For all you players that use a low B string - a trivia question

[ofajen]

edit: I didn't know it was 30.87... but how many decimals do we need to go to really know

You probably need two places if you want to be in tune. One cent is 0.018 Hz.

Otto

 

[Dbassmon]

30.87hz - rounded up is the frequency of a low B. The other answer is A low note on a grand piano, a whole step lower then low B on a Bass.

 

[Marc valero]

I knew it was around 30 hz. I had a De-tuner on my Stingray for a while and that gave me an A around 27.5 hz.

 

[1954bassman]

I'm thinking most bass cabinets can "handle" 31Hz. Their efficiency just starts rolling off well above 31Hz. Am I wrong?

 

[ThePresident777]

WHAT??? That bastard keyboardist can go a whole tone lower than me??? I need fatter strings!!!!

 

[whitelines]

I think the brown is around 15.turdy hertz.

Ha!
I thinks it's closer to deuce-terdy

 

[Ric5]

You are not just hearing the note but also overtones ...

I play 5ers and I use lighter strings to bring out midrange overtones. I love the extra low notes down to a low Bb ... that is 29 hz notes below that lose definition

 

[Groove Doctor]

The resonant frequency of the human thorax is 10-11 hz....a handful of respiratory clearance devices is based on this characteristic. Don't know if the abdominal cavity shares similar properties. I think we can pull off the same thing with drop-tuning, a decent bass rig, and add the lunch buffet at Nawab Indian Restaurant.

Gold!!!

 

[MojoPenguin]

Which frequency ? Hmmm let me check out my book

 

[Korladis]

Some various info came up in a recent thread over in the 'Amps and Cabs' forum. And I was just wondering how many 5er / 6er players that use a low B, actually knew this tidbit of information. Not particularly useful in gigging/chops terms, but possibly if designing rigs and systems. Also for its use as a reference for where the low B lies in the scope of human hearing.

Answer truthfully. Do you know what frequency the open low B is relative to Hz. I'm certain someone will pop in with the answer pretty quickly. Mainly I was wondering how many of us knew. I didn't, tho it meshed closely with the guess I would have made.

In addition, how many keys on a standard 88 key piano are actually lower than this?

As I recall, the fundamental of low B is somewhere around 30hz. There are two piano keys lower than low B (low Bb and low A, on an 88 key piano).

As for rig design... it doesn't particularly matter to me. I'm not producing much fundamental anyway, and if I'm in the PA, I'm certainly high passed much higher than that. Even if not, I don't want to be competing too much with the kick drum anyway.

 

[pdeed]

30.868 hz

 

[Max Blasto]

So now that we know where it is on the Hz bandwidth, dig this:

The fundamental is about a fifth up from the threshold of human hearing (average).

For those fellas that like tuning down to low F#, most people can barely hear that note. Now, the harmonics on a good B string can be lots of fun and cabs that really get you to the show are all about reproducing those. But when you're lower than Bb, A, etc then you're really playing for the elephants and the blue whales.

 

[Korladis]

So now that we know where it is on the Hz bandwidth, dig this:

The fundamental is about a fifth up from the threshold of human hearing (average).

For those fellas that like tuning down to low F#, most people can barely hear that note. Now, the harmonics on a good B string can be lots of fun and cabs that really get you to the show are all about reproducing those. But when you're lower than Bb, A, etc then you're really playing for the elephants and the blue whales.

Most of our sound even on the regular range of the bass is harmonics. The electric bass puts out very little fundamental, and lots of the first few overtones.

 

[gumtown]

Trouser flapping speed.

 

[okcrum]

I knew it was 31Hz, but then I've also been playing 5+ strings for 19 of my 20 years of playing. A lot of folks also don't realize how few cabs can actually reproduce the fundamental of the low B, and many of the cabs that do use 10" speakers rather than larger ones that many think would be more appropriate.

Actually, many EB cabs won't reproduce the fundamentals below about the A string. 60-70 Hz tuning is pretty common, since most electric basses with magnetic pickups produce more 2nd harmonic than fundamental. The listener's mind fills in the missing fundamental. It's another example of psychoacoustics.

 

[Brookdalebass]

Don't know...don't even care. Damn it! I'm a bass player, not a doctor, Jim.

 

[Thumper19605]

Yep, the reason I don't use it in a pop or rock type band.
But in jazz and R&B it fits much better, for me that is

 

[MNAirHead]

It does take a bunch of experimentation and research to find a combo amp and/or cab that will get there.

I've had F# basses, they became useless as very few PA systems of any kind could handle it.

 

[JohnDeereJack]

Surely it has to be around 30Hz given Trace Elliot added a 30Hz slider to their GP12 graphic preamp purely for this purpose? (The previous Trace preamp, the GP11, didn't have the 30Hz slider but all other frequencies are the same for both - GP12 on the left, GP11 on the right in the attached image)

 

[3rdWatch]

I don't know, it Hertz to think about it.....