Fretless 5 string tuned a whole step down, scale? strings? recommend me

[Markpotato]

Hi, I will be building a bass for a gentleman who wants a fretless 5 string and plays a whole step down. Originally, I had put together a basic plan for a 34" scale to be strung with Thomastik Infeld flatwounds, but that was before he told me he plays a whole step down. Now I'm worried that the low end especially might be a bit flabby at that tension.

If you were building a 5 string fretless tuned a whole step down, what adjustments would you make to the scale length, string gauges, or anything else on the bass to make it feel and sound good? Should I just find some thicker gauge strings?

Any recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[Markpotato]

I know there's people here who have worked with low tunings. How bout some of you guys who have made extended range basses?

Someone must have some insight right?

 

[Bocete]

Scale length will help make the pitch more perceivable, but the strings you use and the electronics are very important. The famous Jauqo III-X subcontrabass is a 34" inch 4 string tuned from the low C# and up, with E being the thinnest string. It worked out pretty well. Search the forums for more info on the subcontrabass to see what they did.

I'd argue that at least 35" would be a good idea (the B string on my fretless is 37" long). But, especially on a fretless, the player needs to be extremely comfortable with the scale length. Otherwise, correct intonation will take a lot of work. I'm no luthier myself but I'd discuss it with the customer and work from there.

 

[nukes_da_bass]

Tuned down a step should be no big deal- Chris Squire plays a 5 tuned to A.
Ive read a lot on TB about Circle K strings and I can't imagine they haven't conceived of a 5 string set based on low A tuning.

 

[Thomas Kievit]

When it comes to the scale length, I would suggest 35 inch. This is really crucial (in my opion) for tuning down a whole step.
For the low B, I suggest a .150 or .155 low B string.