Does anyone else tune their basses down a 4th? (Five string with E A D G C strings but tuned down to B E A D G)

[Upstate SC Bass]

Hi all.
I Play my 5 string basses tuned down a 4th.
I string them with five string sets with a high C. So EADGC strings…
But tune down to BEADG.
At age 70 I wanted the easiest to play and lightest basses.
Main bass is a 90’s headless PBC Paul Bunker Bass with the tension free neck truss rod thingy.
It is 34” scale.

Just wondering if others do this too. Thanks.

 

[NKBassman]

Personally, there is no way I could get on with an E string tuned down to B. C# is about as low as I'd go, but even that depends on the string. Whatever strings are on my main P bass right now don't even sound good in Drop D .

On my Dingwall Super P, a 0.130 B string is about as thick a string that will fit through the hole in the bridge, so that's what I use. That's comfortable for me, but I'd try a 0.135 if I could. haha

 

[pepj]

I got a 5st because I was tuning down too far. Not really a solution and the strings were very sloppy, obviously

 

[lowfreqgeek]

It's not my norm, but I have an Ibanez Mikro (28.6" scale) with A-C strings tuned down a 4th to E-G. It's a cool vibe.

 

[MrAB4003]

Hi all.
I Play my 5 string basses tuned down a 4th.
I string them with five string sets with a high C. So EADGC strings…
But tune down to BEADG.
At age 70 I wanted the easiest to play and lightest basses.
Main bass is a 90’s headless PBC Paul Bunker Bass with the tension free neck truss rod thingy.
It is 34” scale.

Just wondering if others do this too. Thanks. View attachment 7313345View attachment 7313346

Why not just get a light gauge set made for standard 5 string tuning?

My suggestion is the La Bella White Tapewounds. Those are the lightest, softest bass strings I have ever played. Don't let the gauges fool you. You can subtract 15 from each one to get the gauge of the roundwound underneath the nylon. For example, the D string is a 65 gauge with the nylon, but it's really a 50 gauge without it.

 

[iunno]

Really, the only difference between B/E/A/etc. strings is the gauge. You're still playing in standard tuning, you're just using very light gauge strings.

 

[MCS4]

I like low tension more than most, but this is a bit extreme for me. The lowest I have gone is Drop C (CGCF) with a 105-45 set, briefly, and that wasn't ideal. I have had good experiences with things like low-tension flats and tapewounds though.

That being said, I believe Michael Manring gets pretty extreme in terms of some of the tunings he uses with very light gauge strings/piccolo bass strings, and he get some cool sounds out of it (although, admittedly, not always sounds that most bassists would find useable for more traditional playing).

 

[erratick]

I tried this on a 4 before I bought a 5 string.

1) new strings for BEAD to sound okay
2) nut slot optmization- you might need a new nut to get everything copacetic.

I did this back when 5 strings were both rarer and more expensive. I would not bother these days. I'd just get a good cheap 5er like what musicman or squier or whoever have.

 

[J Wilson]

Down a fourth? Well, it would be far easier to polish the frets and oil the fingerboard without having to remove those strings !

 

[Fuzzbass]

I string them with five string sets with a high C. So EADGC strings…
But tune down to BEADG.

As a n00b many decades ago I recall having fun playing heavily detuned strings when I was installing a new set. Not only were they much easier to play, I loved the sound: extra gnarl and growl (Black Sabbathy vibe), and even the fret buzz was cool. Of course I never left them detuned, for all the usual reasons.

I'm not going to do it today even just for poops and giggles, but I like the way you think and wish you the best of success.

 

[SunByrne]

I'm sorry, I don't get it.

The "normal" tuning for a 5-string bass is BEADG, so if you're tuned to that, you're not tuned down a 4th, you're tuned normally. Tuning down a fourth would be F#BEAD. The note a string plays isn't a function of the string, it's a function of how it's tuned. If it's tuned to B, it's a B string.

Ahh reading later posts I think I get it. You're just using really light strings? Like, you're using a 105 for B? That's like...~20lbs of tension. That would be unplayable for me, but hey, if that works for you, more power to ya.

 

[gln1955]

If it works for you, cool. Personally, I don't find that floppy of strings easier to play than a well set up bass with normal string tension.

 

[Windreaper]

Yes, I specified my custom to be set up that way (35-105) due to hand issues (which have since been resolved), but the 34-37" scale compensates for the light gauge. I did try a .105 B string on a 35" before, and that was too floppy for my tastes, but a 37" scale does the trick.

 

[pbass2]

I'd think you'd have to have the action pretty dang high to not have a rattle-y sounding mess. And then intonation would get wonky when you fret. Hey, but if it works it works!

 

[pepj]

Actually, ime, what you really must have is a well set up bass, a bomber neck and very light tough to play a 100 E down to a B.
I had to do it for 2 songs in a set and it just about worked. The action on that bass was very low but the neck was something else.
All in all, way too much hassle, so I commisioned a 5st because I wasn't really rating what was out there at the time.
But yep, if you weren't very precise, you be in a proper mess.

 

[B-Mac]

Hi all.
I Play my 5 string basses tuned down a 4th.
I string them with five string sets with a high C. So EADGC strings…
But tune down to BEADG.
At age 70 I wanted the easiest to play and lightest basses.
Main bass is a 90’s headless PBC Paul Bunker Bass with the tension free neck truss rod thingy.
It is 34” scale.

Just wondering if others do this too. Thanks. View attachment 7313345View attachment 7313346

@Wicked G usually has some of his 4 string basses tuned EADG and others tuned BEAG. Good excuse for getting two similar basses at a time.

 

[Kevin Hailey]

Hi all.
I Play my 5 string basses tuned down a 4th.
I string them with five string sets with a high C. So EADGC strings…
But tune down to BEADG.
At age 70 I wanted the easiest to play and lightest basses.
Main bass is a 90’s headless PBC Paul Bunker Bass with the tension free neck truss rod thingy.
It is 34” scale.

Just wondering if others do this too. Thanks. View attachment 7313345View attachment 7313346

That doesn’t give you any intonation and tuning issues?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I wouldn’t do this, too little tension. But if it works for you…

 

[BassBrass]

There is a virtue and cool sound with some lower tension which I hear every time I change strings as I'm tuning to pitch for the first time, but a whole 4th is a bit too floppy. (If you make it work, then bravo, good for you.) It's part of the reason the Chapman stick sounds so rich, long strings loose enough to be tapped not plucked.
Usually I play a 5st in normal BEADG tuning 45-130.

Coincidentally I've been buying for a few of my 4s super heavy gage (I'd never use in standard pitch) with the intension of going down one step. So far I have done it on a late 90s Ibanez RB400 (a stingray like neck and PUs J neck / M bridge) that always had Great fundamental low end. Putting it in DGCF 55-110 steel sounds freeking Great and I don't know why I didn't do it years ago! (The low D is fanastic) That's the note I play the most on a regular B string; I've often played with a guitarist who tunes to D which is why I got into 5s. Next in sight is a Jack Casady I'm tired of fighting with and I'll use nickels on that. I might try it on a Jackson-backer Concert thingie that's super bright with good lows too. I'll keep the Squire paranormal short scale in standard, it sounds too good to mess with and I'm just doing this with 34" scale... although the Reverend Dub King might work one step down...

 

[Bob Coldwell]

Why not just get a light gauge set made for standard 5 string tuning?

My suggestion is the La Bella White Tapewounds. Those are the lightest, softest bass strings I have ever played. Don't let the gauges fool you. You can subtract 15 from each one to get the gauge of the roundwound underneath the nylon. For example, the D string is a 65 gauge with the nylon, but it's really a 50 gauge without it.

I was thinking the same thing. It's the equivalent of really light gauge strings. I play a 4 string with a .100 E. The OP's setup would designate an .080 E, a .100 B, etc. Possibly a little extreme.