Dedicated Instruments for tunings

[TexasEdition]

Ever consider a 5 string?

Why not get a 5-string?

God no. Not sure it would help much anyway unless I play everything up on the 4th fret.

It isn't weird to have more than one bass, so why not have one tuned differently?

The main issue is whether you have another good bass you can dedicate for that.I don't know what strings you use, but something with higher tension/stiffness would be less of an issue detuning.

That's where I was headed with this thread. I kind of "cleaned house" this last year and got rid of all but 2 instruments. All the others were more "student" quality and were no longer getting any attention. Not to mention they did not hold a candle the the two I kept in terms of tone and play-ability.

I would consider getting another one; even a MIM P-Bass just to set up as an Eb. But there there is the string issue and it sounds like they will have the same floppy feel anyway. For the record, I use rotosounds.

Another option, which is zero-budget, is to pick/pluck a little bit closer to the bridge than you usually would.

Honestly, I feel it more with the left hand than the right.

Your string type could be making a big difference. DR fat beams in standard guages handle E flat very well in my experience.

Another option is a Digitech drop tune pedal.

I might try a set of those.

The Digitech seems like a very nice option... I didn't know that was a thing.

Thanks all for the great suggestions.

 

[BobKos]

I don't notice the difference between standard tuning and a half step down. I use .105 strings on my basses. I DO keep a bass tuned down at all times just for convenience. If your strings respond that much to a minor detune maybe find something else that works better for you. I use DR Hi Beams or Fat Beams on alot of my basses. I'm sure there are other strings that work as well.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

Others have suggested it. I have done it. I was involved for a while with a band that tuned to Eb. I'm one of those who will not do it. I found a 5 string was the perfect solution for this problem.

 

[40Hz]

God no. Not sure it would help much anyway unless I play everything up on the 4th fret.

Why would that be a problem?

The symmetric ascending 4ths tuning makes transposition and position shifting completely painless on a bass guitar.

Or it should.

Downtuning is really more a guitar thing IMO. Kinda like using a capo when you want to preserve your chord voicings when you’re playing in a different neck position. Using downtuning (or a capo) as a crutch because you don’t know the fretboard well enough to comfortably transpose is a dangerous and ultimately limiting dependency to acquire if you’re a bass player. Especially since we’re mostly playing chord tones - and outlining chords - rather than actually playing the chords.

Look at it this way. You’d be up four frets but down a string. So you’d now be playing that E♭on a fully tensioned .125 rather than a downtuned .105 gauge string. Get a lot beefier tone with no slop doing it that way.

Or so I’d think. But whatever. Use what works best for you and take the above for the 2¢ it’s offered as.

 

[superheavyfunk]

I used to gig with 3 basses … a Rickenbacker 4001 tuned EADG, a p-bass tuned Eb, and a Jazz bass tuned DGCF, Then I needed a low Db for a song and I went and got a 5 string bass … now that is what I play.

The Eb bass seems unnecessary... the DGCF one would cover all of the notes you need. In fact, with one bass tuned to DGCF, you wouldn't even need the E standard tuned one.

Anyway, in my stable I have three basses and each is tuned differently. One is tuned to E standard - I use this one for most gigs (been thinking about putting a D-tuner on for some time now but haven't gotten around to it). The second is tuned BEAD and gets used for all the hip hop/reggae/country gigs. The third one is my experimental/fun home bass and usually sits in Drop D but often gets tuned in weird/funky/experimental ways for the classical music that I enjoy playing and for various mental workouts that I put myself through to stay sharp.

So, to make an already long story slightly longer - Yes, I have basses with dedicated tunings. None are tuned that way in order to avoid floppy strings though.

 

[Richard Martin]

The Digitech seems like a very nice option... I didn't know that was a thing.

The Drop by Digitech is the way to go. Our singer/guitarist yesterday requested that one of the songs be played in D instead of E. While the 2 guitarists stood around debating the best way to accomplish this, I just turned on my Drop pedal and boom, instantly there. I have a friend that I jam with once in a while and he tunes a half step down. No problem. Next to my tuner it is the most valuable pedal on my board.

 

[Element Zero]

...If I have to do heavier guage and file down the nut...

Depends on how much larger you go compared to what you use already. But you’ll probably be ok. You could always purchase a set of larger gauge strings as try it.

 

[40Hz]

So, to make an already long story slightly longer - Yes, I have basses with dedicated tunings. None are tuned that way in order to avoid floppy strings though.

^This man gets it!

Alternate tunings are best employed to get you something. Not to get you around something.

(I think Yoda the Jedi Master said that. )

 

[el murdoque]

I was afraid of that. And If I have to do heavier guage and file down the nut, I'm really going to have to dedicate an instrument.

We're not talking about swapping a 42-100 set for a 65-135, but going from 100 to 105.
Such a minor change will not require any permanent modifications on a bass. You will need to set the neck relief for optimal results and maybe check the intonation.

Why would that be a problem?

The symmetric ascending 4ths tuning makes transposition and position shifting completely painless on a bass guitar.

Or it should.

Downtuning is really more a guitar thing IMO. Kinda like using a capo when you want to preserve your chord voicings when you’re playing in a different neck position. Using downtuning (or a capo) as a crutch because you don’t know the fretboard well enough to comfortably transpose is a dangerous and ultimately limiting dependency to acquire if you’re a bass player. Especially since we’re mostly playing chord tones - and outlining chords - rather than actually playing the chords.

Look at it this way. You’d be up four frets but down a string. So you’d now be playing that E♭on a fully tensioned .125 rather than a downtuned .105 gauge string. Get a lot beefier tone with no slop doing it that way.

Or so I’d think. But whatever. Use what works best for you and take the above for the 2¢ it’s offered as.

That's my approach, too. I play all the downtuned tunes on a 5 or a 6.

There are a very few very select songs that will require an absurd amount of practice to play on a 5 or 6, because they were played on a 4 with drop D tuning and involve heavy playing on the open D and A string and lots of hammer on or pull off notes. Rage Against The Machine comes to mind, yet I don't remember the song - only that de-tuning the E string to D was a lot easier than just transpose it on a 5.

 

[JRA]

Alternate tuning are best employed to get you something. Not to get you around something.

 

[jfh2424]

Hm, the only problem that I ever had tuning down to Eb was that I had to adjust the action. I guess my action is lower than a lot of other people...besides that, I didn't notice a huge difference.

I don't like the sound, personally. But it's not my choice.

 

[mrcbass]

I'll just say it... I hate Eb tuning.... It feels like my bass just changes character, tone, and the strings just feel all loose and floppy. Not to mention the odd occasion I look down and I'm not fretting the note I am playing.

So I was thinking of dedicating 1 instrument full time to Eb tuning and putting on some new strings. My theory is they get stretched out on E tuning and feel loose and floppy when I tune down. So if I only have it tuned to Eb and never higher, the string will feel like they always have the proper tension. Yea? No?

So for stage performances, will have a dedicated instrument for each tuning, and then get a hip-shot for my E instrument for the 1 or 2 drop-D songs we play and just deal with 1 floppy string. The one D tuning song we occasionally play will just be tuning the Eb down

I know this is common for the stage but I am curious if anyone is 100% dedicating 1 or more instruments to special tuning to avoid floppy string syndrome?

My band down tunes to Eb tuning and I'm with you - I hate it. I don't get why you'd have issues getting confused on your neck unless you are down tuning just to have the low Eb available and you're playing songs in the normal tuned version. In that's the case the 5 string is the right answer. WE are all down tuned and if the music says E, I just play the "E" on my bass - it just sounds a half step lower.

Having a dedicated instrument for Eb tuning will help a little - you can do a proper set up for that tuning. While it's not big, I do notice some performance issues and I have the set up a little in between perfect for E and perfect for Eb. When I tune normally for other sessions, the bass just jumps back to life. I do tend to keep my backup tuned to E when at home so I have something I can just grab to play with non Eb tuned charts.

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

I bring 2 basses to each practice and gig, plus have an ABY switch for quick changes.

Some would argue that one 5-string would be more efficient, but the guitarist and I have gotten really fast at the changes. We've laid out the set lists so the tuning changes either happen during break or when someone has a few moments such as during a guitar or bass solo intro. Besides, I've gone to nothing with a nut width more than 40mm for all my basses. I just don't want to fight huge, finger-cramping necks anymore.

Bass 1: Standard E and Drop D
Bass 2: Standard D#, Standard D and Drop C#

 

[EMoneySC2]

My band plays in low tunings for 4-string bass (BEAD and AEAD), and I have a bass purposely set up for each of those tunings. Different string gauges, purpose-made nuts, and specifically tuned set-ups. It can be a bummer to have so much money tied up in two basses with only slightly different tunings, but the difference in the low string tension I get is worth the investment, IMO.

 

[zubrycky]

I have a bass tuned BEAD and another one (I call it the basscello) tuned CGDA (the cello tuning).

If necessary, I tune my other basses a half step down or I use a Drop D tuning. After that I retune them to standard tuning.

I also have a acoustic guitar tuned one step down.

 

[TonyP-]

I didn't read the responses...Just the OP.
I keep a few basses in dropped a half step down and increase the strings gauge as result.
Also you might want to try Stainless steel strings since in general they tend to have more tension.

Also on the 5 strings I'm doing it on 35" scale and that helps with some of the tension.

 

[pravus]

I've always played in many different tunings and I have no problem with keeping a specific bass for a particular tuning, especially where a string gauge change alleviates tension issues. I currently keep 5-string instruments in E-standard, D-standard, F-standard, Eb-standard and have a 4-string in E-standard with a hip-shot to do drop-D tuning.

 

[kmon]

I've gotten somewhat hooked on the Digitech Drop pedal. It's not a perfect solution, but it gets the job done with a click.

I used to do the dedicated drop tune bass, no more.

 

[AustinRanger101]

I'll just say it... I hate Eb tuning.... It feels like my bass just changes character, tone, and the strings just feel all loose and floppy. Not to mention the odd occasion I look down and I'm not fretting the note I am playing.


So I was thinking of dedicating 1 instrument full time to Eb tuning and putting on some new strings. My theory is they get stretched out on E tuning and feel loose and floppy when I tune down. So if I only have it tuned to Eb and never higher, the string will feel like they always have the proper tension. Yea? No?

So for stage performances, will have a dedicated instrument for each tuning, and then get a hip-shot for my E instrument for the 1 or 2 drop-D songs we play and just deal with 1 floppy string. The one D tuning song we occasionally play will just be tuning the Eb down

I know this is common for the stage but I am curious if anyone is 100% dedicating 1 or more instruments to special tuning to avoid floppy string syndrome?

All of my basses are tuned differently (Drop C#, Drop C, Drop B, and my 5 string is Drop A, and my acoustic is standard.

To avoid floppy strings consider getting higher gauge strings, at least for your lowest string. The higher tension should keep the string(s) from getting too floppy. I use Ernie Ball Power Slinky's (55-110, 50-135) and DR DDT's (65-125). You don't tune down far enough to need anything more than the 55-110 gauge, and even then that might be too high.

What you said about a new set of the strings you already use, just not stretching them up to standard tuning, it may work. Maybe only for the first few times you play it, but over time they will stretch and you may find yourself changing strings more often on that bass.

Hope that helps!
Good luck

 

[Cave Puppy]

If you have any instrument tuned to it's standard, already set up tuning and tune it to any other standard tuning the intonation at the least, should be checked.