Can low tension (~130 lbs) do damage to a bass that was built for ~200 lbs of tension? Context: I was browsing Facebook marketplace as usual last night when I came across a Mexican Jazz bass for sale. Maple fretboard, black on black, case included - $300. Seems like a steal. I looked into it and it had just been posted less than an hour before. I messaged the seller suspiciously - long story short, he was in a band before COVID and gave up playing bass. I drove out, screwdriver in hand, to meet him - removed the neck to verify it was real, paid, and chatted for a bit before I headed home. He explained that he was playing metalcore in Drop A tuning with a 130. This morning I checked it out a bit more thoroughly. Verified authenticity again - real, and a 2015/2016 model. Played surprisingly comfortably but I'm used to cheaper basses. The strings felt.. wrong. Got the calipers out and that's where the *** started. I had tuned it to BEAD to demo and make sure everything worked ... But it was strung 105, 85, 85, 65. There was an extra 105, a 45, and a 65 loose in the case with the trash from a D'addario 45-135 5-string pack and a 65-130 Ernie Ball pack. Removed the second 85, moved the 65, strung the 45 up, and tuned it to standard with 45-105. Thing is - I really enjoyed the slack while I was demoing. I play bass and guitar equally and I'm used to a tele with 9s. I wouldn't put the old strings back the way they were but I'm wondering if a 55-110 set tuned to BEAD would do any damage to the trussrod. I understand most guys want more tension than this - but I'm really only concerned with potential damage. WIN_20200820_22_36_10_Pro by Grizz2k posted Aug 20, 2020 at 10:38 PM
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