4 String For Drop Tuning?

[baddarryl]

Hi all. I have started playing some original doom/djent type stuff with some local guys. Some is recorded in drop G and other in drop B. It seems like we are going to move and stay primarily in drop B. G is so low all I have to do is loosen 1/2 a turn and I can pull the string right off!! I've never played this type of stuff before so there is a bit to learn getting a good sound. I have been playing with my 5 string single pickup Stingray and it sounds great.

The problem I have is I have never felt as natural on a five as I do a four. I am going to string a four BEAD tuned to BF#BE or Drop B as they say. With this stuff as low, heavy and fast as it is I want a very articulate B string. I am seriously looking at Dingwall and Ibanez Prestige fanned fret basses. I've also read about some Warwick's, Schectors and Spectors that a lot of people run this way and were made to set up this way. I have some fours I could convert, but hey another excuse for a new bass right? I have vintage Leo things I think just want something new and pure Metal!

Threads I've seen on this have been older. Here in 2021 what are my options? Thanks

 

[hbabels]

I’m with you on I prefer the feel of a 4 over a 5. The Dingwall NG-2 is by far the best sounding and feel for low drop tuned music. It’s almost cliche at this point but they live up to the hype here. Also worth checking out would be the new Spector Dimension multi scale basses.

 

[baddarryl]

Maybe I am one of those, but I just can't get past the Made in China thing where I can help it. I may still go Dingwall, but if I do I'll have to sell a couple to get a Canadian one. Which is the NG-2 a descendant of?

 

[hbabels]

Maybe I am one of those, but I just can't get past the Made in China thing where I can help it. I may still go Dingwall, but if I do I'll have to sell a couple to get a Canadian one. Which is the NG-2 a descendant of?

I hear ya on the Made in China thing in generally try and avoid where I can. That said the Dingwall is worth considering making an exception. If you can get your hands on one and play it. The neck feels awesome!! & the overall fit / finish / build quality is excellent. They definitely live up to their hype & price points.
For other options Spectors & Warwick’s tend to do low tuning very well with proper setups & string gauges. I have Euro Spector for Drop C that is excellent & once had a Warwick Corvette in B E A D that also worked very well tuned like that again with heavier strings & setup for that tuning.
Also preamps like the Darkglass B7k or their Harmonic Booster can really help give some definition to super low tunings even with little to no drive their tone curve just seems to help those tunings.

 

[Real Soon]

Well, I have a $2000 road bicycle that was made in China, and its precision engineering & fabrication steps are literally a matter of life and death for me. And that's on the low end of road bikes, far nicer ones of which are also crafted in China. Times have changed!

Not to pressure, but really--if your budget is on the ropes for a Canadian instrument vs a Chinese one, I'd suggest at least getting some play time on the one from the workshop in China. Who knows?


That aside....Schecter's got a bunch of very affordable and quite nice instruments in 35" scale, and that extra length makes a real difference when downtuning. Won't be as tight as a fanned-fret solution, but an amazing amount of compensation can be achieved via technique. Shortscale players around the world can speak on that! (and I have a Mustang PJ I have to practice to play cleanly on, but it definitely pays off)

 

[Tommy Torsion]

I've recently recorded with my band (Djent/Metalcore) a song in Drop B on my Fender Jazz 4 String , and used the DR DTT Drop tuning strings - 115 gauge, and it sounded great, the B wasn't floppy at all, and was articulate throughout. I play the song live on the 4 string too now, because it still sounds great. It also kept tune throughout the recording & live scenarios.

LTD do a good range of 4 String Fanned Frets - with the E string being @ circa 36" scale length, which would be great with what you're looking for.

I would also suggest pairing any choice with a Darkglass pedal/amp, that's really helped me dial in my Periphery/Architects type tones.

I have a Dingwall Combustion, so I will join the chants for you to get one, as it's the best bass I've ever owned, but appreciate your hesitance.

 

[baddarryl]

Thanks guys. Fortunately I have the only Dingwall dealer in NC 5 minutes from my house. I went in and played a Combustion today and honestly it makes my 5 string Stingray feel like an old clunker. Hard to believe. My hesitancy in China is not quality, but political on many fronts. I don't desire to get into that here, but that is where I am coming from. The owner of the shop told me that Dingwall sends all of it's ingredients to them for assembly. Electronics, woods....everything. He also said they are a tiny luthier shop that that just happens to be in China and they work on about 15 at a time, send them back and then Dingwall inspects them. If they are not absolutely perfect even down to a speck of paint they go to B stock. Worth considering.

He also carries the Spector NS Dimension, but said the B just doesn't quite have what the Dings have and it wasn't in stock. Either way I go I am leaning multi scale vs 35". They don't feel as long to me even with the 37" B.

He also has Canadian ones in stock and showed me the differences. The Combustion was $2550 and he had a blacked out AB1 Afterburner for $4950. I can't believe I am saying this, but I am thinking of pulling the trigger on it. As high end as they are they move through his shop like hot cakes and there is a marked difference in all the small things.