Best bass for B E A D tuning.

[Fretlessbaby]

I have done several searches and found a lot of threads on string gauges, string brands etc but not on the best 4 string basses to convert to B E A D tuning.

I have small hands and short fingers so 5ers are a real stretch for me. Weight has also been an issue.

I would appreciate your input. Thank you.

 

[PlatypusBassist]

Maybe a Warwick Vampyre dark lord they're normally tuned from low to high-F#, B , E , A but you could probably change the strings

 

[raal]

MTD 435
any 36" scale Carl Thompson if you can find/afford it

keep in mind sticking with 34" scale would have to be compensated by tiltback headstock or string through body.

 

[Fair Warning]

I have done this conversion to just about every 4 string bass I have ever owned. Some string right up with no adjustment or modification. Some others need a little filing done on the nut grooves. Sometimes you need to open up the bridge string hole for the B string. I dont think that there is a "best" guitar for this. They all work well, as long as they are 34" scale or longer.

As I recall, my Fender Jaguar stinged up just fine with absolutely no mods required. Some of the best tone came out from that bass set with BEAD.....

 

[Duckwater]

Give it a good, balanced set of strings and a proper setup and you're good.

 

[Dave W]

I'd look for a 35" scale bass, but almost anything would work.

Have you looked at 5ers with narrower string spacing? An EBMM SR5 or Sterling 5 has a fairly narrow nut width and the spacing at the bridge is 17mm. (or 17.5mm...I forget)

 

[khutch]

I've converted four Fender MIMs to CGDA which is similar to BEAD but in fifths instead of fourths. I haven't had any issues with them. I don't have small hands but I have found that it is easier to reach across a fiver's neck if I wear it a bit higher than I had been wearing my fours.

Ken

 

[Fretlessbaby]

Thank you for all of your replies so far. I really appreciate any & all suggestions. I just got hired to play in a classic rock cover band. We will be playing mostly English rock/Glam rock from the 60's and beyond. So I am looking for something to fulfill that obligation.

 

[bolophonic]

I did it with a parts Precision and it sounds awesome. No mods to the Schaller roller bridge, just a little bit of nut work.

 

[Fretlessbaby]

keep in mind sticking with 34" scale would have to be compensated by tiltback headstock or string through body.

Any suggestions on a P bass model for this conversion?

 

[Dave W]

An American Standard. Graphite rods in the neck for stability and string through body option.

 

[gurensan]

I'm thinking about doing it with my Squier CV P. We'll see if I break down and actually do it one day. I don't foresee any issues; I had an old Burnside (the.. uhm.. "by Guild" one) that I tuned CGDA without hurting it. The Squier has a better neck I think.

 

[bolophonic]

keep in mind sticking with 34" scale would have to be compensated by tiltback headstock or string through body.

My regular old standard Precision disagrees.

 

[dje31]

Spector Euro LX 435 NT, though aesthetically, might not work in context with the 60s era stuff, depending on how important "the look" is...

 

[JSpradBass]

Fender MIA Jazz bass worked for Timmy C.

 

[Fenwick]

Thank you for all of your replies so far. I really appreciate any & all suggestions. I just got hired to play in a classic rock cover band. We will be playing mostly English rock/Glam rock from the 60's and beyond. So I am looking for something to fulfill that obligation.

Is it just me or BEAD a weird tuning for classic rock? I'd figure you be missing a lot of G string stuff while rarely (if ever?) using the B string.

 

[Dave W]

Is it just me or BEAD a weird tuning for classic rock? I'd figure you be missing a lot of G string stuff while rarely (if ever?) using the B string.

You know, that's a good point.

 

[RobbieNuke]

There was no "B" string in 60's-70's British rock. Geezer Butler tuned his 4-string bass down to C#, F#, B, E. 8-string basses were available, but they were just 4-string design with an octave-up set added. There were no solid body electrics (only some upright 5-string basses).

One bass you DO NOT want to convert is a Rickenbacker. You have to file the saddles for larger strings and some other stuff, really just a PIA... and converting back is equally challenging (I know from experience, LOL)!

 

[Fretlessbaby]

Is it just me or BEAD a weird tuning for classic rock? I'd figure you be missing a lot of G string stuff while rarely (if ever?) using the B string.

We have 2 guitarist in the band so I dont really need the high G. I can play all of those notes on the D string and they sound so much fuller. We play quite a few songs in drop tunings and it is easier to avoid floppy string tension. Plus, it keeps my hand more centered on the neck.

 

[Fretlessbaby]

There was no "B" string in 60's-70's British rock. Geezer Butler tuned his 4-string bass down to C#, F#, B, E. 8-string basses were available
, but they were just 4-string design with an octave-up set added. There were no solid body electrics (only some upright 5-string basses).

One bass you DO NOT want to convert is a Rickenbacker. You have to file the saddles for larger strings and some other stuff, really just a PIA... and converting back is equally challenging (I know from experience, LOL)!

+1

I would never mod my Ric. It was my first love.