Over the course of the last week I've been slowly detuning my bass by a half step at a time. Right now I'm in C standard and I feel like it's at the edge of a muddy abyss, but then I felt that way about Db as well. I think I caught the bug when I switched from Chromes to TI Flats -- that low tension was very attractive. Now I'm detuning the floppiest flats in the land because I just cannot get enough flop! I love the way they respond to my touch, how easy they are to fret, how I can dig in a bit when I play up over the neck and make them slap down against the fingerboard, and how I have some new deeper note options available to me. The hardest part has been changing where the notes are located on the fretboard, but I'm up for that challenge. Keeps me sharp! Anyway I just thought I'd share my experience because it has been quite a good one that was just a turn of the tuning key away. Any love for the flop around here?
I've been on a decades long quest trying to find good clear lower-than-low notes with no flop, so none from me, I'm headed the other way.
OP, I would really like to hear a recording of this new sound of yours if you get a chance. I just can't imagine in my head what it would sound like. Maybe a quick YouTube?
I'm imagining something like rubber bands, but you never know. Quite curious, even if it's the other extreme from my preference, I'm kind of into extremes.
Iommi tuned down due to his fingertips. I've heard people credit this as the start of de-tuning in general.
They played a lot of stuff in standard tuning but as far as I know they were the first major band doing stuff in C standard. I cannot remember the tracks off hand but there are a few of them. I personally hate flop and would imagine Geezer only had it in the early days when string choices were limited. I doubt his C tuned basses use the same gauge as his standard tuned ones.
I've always had this ideal bass sound/feel in my head - something like an upright bass strapped like a bass guitar, with big floppy rubber bands for the strings. I've never recorded my solo playing, but I've got the means. Maybe I'll whip something up once I settle on a bridge height.
Last night I dropped it down to B, and though I may be able to go lower, I think this is where I'll stop. The adjustment feels a lot less weird when I'm down tuned by a perfect fifth instead of b5.
So, you dropped the E to a B? Was that using Chromes or TIs? Curious. I once dropped all the strings in a heavy s/s flats set (.110 set) a fifth lower, and they were fine. I've since replaced them with a set of TIs, but still have that set to try again on another bass. It's been too long since I swapped them to make a comparison.
More excursion can be a good thing, depending on the bass, the strings, pickups, goals, etc. More flexible strings can add sustain to a fretless, as well- they don't get choked out as soon.
I tried detuning to A, and that was the absolute minimum tension I could use: Ab was too loose to fret a note and not have it bend sharp (my technique isn't good enough for Ab). I really liked the feeling of A, but those notes were way too deep to expect my rig to reproduce at any kind of volume, and they were pretty rough on my headphones too. So B standard it is. I realized it's probably not as much a revelation in sound as it is in feel, so maybe a video isn't going to be too interesting. I can see someone listening to it and going "meh, it's a down tuned bass"
Here are some related products that TB members are talking about. Clicking on a product will take you to TB’s partner, Primary, where you can find links to TB discussions about these products. Browser not compatible
