Any different things you do for a drop D bass set up?

[dirtychinchilla]

I'm doing battle with my two basses at the moment to set them up nciely. I've been trying to learn Forty Six & Two by Tool and it's made me pull out my four string P-bass, which I never play.

I'm struggling a bit with the five string (Sire V7) and due to lack of experience, I'm going to drop by Andertons at the weekend to get their advice on how drop the action.

But with the P-bass, I'm wanting to set it up for being tuned to drop D as it's default. Before I go fiddling with it, I was just wondering whether you guys did anything different as far as the set up is concerned if you know you're going to be using it for drop tuning exclusively? The reason for asking is that currently the action is too low, way too much buzz for my liking, so I'm going to up it. But I'm jut finding that the strings sound very loose or maybe flatulent.

I did something to the electronics many years ago to try and get it to sound more like a jazz bass. Guess what? It didn't work. But now I have a jazz bass so I'm goign to revert whatever the hell I did back then.

Cheers!

dirtychinchilla

 

[iiipopes]

For drop D I use D'Addario XL160 BT 50-120, which when you tune them in drop D have similar tension and feel to a conventional 45-105 set at standard pitch. The characteristic tone of D'A XL strings has a slight drop in the lower mids that helps them retain clarity at the lower tuning. I then tweak the truss rod and bridge intonation and height accordingly. The nut slots may or may not need a touch up with a nut file to accommodate the larger diameter of each string. In short, yes, you should have a new setup, especially since you are dedicating this bass to drop D. I did the same thing for a bass I dedicated to Drop Eb - completely different strings and setup.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

For drop D I use D'Addario XL160 BT 50-120, which when you tune them in drop D have similar tension and feel to a conventional 45-105 set at standard pitch. The characteristic tone of D'A XL strings has a slight drop in the lower mids that helps them retain clarity at the lower tuning. I then tweak the truss rod and bridge intonation and height accordingly. The nut slots may or may not need a touch up with a nut file to accommodate the larger diameter of each string. In short, yes, you should have a new setup, especially since you are dedicating this bass to drop D. I did the same thing for a bass I dedicated to Drop Eb - completely different strings and setup.

Thanks for that. I don't have any new strings to put on it yet, but really appreciate the recommendation there. I think I'll just start out by raising the action and intonating accordingly, and when I can afford new strings I'll see how they work out.

 

[iiipopes]

Thanks for that. I don't have any new strings to put on it yet, but really appreciate the recommendation there. I think I'll just start out by raising the action and intonating accordingly, and when I can afford new strings I'll see how they work out.

Street price for the D'A XL160BT set is less than $20, and you can find no-cost shipping deals.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Street price for the D'A XL160BT set is less than $20, and you can find no-cost shipping deals.

£23 here I'm just skint at the moment. Annoyingly, I just cleared out my treasure trove of dead strings. I'm sure I could have found some appropriate ones in there.

 

[iiipopes]

Oops. Sorry I didn't see you were in the UK.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Oops. Sorry I didn't see you were in the UK.

That's quite alright

 

[FunkHead]

I wouldn't change all the strings for drop D. I think that suggestion may be a misunderstanding that you were tuning down all strings to D Standard. Drop D is just dropping the E string to a D and leaving the A,D & G the same.

9 times out of 10 the current E string will work just fine for Drop D. Most times it sounds even fatter and just overall better.

just my 2 cents.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

I wouldn't change all the strings for drop D. I think that suggestion may be a misunderstanding that you were tuning down all strings to D Standard. Drop D is just dropping the E string to a D and leaving the A,D & G the same.

9 times out of 10 the current E string will work just fine for Drop D. Most times it sounds even fatter and just overall better.

just my 2 cents.

That's my plan - D, A, D, G. I find the E string generally not too bad, but you definitely don't get the tightness from it that you would have when tuned down to D

 

[FunkHead]

That's my plan - D, A, D, G. I find the E string generally not too bad, but you definitely don't get the tightness from it that you would have when tuned down to D

If you're leaving it at drop D then you could bump up a gauge or 2 at the most(Just on the E string).

 

[ga_edwards]

FWIW, I use the Rotosounds Billy Sheehan set on my Attitude bass (which has a hipshot drop-D xtender tuning peg to tune to drop D on the fly) The string gauges are 43 65 80 110. They have been specifically designed to have balanced tension, even when the E string is tuned down to D.

You shouldn't need to change the set up just for drop D. But it will be worth learning how to do a set up yourself to understand what's going on. A few basic tools will save you a lot of frustration and money over time. I find that fender's bass setup guide to be a great reference point.

PS, there's nothing wrong with a little fret buzz IMO. I like being able to dig in for a little rasp now and then!

 

[iiipopes]

Hmmm. On revisiting this thread, I may have been thinking D-standard tuning (DGCF) instead of Drop-D with conventional ADG strings. In that case, I would use a string 10 thou or 15 thou heavier than the gauge a player uses on a conventional EADG set. For example, I use a 105 E string, so going down two notes (Eb to D) I would use a 115 low string for the D.

 

[deff]

Hmmm. On revisiting this thread, I may have been thinking D-standard tuning (DGCF) instead of Drop-D with conventional ADG strings. In that case, I would use a string 10 thou or 15 thou heavier than the gauge a player uses on a conventional EADG set. For example, I use a 105 E string, so going down two notes (Eb to D) I would use a 115 low string for the D.

This is what I use and we're mostly drop C or D standard. 50-115.

 

[iiipopes]

This is what I use and we're mostly drop C or D standard. 50-115.

If you are in D standard and not Drop D, then as above, I heartily recommend you consider the D'A 160BT set, for the reasons stated in my first post in this thread.

 

[deff]

If you are in D standard and not Drop D, then as above, I heartily recommend you consider the D'A 160BT set, for the reasons stated in my first post in this thread.

I'll give it a shot, but mostly have just stuck with Dunlops. Most of the D'Addario sets go dead fairly quickly for me. I look forward to giving them a shot though.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Sorry for the belated replies everyone, and thanks for the above. I think, in general, I need to review the gauges of my strings. I think I could do with a higher gauge overall as I find my B (not P) a bit flaccid and can't help but think that the G sounds very thin.

With regards to the G, I wonder if I may need to raise the pickup height. Any thoughts on that?

 

[alotabass]

I have experimented a lot with strings for drop-D tuning. I settled on a D’Addario tapered string which is on the heavy side. .125 gauge. I like the tension when I drop it down to D. Check out how it sounds here. David Lee Roth - Ladies' Nite in Buffalo? (Noche de Ronda en la Ciudad) (Bass Cover)

 

[Riff Ranger]

It sounds like your bass might need a setup anyway, but I wouldn’t overthink it. Drop D (i.e. DADG, from low to high) isn’t so far off from EADG to necessitate a completely different approach to the setup.

I would suggest trying a typical set of hex core nickel roundwounds for DADG first, set up for low action, especially if you’re trying to get in Tool’s sonic neighborhood with a P bass. Yes, that lower D will carry noticeably less tension than the other strings, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing; I love that sound and feel, personally. If it really bugs you, then get a slightly thicker single for that string and you’re out no more than a few quid and maybe a little extra tweaking of the setup (going from EADG to DADG doesn’t drastically reduce the total tension on the instrument).

I use Hybrid Slinkies (.105/.085/.065/.045) for Drop C, fwiw.

 

[Sub-hoo-fer]

Is there any risk to the neck leaving the bass DADG while storing the bass? Any time I drop to D I always tune back to E when I am done playing.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Is there any risk to the neck leaving the bass DADG while storing the bass? Any time is drop to D I always tune back to E when I am done playing.

I have routinely kept several 4-strings in CGCF for years a time without issues. I do typically have to adjust the setup when we switch between our cold, wet season and hot, dry season here in the American West, but that’s been true regardless of how I’ve had instruments tuned.