Acoustic Bass Guitar High C options...

[RobbieK]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking of tuning my 5-string acoustic bass guitar up with a high C. As far as I can see, only Warwick make a 6-string set (with a 25 for high C).

Does anyone know any other options? Or a manufacturer who makes single bronze strings around this gauge?


Cheers...

 

[HaphAsSard]

Hi everyone. I'm thinking of tuning my 5-string acoustic bass guitar up with a high C. As far as I can see, only Warwick make a 6-string set (with a 25 for high C).

Does anyone know any other options? Or a manufacturer who makes single bronze strings around this gauge?


Cheers...

If I owned a 5-string acoustic and wanted to tune it to EADGC with bronze strings, I wouldn't think twice about getting a guitar string for the C. Just buy a bunch of different ones and pick the one that fits best with the rest of the set. Guitar strings are usually long enough even for a long-scale bass (except ones with in-line tuner headstocks and/or string-through solid-bodies), and can be threaded through a used bass ball end in order to fit at the bridge side.

 

[RobbieK]

a guitar string for the C

I thought of that.

and can be threaded through a used bass ball end in order to fit at the bridge side.

But I didn't think of that.

I'd be a bit worried about the ball end pressing grooves into the bridge plate or bridge pin since it would be rotated 90 degrees though...

 

[micguy]

The question with the guitar string is length. If you don't find an "acoustic" C string that works, I'd say a regular old high C for a solid body would work fine - acoustic guitarists use the same high strings (plain steel) as electric guitarists, and that works fine in that realm. I put electric strings on an acoustic bass a couple years ago (when I was handed an acoustic and told "we're doing an all acoustic weekend, play this"), and it sounded just fine.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I'd be a bit worried about the ball end pressing grooves into the bridge plate or bridge pin since it would be rotated 90 degrees though...

Hm. You either need a bead-like...thing made of metal or hardwood, with a hole in the middle; or to somehow stuff the pin groove so that the existing guitar ball end, without any hardware aid, doesn't escape the side pressure of the pin itself. Actually, you could just turn the pin so that the groove is not oriented forward, and it functions like an old-style, grooveless pin.