DEAD Tuning

[XtheDeadPawn]

I do sometimes but, I like shaking things up every now and then.
What better way to create than experiment?

 

[landau roof]

What?

Means that the fundamental frequency of the note you want to employ is below the range of average human hearing. Depending on the tone you're after, it may or may not be a big deal. But unless you have some sort of high-pass filter on your amp, it's gonna be using a lot of power and all the travel of the speaker cone to attempt to produce a sound that you won't even be able hear.

Fart city.

 

[punkjazzben]

The frequency of the low-low D you're asking about (D0​) is 18.35 Hz. For reference, a standard low B is 30.87 Hz. Most commercial speakers and bass cabinets can barely reproduce the low B properly - for instance, my WCA411 is supposed to comfortably handle 45Hz to 3500Hz (not including the HF tweeter).

Further to this, a 34" scale and a B string is not ideal. It's common, and I've heard of shorter scale basses with a low B. A 35" or 36" scale gets that B sounding great, though - but my little hands can barely do 34" as it is. You've also got to factor in string gauge and tension.

Essentially, without the right bass, strings, and cabinet you would essentially hear a lot of farting and clanking.

FWIW, when I played metal we played AEADG. Seven stringed guitars also tuned drop-A. Same riffing possibilities as drop-D, but lower!

 

[XtheDeadPawn]

Guess I'll try AEADG then.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

I don't like the idea of tuning my B string UP to anything. I am scared to death I know guitars can do that easy and 35" scale basses can but, I shudder trying it on a 5 string 34" scale at all.

Your .128 can tune up a half step to C and have about the same tension as your E, or up to C# and be about 3 lbs higher in tension than your E-string. However, up to D will feel virtually unplayable. A .115 or .120 (the .115 is preferred) is really your best bet if you can find them.

Guitars can't tune up too much farther either. They're strings are stiffer and only sit at around 20 lbs of tension, but they are thinner and break and much lower tensions than bass strings. Also, 35" scale basses have more tension on the strings, so realistically, you could actually tune your 34" .128 B-string up higher than you could if you were using a 35" scale bass.

 

[Dave W]

Your .128 can tune up a half step to C and have about the same tension as your E, or up to C# and be about 3 lbs higher in tension than your E-string. However, up to D will feel virtually unplayable.

I disagree. It's a higher tension, but far from unplayable.

 

[punkjazzben]

Guess I'll try AEADG then.

Drop C is also pretty huge sounding on a four string if you find a four banger you dig better than a five (CGCF). Used by everyone from Gojira to Children Of Bodom to Deftones to Carcass to Mastodon to HIM to... You get the picture.

We stole AEADG from Korn back in the late 90s. Lame, I know, but we couldn't play our instruments properly at the time and it sounded sweet, so who cares?

 

[Ron Johnson]

For one of my bands (metal), I never have to play below D. So I just tuned my low B to D on my five string and left the rest of the strings standard. It works very well and keeps my left hand from cramping since I'm no longer grounded on the third fret of the B string and stretching all over the place when a song is primarily rooted in D.

 

[Will_White]

Oh I do. I like it but, the band doesn't.

Just like you you don't need to detune when the guitars do, they don't need to tune down when you do. I have one bass set to play D standard DGCF or D/drop C CGCF that I use even when the guitars are tuned to E standard. I use .125, .090, .065, .050.