lol its the same general tone of the bass players that i love. i guess tomorrow i can take a vid of the jaguar which i goes through the bridge as opposed to through the body. you went from saying its not possible to saying its not the tone you want. you sound like a giant tool.
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Anyone else tune their basses as I do?
- Thread starter Cosmiceddie
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lol its the same general tone of the bass players that i love. i guess tomorrow i can take a vid of the jaguar which i goes through the bridge as opposed to through the body. you went from saying its not possible to saying its not the tone you want. you sound like a giant tool.
Yes, Drop C# tuning, at the request of my guitartist in one project. It creates a muddy mess and is a nightmare in the studio. Its Drop D a half step down. I solve the sonic issues by staying away from my E string when I play with him.
hey man you can find our recent release here of that tuning and i love the sound of the bass. def helps fill out a 3 piece for what we are trying to achieve
oh our guitarist also uses the lightest gauge guitar strings in this tuning on a 6-string. but im sure thats not possible either...er....not the tone you like.
Do you do any really sweat bends and almost Tony Iommi flourishes. Cuz I see that "slackness" would be great for that.
Saw the video. Not what I'd call a useable tone (by itself) imo, but if it works for the OP that's great; I'd definitely double track and mix that with a dry DI for recording a metal bass tone.
To each their own
personally i love the tone/tuning but thats what is great about music. Everyone can do what they want and express themselves differently. Obviously when i jam with other genres i dont use this approach but 99% of my time/effort goes towards doom/sludge so it works for me 
Cool thread. I love it when people post clips to prove/illustrate their point. Thanks, Soma (even if I could not live with your fret buzz).
This thread shows how much personal preferences control how we approach our instruments. Personally I hate uneven tension, and sneer at "standard" string sets where the "E"-string tends to be grossly undertensioned while the "D"-string is overtensioned. My go to string sets are flats in the gauges .045 .060 .080 .105. Since flats are heavier, they accept downtuning more than similar gauge rounds.
I have used DGCF tuning on all my basses, even my newly acquired 30" short scale (same string gauges). It requires a more disiplined touch than on a 34", but I get clear tones without fret buzz from this.
Why that tuning, you may ask. Well, I needed that low D for a song, tried drop D and hated it for the inconsistent interval it created. My palms are large, but my fingers short in comparison, so that 5th interval becomes a stretch. And besides, I like the simplicity of one finger per fret in some situations/positions.
But as some has pointed out, to each his own.
Two things I'll never let dictate my playing:
(1)Tuning the same as the guitars (why on earth?)
(2)That other musicians need to look at me to see what they're supposed to be playing (it is usually a cover for not rehearsing/bringing sheets when you clearly need them/not asking about chords and stuff before starting).
This thread shows how much personal preferences control how we approach our instruments. Personally I hate uneven tension, and sneer at "standard" string sets where the "E"-string tends to be grossly undertensioned while the "D"-string is overtensioned. My go to string sets are flats in the gauges .045 .060 .080 .105. Since flats are heavier, they accept downtuning more than similar gauge rounds.
I have used DGCF tuning on all my basses, even my newly acquired 30" short scale (same string gauges). It requires a more disiplined touch than on a 34", but I get clear tones without fret buzz from this.
Why that tuning, you may ask. Well, I needed that low D for a song, tried drop D and hated it for the inconsistent interval it created. My palms are large, but my fingers short in comparison, so that 5th interval becomes a stretch. And besides, I like the simplicity of one finger per fret in some situations/positions.
But as some has pointed out, to each his own.
Two things I'll never let dictate my playing:
(1)Tuning the same as the guitars (why on earth?)
(2)That other musicians need to look at me to see what they're supposed to be playing (it is usually a cover for not rehearsing/bringing sheets when you clearly need them/not asking about chords and stuff before starting).
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Well, there are evidently several definitions here of what's a useful sound. If that works for your music, fine. I don't really see why you have to prove that to anyone.
Would it work for me? No.
Drop-D is a rock`n`roll thing.
Rage against the machine & helmet songs are not about improvising over chages - it`s about playing a few simple minor riffs with authority and feel.
Drop-D is just fine for that and it`s either that od D-Standard if you use a 4 string bass. ALSO - you can do drop-D between songs and not change basses.
I`ve never liked it personally and used a much fatter string for recording but it`s just a tool like anything else - if it`s needed I just use it. Listeners really do not care about my string tension and limited improvisational vocabulary
Well, there are evidently several definitions here of what's a useful sound. If that works for your music, fine. I don't really see why you have to prove that to anyone.
Would it work for me? No.
For sure man - for the type of music i play i share the stage with some crazy alternate tunings and approaches to bass playing in general. Totally understand this wouldnt work for everyone but i think we need to keep exploring and pushing the envelope as musicians. Heck i know theres tons of snooty people on TB who would sneer at my use of effects let alone the genre of music i prefer. Search on sunno))) on TB...one of my fav bands that many on here refuse to even call music. Its best to not judge any musicians personal preference or to think youre better than anyone else on TB. For every member on here who brags about their abilities/tone and rips on another you can easily find a member who thinks the opposite. Its best to just leave it like you did saying it wouldn't work for you but if it works for others rock on
a spare tire works when you're stranded on the side of the road, sure, but theres a reason we dont use them every day
Wow, this thread is a hopeless douche-fest.
I tune BEADG, EADG and DADG. That is all my little brain can handle. I appreciate how different tunings encourage players to focus more on different intervals, but for me, I get hopelessly lost in a bunch of alternate tunings. If I need to play a G, I need to know where it is without thinking - in alternate tunings, I am simple enough that I would be restricted to a preset patterns. I just would struggle to find a G when I need one.
For riff players, I can see how alternate tunings would be great. I'm not sure I understand the fascination with really low tunings, though. The arguments about floppiness, punch, etc., are meaningless - the fundamental has shifted below what your speakers can reproduce or what your ears can hear. I know it is popular with a lot of genres, but when I try to learn those songs, it reminds me of trying to learn a part from a double bass recording. It sounds great sometimes, but the actual note gets lost and all that is left is the thump and clank.
My creativity isn't limited by not using alternate tunings. My creativity is limited because...well, because I am me.
I tune BEADG, EADG and DADG. That is all my little brain can handle. I appreciate how different tunings encourage players to focus more on different intervals, but for me, I get hopelessly lost in a bunch of alternate tunings. If I need to play a G, I need to know where it is without thinking - in alternate tunings, I am simple enough that I would be restricted to a preset patterns. I just would struggle to find a G when I need one.
For riff players, I can see how alternate tunings would be great. I'm not sure I understand the fascination with really low tunings, though. The arguments about floppiness, punch, etc., are meaningless - the fundamental has shifted below what your speakers can reproduce or what your ears can hear. I know it is popular with a lot of genres, but when I try to learn those songs, it reminds me of trying to learn a part from a double bass recording. It sounds great sometimes, but the actual note gets lost and all that is left is the thump and clank.
My creativity isn't limited by not using alternate tunings. My creativity is limited because...well, because I am me.
The argument that your ears can't hear it is correct below really deep frequencies, but in my opinion not important. Where your hearing fades, your tactile senses take over. That is common knowledge among home theater enthusiasts. Subwoofers moving air down to 16Hz is not uncommon in such settings, and is incredibly fun. Most venue PAs will not handle this, that is true, but music is not only about PA, and the second harmonics are no problem, anyway, and will be a part of the experience, even when the fundamental is not reproduced at full level. Even so, I think you'll be amazed how deep good PAs can go in an indoors setting. The room helps enhance the really deep frequencies.
No, I still say it's not possible because it sounds like absolute garbage. You're not getting a resonant note. You're getting low volume clacking with no definition. That's not tone. That's something I could do by just smacking a string against the pick-up.
A thought and a question for the down tuners...With the lower notes in standard tuning, I notice that the initial blossom of the note pulls sharp and then the note settles into pitch. I also notice that this can take a perceivable amount of time (I can hear it as well as detect it with a tuner). I also notice that this fluctuation in pitch is exaggerated if I play harder. Does this effect get worse as you tune lower? OR does it not matter? In the example of a 410hlf and a low A, the cabinet's usable response goes down to 48Hz, and a low A is 27.5Hz. At that range, human hearing is tapering off as well, so the fundamental is essential out of the picture so far as being audible. I would expect the harmonics to pull sharp and then settle into pitch over the course of a couple seconds, though. If you are playing quarters or eighths most of the time (and there is no time for the note to return to pitch), do you tune the string flat so that it will ring true? Or do you just not worry about it? Or are my ears and my tuners wrong and this effect does not exist?
My expectation is that it will be a problem that must be addressed - my higher notes ring true from the beginning of the note; the problem begins to appear as I move down to lower notes and looser strings.
EDIT: To clarify, I think downtuning is perfectly valid and reasonable even though I don't do it. I just think that you are starting to battle the physical limitations of the instrument, and am curious as to how you deal with that.
My expectation is that it will be a problem that must be addressed - my higher notes ring true from the beginning of the note; the problem begins to appear as I move down to lower notes and looser strings.
EDIT: To clarify, I think downtuning is perfectly valid and reasonable even though I don't do it. I just think that you are starting to battle the physical limitations of the instrument, and am curious as to how you deal with that.
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