. The singer's range will determine which way you go.) Seems like the best option to me.

- There's the 2-bass option. 2 basses into something like a Morley ABY Mix so all you have to do is put down one, and pick up the other, flip the active channel, and start playing. No futzing with unplugging/plugging between songs. Of course it means hauling 2 basses around. Second best option IMHO. Also good option because new bass.

- There's the Hipshot D-Tuner if playing in a drop tuning instead of a standard will work for you.

- There's down-tuning to Eb standard and using a Capo for all the E Standard songs.

- There's digital pitch shifters that'll pitch shift your bass down a number of semitones. A half step won't sound too weird but it'll always sound ever so lightly like it's been digitally pitch shifted. Nobody in audience will care but you may have opinions about it.

- 5 strings are an option, although one you'll probably not pick because you already said you're not simpatico with 5ers. (Just listing options)

- There's playing the Eb songs an octave up. I can't imagine this being a good option, but it's an option.

Pick your poison.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

At this point I have three basses tuned down a half step to Eb. Several acts I work with use what we sometimes call "van halen one tuning" or "Stevie Ray Vaughan tuning", so I will use those basses on those gigs. But I've also done gigs where everyone is in standard tuning, but the song is in Eb, so I will use an Eb bass because it's obvious the player on the track is tuned that way. "about damn time" by lizzo, "rock with you" by michael jackson, and "24k Magic" by Bruno Mars (live on SNL versio) come to mind. I'd say get a second bass tuned down a half step.

 

[burgerdj]

DR DDT and drop to Eb.

OP:
“Dicked”?!

 

[Element Zero]

I can play in Eb without detuning.
I have yet to encounter a case where it seemed needed.
YMMV

So… how do you hit a low Eb?

 

[shortscalesrule]

A guess: The tuning may be at the insistence of horn players, whose instruments will be in Bb (trumpet, soprano and tenor sax) and Eb (alto and baritone sax). E major may be a dandy key for guitar and bass players, but the horns end up with boatloads of sharps and flats in their key signatures.

 

[seafoamgreenjb]

Sad thing you cannot embrace low B. It's such a nice feeling to hit that Eb, D or C# (or even lower, though rarely).
However, that probably depends on what kind of music you play.

 

[cxc]

I’ve used Digitech Drop for the 3-4 songs in the set that required tuning down to Eb. Works well enough.

 

[2saddleslab]

Why play a portion of your show 1/2 step down?

We play about 70% of our music 1/2 step down to help our BL's voice who plays nearly 400 gigs per year. But when a tune featuring harmonica comes along we have to play in standard tuning. I bring two basses, each tuned separately. Very easy to switch basses quickly and there's also a built in spare bass should the need arise.

 

[Basta-bass]

I've had better results with ehx pitchfork than with digitec drop...

For what it's worth.
The stomp can also handle it perfectly fine of course.
I don't use it really often, as I play à five thought. But sometimes, it's much easier to play detuned. And sometimes, when you've spent hours practicing a song and come the rehearsal and your beloved singer says she wants it one step down! You just hit the pedal and forget about it!
No weird sound noticeable till -3 half-steps .

 

[paddydaddyo]

Lots of good input y'all, thanks. Interesting ideas I wasn't aware of (e.g. digital detuning pedal) too.

For those asking, all the SRV, Hendrix, Trower and some others that the guitarist sings are in Eb tuning. All the Cream, Mayer Trio, James Gang, ZZ Top, etc. that I sing are in E standard. His songs don't feel/sound right to him in standard, and mine don't for me in Eb. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've played professionally for over 40 years on thousands of gigs and only brought a 2nd instrument when there was an upright or fretless called for during a cocktail jazz set or something. I've never had a bass fail, or even a sting break (though I've always kept a set as backups in the bag/case).

I'm not a pedals guy at all ... but it is looking like the digital detuner might be a great option. I'll have to ask around the local bass group to see if anyone has one I can borrow for a test session soon.

Thanks again, and enjoy the weekend!

PS: Saying something is "dicked" means it's solved, sorted out, not a problem, etc.
Northern New England thing, there's some odd ones.

 

[mambo4]

So… how do you hit a low Eb?

I don't. I play it an octave up.
But my gigs were mostly styles that do not demand note for note covers.
Even auditioned for a singer songwriter who was a Eb guy, didn't care which Eb I used.
OP did not specify the style of music. (or I read poorly )
The idea that one must tune down simply because they key is Eb is spurious without more context.

Of course I can imagine such a riff as Low Rider or Higher Ground, transposed to Eb may require it.
But it has simply never come up for me.

Everyone is quick to suggest more gear
No one asked is a low Eb necessary?
(or I read poorly )

 

[sawzalot]

I don't recommend rearranging your setlist to make it easy on bass changes, the setlist is a show and the order of songs and the energy with the audience matters more than instrument convenience. That said, all my 4-bangers have Hipshot d-tuners on them. You have to practice playing with the string tuned down but that's it. My latest band is a pop/dance band and really demands a five string most of the time, so after a decade or so of playing 4-bangers almost exclusively I'm back to playing 5-strings almost exclusively, which fixes that problem.

 

[Wasnex]

I don't recommend rearranging your setlist to make it easy on bass changes, the setlist is a show and the order of songs and the energy with the audience matters more than instrument convenience.

If your solution is to switch instruments, the change must occur at a point in the show where sufficient time is available. Maybe the front person babbles for a few seconds...it shouldn't take long. Or maybe you do change the show order. As long as you build a great show it doesn't matter.

Sometimes you don't switch right before or right after the song that requires non-standard tuning. I.E. you may need to play more than one song on a detuned bass. Alternately, you may need to play an Eb song on bass in standard tuning.

 

[BuddhaFingas]

My guitarist buddy is big into SRV and Social Distortion.

My P Bass is always tuned Eb, and intonation & setup are in that mode.

Some std-tune songs I will just play 'half fret up' but for stuff that really needs the open-string sound, I swap to another bass. Im not player enough yet to fully transpose on the fly.

One guitar is kept this way too, on the off chance I ever actually learn to play it.

 

[sawzalot]

I don't recommend rearranging your setlist to make it easy on bass changes, the setlist is a show and the order of songs and the energy with the audience matters more than instrument convenience. That said, all my 4-bangers have Hipshot d-tuners on them. You have to practice playing with the string tuned down but that's it. My latest band is a pop/dance band and really demands a five string most of the time, so after a decade or so of playing 4-bangers almost exclusively I'm back to playing 5-strings almost exclusively, which fixes that problem.

If your solution is to switch instruments, the change must occur at a point in the show where sufficient time is available. Maybe the front person babbles for a few seconds...it shouldn't take long. Or maybe you do change the show order. As long as you build a great show it doesn't matter.

Sometimes you don't switch right before or right after the song that requires non-standard tuning. I.E. you may need to play more than one song on a detuned bass. Alternately, you may need to play an Eb song on bass in standard tuning.

this^. Getting beyond the scope of this thread, but we practice the show, plan where we pause for banter, instrument switches, etc. I rehearse the instrument change to the point I know it takes me under 15 seconds to change basses. All part of raising your game as a band.