Drop tuning w 4 string bass

[cliffkeller]

I have a wonderful niece who has really taken up electric bass. She is playing w a band and having a blast playing an Ibanez medium scale bass (good for her small hands).
Now her band is playing some rock with drop tuning for the guitars. She asked me what to do and i recommended not dropping her tuning (she's already a full octave lower than the others), just play the notes in regular tuning.
I promised to check in with other seasoned bassists to check. Any input from you guys?

That said, are there certain types of bass strings that are better for drop tuning than others?
best wishes,
Cliff

 

[michael_t]

D Standard Club (DGCF)

 

[michael_t]

I recommended the D-standard tuning above as a viable option as that would be the only tuning I would consider for myself beside the standard EADG.

That said, I don't believe in the idea of letting guitar players dictate the way I tune my bass.

 

[stigbeve]

What other tuning(s) will the guitars be in besides standard?

 

[Pilgrim]

If all she needs is a low C or D, I'd just tune down that string.

 

[Will_White]

Another vote for D standard, with Drop C from there. Just get a .115 set.

 

[michael_t]

She is playing w a band and having a blast playing an Ibanez medium scale bass (good for her small hands).

The only trick with down-tuning on a medium-scale bass is finding suitable sets with proper gauges with the right winding length. She might be better off just sticking with the standard EADG tuning.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I have a wonderful niece who has really taken up electric bass. She is playing w a band and having a blast playing an Ibanez medium scale bass (good for her small hands).
Now her band is playing some rock with drop tuning for the guitars. She asked me what to do and i recommended not dropping her tuning (she's already a full octave lower than the others), just play the notes in regular tuning.
I promised to check in with other seasoned bassists to check. Any input from you guys?

That said, are there certain types of bass strings that are better for drop tuning than others?
best wishes,
Cliff

It depends. As with most things in life.


In (no particular) order,

1) amplification, especially if entry-level, may or may not be conducive to stellar sound when downtuning;

2) four or five-string bass? I'm assuming the former. If so, she could choose to
- stay in standard tuning
(please note that playing the lowest possible C in standard tuning while the guitarist plays a downtuned C means they're not "a full octave lower" anymore, but in unison; even then her signal chain - gauges, scale, bass-oriented EQ, bass cabinet, tweeter if present - will make her notes sound different than those from the guitar, but still, it is worth noting)
- match the tuning of the guitars
(let's face it: depending on how repeatedly and how fast that lowest open note is played in alternation with other notes, matched tuning is the sensible thing to do)
- tune to BEAD
(a standard unto itself which allows one to play a full octave below guitars, unless they're themselves tuned below B);

3) low A in ADGC (A standard), AEAD (drop A), or ADAD if one is so inclined, is quite tasking to amplification, but still somewhat sane (lowest note of a standard 88-key piano);

4) if the guitarist tunes even lower (G or F#, standard or drop) ...my - most personal - take is screw it, I'd rather just play unisons. But that's just me. Fence gate is that way, kiddos;

5) the above being said, depending on the chosen tuning, only she can determine, through practical experience, if
- downtuning sensu stricto
(i.e. using gauges appropriate for standard tuning but tuned to lower pitches, with the potential plucking-hand control downsides this entails), or instead
- selecting gauges so that final tension is comparable to standard
(in so doing, possibly making notes high up the board - assuming she ventures there at all - less pleasing to the ear; also, a tension calculator like Stringjoy's online tool would greatly help)
is the right choice for her, in tone and feel;

6) as said above, medium scale makes it trickier for nonstandard tuning needs.

 

[Will_White]

The only trick with down-tuning on a medium-scale bass is finding suitable sets with proper gauges with the right winding length. She might be better off just sticking with the standard EADG tuning.

At D standard a .105 set will be fine, below that a light 5 string set works from DGCF down to BEAD

 

[mrcbass]

There's a lot to consider. I can't speak the mechanics of a mid scale nor am I versed in different strings.

Does the band always stay down tuned? If so, I'd try to tune with them.

If it's onesey-twosey constantly changing tunings, I'd likely stay in standard tuning and adjust and that's one reason I use a 5 string. But, she needs to be real good at being to decode discussions if she doesn't tune with them. When the guitars reference a note or chord are they going to refer to them as concert pitch or as it appears? When they are detuned and play a concert D chord, are calling it D or E for example? Can make rehearsal communications tough if tuned differently.

There's also the issue of neck adjustments. I played with a band that was always tuned to Eb. I found that I had to adjust my setup even for just a half step difference once detuned for a while. Not an issue at first, but eventually the tension difference will force a set up.

And as previously referenced, if she stays in standard tuning and plays her open D, it will be the same as pitch as a guitars E1 tuned down to D - so the bass will lose presence.

 

[Riff Ranger]

It depends. As with most things in life.


In (no particular) order,

1) amplification, especially if entry-level, may or may not be conducive to stellar sound when downtuning;

2) four or five-string bass? I'm assuming the former. If so, she could choose to
- stay in standard tuning
(please note that playing the lowest possible C in standard tuning while the guitarist plays a downtuned C means they're not "a full octave lower" anymore, but in unison; even then her signal chain - gauges, scale, bass-oriented EQ, bass cabinet, tweeter if present - will make her notes sound different than those from the guitar, but still, it is worth noting)
- match the tuning of the guitars
(let's face it: depending on how repeatedly and how fast that lowest open note is played in alternation with other notes, matched tuning is the sensible thing to do)
- tune to BEAD
(a standard unto itself which allows one to play a full octave below guitars, unless they're themselves tuned below B);

3) low A in ADGC (A standard), AEAD (drop A), or ADAD if one is so inclined, is quite tasking to amplification, but still somewhat sane (lowest note of a standard 88-key piano);

4) if the guitarist tunes even lower (G or F#, standard or drop) ...my - most personal - take is screw it, I'd rather just play unisons. But that's just me. Fence gate is that way, kiddos;

5) the above being said, depending on the chosen tuning, only she can determine, through practical experience, if
- downtuning sensu stricto
(i.e. using gauges appropriate for standard tuning but tuned to lower pitches, with the potential plucking-hand control downsides this entails), or instead
- selecting gauges so that final tension is comparable to standard
(in so doing, possibly making notes high up the board - assuming she ventures there at all - less pleasing to the ear; also, a tension calculator like Stringjoy's online tool would greatly help)
is the right choice for her, in tone and feel;

6) as said above, medium scale makes it trickier for nonstandard tuning needs.

There's a lot to consider. I can't speak the mechanics of a mid scale nor am I versed in different strings.

Does the band always stay down tuned? If so, I'd try to tune with them.

If it's onesey-twosey constantly changing tunings, I'd likely stay in standard tuning and adjust and that's one reason I use a 5 string. But, she needs to be real good at being to decode discussions if she doesn't tune with them. When the guitars reference a note or chord are they going to refer to them as concert pitch or as it appears? When they are detuned and play a concert D chord, are calling it D or E for example? Can make rehearsal communications tough if tuned differently.

There's also the issue of neck adjustments. I played with a band that was always tuned to Eb. I found that I had to adjust my setup even for just a half step difference once detuned for a while. Not an issue at first, but eventually the tension difference will force a set up.

And as previously referenced, if she stays in standard tuning and plays her open D, it will be the same as pitch as a guitars E1 tuned down to D - so the bass will lose presence.

^Those.

As for gauges, I agree with @Will_White that detuning does not automatically necessitate restringing with bridge cables. Lower tension has a different feel and sound that might better suit a given situation. I use a fairly standard set (hybrid slinky, hex core, nickel-plated wraps, .105/.085/.065/.045) in “Drop-C” (CGCF) and even liked it on a 30” scale bass. Any further down than that probably does require stiffer (often, but not necessarily, thicker) strings, but know that matching standard tension is not absolutely necessary.

 

[markjazzbassist]

I play a short scale bass with light gauge strings (.40-.100) and thune down a half step to Eb Ab DB Gb and have no issues. I have been playing like this for a decade and it sounds great recorded and live. Don’t use any special string or anything.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I have a wonderful niece who has really taken up electric bass. She is playing w a band and having a blast playing an Ibanez medium scale bass (good for her small hands).
Now her band is playing some rock with drop tuning for the guitars. She asked me what to do and i recommended not dropping her tuning (she's already a full octave lower than the others), just play the notes in regular tuning.
I promised to check in with other seasoned bassists to check. Any input from you guys?

That said, are there certain types of bass strings that are better for drop tuning than others?
best wishes,
Cliff

CGCF

 

[Lenny JG]

Ask what tuning her guitarists are using, then check back.

 

[smtp4me]

If all she needs is a low C or D, I'd just tune down that string.

^^^ This.

 

[LowActionHero]

Chances are they are in Drop D, I'd tune that one string down.

If they are actually in D Standard or lower she might need another solution, like a second bass or a Drop pedal.

I've done both, depends on the song(S)

 

[five7]

Buy her an Ibanez Mezzo 5.

 

[lokikallas]

Why avoid the drop tuning? It’s cool, and always sounds better to match the guitars for riffs based on it.

 

[KidAmnesia]

It's something really easy to try. I would tell her to try it for a couple of days and see how it suits her playing. If it doesn't work she can easily tune back to standard and play the low notes an octave higher (or rearrange the bass line) and if she feels confortable with it but feels a little more string tension would help, she can try a higher gauge string.

Any string can be downtuned a couple of tones and still sound ok. You only need to use a higher gauge/tension string if you want the downtuned string to sound the same as a standard tuned string but lower, but you might want it to sound looser too. If it is really downtuned into subsonic territories it gets trickyer, but if it's rock and not extreme metal chances are they downtune just a tone or two tops.

 

[Jon Moody]

Now her band is playing some rock with drop tuning for the guitars. She asked me what to do and i recommended not dropping her tuning (she's already a full octave lower than the others), just play the notes in regular tuning.

"She's already a full octave lower than guitars" is the silliest reason I've heard to avoid drop tuning.

If she's going to double the riffs that the guitarists are playing, drop-tuning makes it infinitely easier. Yea, you "can" do it on a 5-string (or BEAD tuned 4), but why? It's more work.

If they're just playing lower and not really utilizing riffs in drop tuning, I would then defer to what your niece is more comfortable with.