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BEAD thoughts

Z

Zolddd

Dec 27, 2009
12
0
34
#1
I love the sound of a nice low b rumbling through the house, but i'm stuck on a 4 string for now.

What do other TBers think of BEAD tuning? Personally i think it's great, you're gaining 5 nice chunky notes that you wouldn't have on a 4 string and only losing 5 notes that you probably wouldn't wind up going that high anyway. But that's just me. Thoughts?
 
#2
I use the G quite a lot in jazz, even when I'm not soloing. You could reach most of the notes high up on the D string, but having the higher string there allows the shapes of arpeggios and scales to be preserved which makes it much easier for me to think fast. Also, my amp has a 10 inch speaker so I don't bother with a B string because of that too. But a good B string gong though a decent amp really does add to your sound.
 
#4
well i have thought to do that also to get extra bottom with less string...but it really does help to have that G to go higher if need be, so if you like using the B string, its better to just play 5 strings. i also found out that B string on a 34 inch neck may sound like crap if not set up properly
 
#6
I'm a 5-stringer at heart so the couple of times I have played a BEAD 4-string I felt like something's missing. It's not just the notes, but the ability to play them in more comfortable positions.

Likewise, I also never thought I'd want to play a 6-string since I figured the high C was for people who love soloing and doing fancy stuff out of the "bass range" but for me the same logic applies... it's easier to stay in a comfortable position. I also learned more about chords.
 
#9
I am playing C-F-Bb-Eb in my band. The guitarplayers also tuned on drop C, so this makes sense. It´s much more comfortable to play the riffs on a 4-string than on a 5-string. I don´t need the G- string for this style of music. My bass of choice is a Sandberg Terra and it suits very well to rock and heavy music. It´s the signature bass of Rammstein.
 
#10
I suppose it just depends on if you play Jazz or not. If you have never touched the G-string in your life on the other hand...

Then there is the issue of "what if a song is in G?" at which point you will probably need to use one of the other 7 or so G's on your standard Fender 20 fret neck (8 G's on a 24 or 22).
 
#11
If you need that high string and those notes to express yourself, then you'll never settle in to a BEAD.

That aside, there's an old saying that there's no money above the 7th fret. If you're looking to work and get paid as a bass player, I'd strongly consider trying BEAD. I stated playing BEAD 3 or 4 years ago when I got a couple of good paying country gigs. A lot of those modern country/rock tunes are built around bass lines that use those low notes. Because of a wrist injury, I can't play fivers, so I had to try BEAD in order to get those gigs. Worked great, nobody missed anything, and I made good money and played some great gigs. In fact, I did a NYE gig this year in Vegas at a big outdoor event on a BEAD that paid me over a grand (plus travel, hotel and food) for a 75 minute set.

You six- and seven-string guys making that kind of cake??? :D:D
 
#14
duke12 said:
If you need that high string and those notes to express yourself, then you'll never settle in to a BEAD.

That aside, there's an old saying that there's no money above the 7th fret. If you're looking to work and get paid as a bass player, I'd strongly consider trying BEAD. I stated playing BEAD 3 or 4 years ago when I got a couple of good paying country gigs. A lot of those modern country/rock tunes are built around bass lines that use those low notes. Because of a wrist injury, I can't play fivers, so I had to try BEAD in order to get those gigs. Worked great, nobody missed anything, and I made good money and played some great gigs. In fact, I did a NYE gig this year in Vegas at a big outdoor event on a BEAD that paid me over a grand (plus travel, hotel and food) for a 75 minute set.

You six- and seven-string guys making that kind of cake??? :D:D
Click to expand...
You never see guitarists determining the worth of an instrument by how much money it nets you.

Seems to be a Bassist thing.
 

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