• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Best way to de-tune?

What do you do?

  • Tune my bass down 1/2 step

    Votes: 23 28.0%

  • Grab another bass.

    Votes: 59 72.0%
  • Total voters
    82
#41
Just grab the other.
IMG_1980.jpg
 
  • Love
Reactions: BassicJazzy
#42
monsterthompson said:
For playing at home I have a Boss pedal that will drop tune and a software drop tune effect in Two Notes Genome.

I recently tried the Genome shifter for learning songs and wasn't getting the tone I wanted though I was able to approximate the down tuning on a few songs that weren't quite a half step down. Some of the tone issue I had was experimenting with the cab and amp sims in the software. I'm going to try the same experiment using the Boss pedal this week. I'd like to find out how much of the tone issue was the amp and cab settings vs any weirdness from the pitch shifting effect. Maybe the Boss pedal will be similarly weird.

If you're playing along with recordings, there's also an option of using a pitch shift in software like Moises or Ableton Live to bring the songs in tune with your bass.
Click to expand...
Ross from Two notes here. An interesting experiment indeed — what component were you using in GENOME out of interest?
 
#43
Ross Davies said:
Ross from Two notes here. An interesting experiment indeed — what component were you using in GENOME out of interest?
Click to expand...
Pitch Mix set to full wet. I like that there's a way to do fractions of a semitone change. Is there an option to hold a shift key and drag the pitch control with a mouse for changes smaller than a semitone or is double clicking and typing them in the only current option?

Btw I'm fairly certain my amp and cab settings were a large part of why my Genome tone wasn't doing what I wanted. I was tweaking virtual mic placement and had all sorts of head/cab mixing going on the same day I tried using the pitch shifter to play along with some songs tuned between standard and a half step down.
1770824767342.png
 
Last edited:
#44
monsterthompson said:
Pitch Mix set to full wet. I like that there's a way to do fractions of a semitone change. Is there an option to hold a shift key and drag the pitch control with a mouse for changes smaller than a semitone or is double clicking and typing them in the only current option?

Btw I'm fairly certain my amp and cab settings were a large part of why my Genome tone wasn't doing what I wanted. I was tweaking virtual mic placement and had all sorts of head/cab mixing going on the same day I tried using the pitch shifter to play along with some songs tuned between standard and a half step down.
View attachment 7430207
Click to expand...
Great stuff, that would have been my recommendation actually! At the moment there is now shortcut for between semitone positions, however I will send this to the team now as I think it would be really useful to have! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: monsterthompson
#45
I occasionally sub in a band that does everything in Eb. For those gigs, I detune my 35" scale 5-string, because, IME, I hate the feeling of a detuned 34" scale bass, at least with my setups using round-core strings - it's way too floppy. On a 35" scale, the half-step-down tension feels just a smidge less than a normal 34", so it works for me.

If I was in a band that either (a) played everything a half-step down, or (b) alternated between E and Eb, I'd get a pedal for the shift. I own a handful of basses, but I wouldn't necessarily want to have a couple set up E and another few set up Eb, I'd rather play whatever bass I wanted that night and not worry about it.
 
#46
OP here. Let me rephrase my question:
I have a Yamaha BB1024 and a TRBX604.
I normally keep the BB tuned "regular" and the TRBX tuned "down 1/2 step".

I also have
- a TRBX tuned to C# standard and
- a TRBX tuned to B standard.

So--should I buy another TRBX, so I have a TRBX tuned to E-standard? Or just twist the knobs?
Or keep doing what I'm doing, which is play the BB in "regular" and the TRBX in "down 1/2 step"?
 
#49
Gecko 5 said:
The new band I'm in does 3 songs that I was bringing a 5 string for.
It's a pain swapping my 4 for a 5 for 1 song at a time, then switching back.
I'm a 4 string guy.
Just 3 weeks ago I discover the Hipshot Xtenders.
So much easier.
2 of the 3 songs I just needed an Eflat.
One song I need a low C. Still trying to figure that out
Click to expand...
If it is only one note and not often, I play the root where I can and add the fifth above. Plucking both simultaneously with more heft in the root will sound like the lower octave in passing. You can even fool a tuner that tells you the octave.

Of course if this is the key of the song or you need that low note a lot, then you need to retune etc.
 
#50
mikeswals said:
Lots of hard rock and metal songs riffs are bouncing on open strings.

If thats not the genres you're covering, then its not a problem.
Click to expand...
On a 5, even for E flat, you have the 4th fret on the B string, which is very easy to get to. Yes, you may have to use different fingerings, but I have not yet found a pattern that you can't do on a 5. You have more options on a 5, not less.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5StringBlues
#51
micguy said:
On a 5, even for E flat, you have the 4th fret on the B string, which is very easy to get to. Yes, you may have to use different fingerings, but I have not yet found a pattern that you can't do on a 5. You have more options on a 5, not less.
Click to expand...
Simply pull up Hysteria from Muse.
Its all open string pull-offs as its main riff.
You're not going to play that in Eb on a fiver.

Mr Brownstone from GnR is another example.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Gluvhand
#52
mikeswals said:
Simply pull up Hysteria from Muse.
Its all open string pull-offs as its main riff.
You're not going to play that in Eb on a fiver.
Click to expand...

You have a better chance of playing that in Eb on a fiver in standard tuning than persuading the "just play the right notes" folks that tuning and fret position can be important. I'm convinced that they're in cahoots with, if not members of, the "bass cable amp" crew :bag:
 
#58
5StringBlues said:
All attempts at humor aside, ld try to talk the band into tuning down fulltime. But that's because the last few bands l was in wanted ZERO downtime between songs.
Click to expand...

Fair point. Any time tuning can be too long, unless it is done well (and fast).
You might've missed that the OP subsequently indicated this is for solo playing along with recordings, not a band situation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5StringBlues
#60
mikeswals said:
I don't like either band, but the venues pay
Click to expand...
Your think it would be similar in the 4th largest city in the U.S. but as far as l can tell, no.

My paydays with an original country/rock artist and various blues guys were always better than what my friends were getting playing rock.

It may just be a case of there's a plethora of great rock players here and not enough venues.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back