Going from EADG to BEAD (and back)

[Greenman72]

Short question - Does anybody have a 4-string tuned BEAD? If so, do you find it difficult to mentally make the switch between your BEAD and EADG basses? Do you find yourself accidentally playing the wrong notes, because you're playing the wrong bass? Or do you find yourself really missing your G string?

------------

Long version - I'm a big fan of Type O Negative, and their bass player played an Esh Stinger 1 tuned BEAD. I may finally get my opportunity to buy Peter Steele's bass! (Well, not his actual bass, but a carbon copy thereof....)

Then I started thinking - what if this really messes me up? What if I can't ever really play it because I really DO need that G string? What if I start playing the wrong notes because I have the wrong bass? What if it just becomes a really expensive decoration on the wall?

Yes, I know I could just buy the five-string version, and that may solve a lot of these problems. But Peter Steele didn't play five strings. Neither did Jaco.

 

[poochiecheeks]

5 strings are overrated
all those notes on the g string are also on the d string 5 frets up
all my basses are tuned that way, it forces you to play a certain way and you either enjoy that or you don't. i would put away all your non bead basses for a week and concentrate on getting used to it and it will be fine

 

[J Wilson]

It's easy enough to buy separate string B-D, or get a deal on the five set and set the G aside, and string up your current bass as a try-out. A lot of basses have nut slots with a little extra room, same at the other end, and for a short term test drive, you'd be alright.

SHOULD you decide it's the thing, you can have your bass set up for B-D (widened or probably a new nut, any changes to the bridge, and an adjustment if needed for these strings).

A five-string is a completely different instrument, NOT a four 'with an extra string'. It's a bigger neck, different fingering and muting, and needs to be played as a five, not your 4-string technique with occasional stabs at the B-string. For flat keys, tuned-lower-than-E tunings, etc., it's very handy as you simply shift down to the downtuned keys instead of de-tuning a four string in a lot (but not all) cases.

But for guys like me, the advantage of easy transposition and playing more across the fingerboard than up and down it works really well. For other guys, it's just not their thing and that's fine.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

I exclusively play 5 string basses specifically so I don't ever have to think about what tuning I'm in.

 

[who]

Not quite the same, but I played B-G five strings for a long time, though the only five string I own currently is tuned E-C. I was at a music store recently and played a bunch of B-G five strings and had no issues even though it's been about ten years since I regularly played one.

 

[B-Mac]

Short question - Does anybody have a 4-string tuned BEAD? If so, do you find it difficult to mentally make the switch between your BEAD and EADG basses? Do you find yourself accidentally playing the wrong notes, because you're playing the wrong bass? Or do you find yourself really missing your G string?

------------

Long version - I'm a big fan of Type O Negative, and their bass player played an Esh Stinger 1 tuned BEAD. I may finally get my opportunity to buy Peter Steele's bass! (Well, not his actual bass, but a carbon copy thereof....)

Then I started thinking - what if this really messes me up? What if I can't ever really play it because I really DO need that G string? What if I start playing the wrong notes because I have the wrong bass? What if it just becomes a really expensive decoration on the wall?

Yes, I know I could just buy the five-string version, and that may solve a lot of these problems. But Peter Steele didn't play five strings. Neither did Jaco.

open strings BEAD
1st fret CFA#D#
2nd fret C#F#BE
3rd fret DGCF
4th fret D#G#C#F#
5th fret EADG

Play from the 5th fret as you would your usual 4 string EADG tuning. That way you won't be accidentally playing B when you meant to play E.

 

[michael_t]

Does anybody have a 4-string tuned BEAD?

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/the-modified-bead-4-string-bass-club.1069699/

 

[joeLowB]

Short question - Does anybody have a 4-string tuned BEAD? If so, do you find it difficult to mentally make the switch between your BEAD and EADG basses? Do you find yourself accidentally playing the wrong notes, because you're playing the wrong bass? Or do you find yourself really missing your G string?

------------

Long version - I'm a big fan of Type O Negative, and their bass player played an Esh Stinger 1 tuned BEAD. I may finally get my opportunity to buy Peter Steele's bass! (Well, not his actual bass, but a carbon copy thereof....)

Then I started thinking - what if this really messes me up? What if I can't ever really play it because I really DO need that G string? What if I start playing the wrong notes because I have the wrong bass? What if it just becomes a really expensive decoration on the wall?

Yes, I know I could just buy the five-string version, and that may solve a lot of these problems. But Peter Steele didn't play five strings. Neither did Jaco.

I do.

Sparing you months of overthinking, I needed the extra low notes for much of the music I play in my church's worship band. And I need a conventionally tuned bass for my bass lessons and other occasions. This was a MIM Fender J.

In this search, I picked up a five-string. I liked it...but as another mentioned, it's a different instrument. Muting open strings, plus string spacing are real issues, I discovered.

More overthinking ensued...

I ultimately bought a second MIM Fender J and strung it BEAD. Intentionally got a different neck, just to make it visually obvious to me which is which. BEAD on left, maple fretboard, EADG on right, pao ferro fretboard.

I've had zero issues keeping track of which is which...I play them about equal amounts of time.

As another pointed out, on my BEAD axe, I can play it conveniently at fret five and up. I've done that.

Strings...I buy from Stringjoy. I can buy a BEAD set and not waste a G.

Ask if you'd like to know more...overthinking is my middle name

.

 

[Marko 1]

Couldn't bring myself to sell my ol' MIM Midnight Wine 4-sting P bass...

strung it BEAD so I could play it.

 

[Pings Bass]

As long as the strings are all tuned in fourths, playing the wrong note isn't an issue for me. Not so for drop D; I can never get that right.

 

[Discount Bassy]

Jaco only needed four, but his son Felix plays a sixer.

 

[Number179]

I exclusively play 5 string basses specifically so I don't ever have to think about what tuning I'm in.

Congrats. I don’t think this thread is for you.

As related to the topic, I don’t like 5s because of the physical difference in the instrument compared to a 4. I don’t play a lot of tunes that get down to B, but for the ones we do play, I have specific 4 strong basses with BEAD string gauges. BEAD strings feel different than EADG - they sound different by a long stretch too. Unless I was hammered, I don’t know how I would play a BEAD bass on an EADG tune, and vice versa. That’s negligence

 

[GIBrat51]

Short question - Does anybody have a 4-string tuned BEAD? If so, do you find it difficult to mentally make the switch between your BEAD and EADG basses? Do you find yourself accidentally playing the wrong notes, because you're playing the wrong bass? Or do you find yourself really missing your G string?

------------

Long version - I'm a big fan of Type O Negative, and their bass player played an Esh Stinger 1 tuned BEAD. I may finally get my opportunity to buy Peter Steele's bass! (Well, not his actual bass, but a carbon copy thereof....)

Then I started thinking - what if this really messes me up? What if I can't ever really play it because I really DO need that G string? What if I start playing the wrong notes because I have the wrong bass? What if it just becomes a really expensive decoration on the wall?

Yes, I know I could just buy the five-string version, and that may solve a lot of these problems. But Peter Steele didn't play five strings. Neither did Jaco.

Short version - I had one for several years, but re-strung it EADG - and lived happily ever after...

Long version - In 2011 or so, I bought a 2006 Carvin LB-20 off of eBay. Partly because it was white; partly just to see if I could get it for a stupid low bid. And, I did. $360, including shipping, for what turned out to be an apparently never played bass in it's OHSC. It had the build sheet with it; turns out it was built as a left handed substitute for a Rick 4003. Rick quit making lefty instruments at the end of 2005, and was making noises like they were never going to make them again. Which sent the price of used lefty Ricks thru the roof. The guy that ordered the LB-20 paid - according to Carvin's build page - a little over $1600 for it. Which was about $1,000 less than a clean used lefty 4003 was going for, from 2006 until Rick started making lefties again. Don't ask me how I know... Anyway, I had no real use for a Rick substitute, since I had the real thing; an '01 4003, and a '73 4001.It sat around, mostly unplayed, because I simply had no use for a Rick substitute. Even if it really did sound an awful lot like a 4003. Finally, I decided to string it BEAD; partly because I was curious, and partly just to justify having it around...
After trying several strings, I settled on the heavy strings from a set of Roto RS775LD's. They worked really well for me, and the bass wore them for... 6 years or so. But, yes; it did take me a long time to wrap my head around the tuning, after playing EADG strung basses since 1968. And, I finally had to admit that, for about 99.5% of what I play? BEAD is pretty much useless. So, off came the heavy Roto Flats, and on went a 1st gen. set of Sadowsky Blue Label Flats. It replaced my 4001 in the "Long Scale Neck-thru" spot in my Bass herd; it gets played a lot more often than it did when it was strung BEAD; and I don't care if it does sound a lot like my 4003...
And, as for my 4001? It fills the "Favorite, #1 Go-To Bass" spot in the herd...

 

[Yahboy]

BEAD on 4 string Jazz bass sound meh for me.... but PJ bass with reverse neck pickups just work !!!

The B string has better clarity and tone definition compare to std PJ pickups placement.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

You can actually go from BEAD to EADG and back with the same strings, provided you put some thought into it and be prepared for high tension on one hand and low on the other. I've done this with Chromes and La Bella original 54's. Obviously you can't switch between songs due to truss rod tigtening or loosening requirements. BEAD to EADG with the gauges I mention pumps up the tension to very high, but not much more than what Steve Harris subjects his basses to with the heavy Roto77's tuned EADG ( 253lbf handled by the man). So if your neck is not a matchstick, the very high tension is not an issue.
Obviously truss rod adjustment is required.

Here's what I mean

XL Chromes
Gauges 055 075 095 132

BEAD tuning
B0/.132/38.72lbf
E1/.095/36.20lbf
A1/.075/42.58lbf
D2/.055/38.16lbf

TT = 155.66lbf


EADG tuning
E1/.132/68.99lbf
A1/.095/64.50lbf
D2/.075/65.03lbf
G2/.055/68lbf

TT = 266.52lbf

Some will argue flipping from one extreme to the other might mess with bass stability long term. Dunno bout that. I'm a full convert to BEAD pretty much, so I don't muck about with this now.
There is a BEAD club https://www.talkbass.com/threads/the-modified-bead-4-string-bass-club.1069699/

 

[2F/2F]

Yes, I have basses tuned that way, and no, it's not a problem switching between them and standard tuning. I haven't thought in note names since my second week of playing bass back in '88 – only in intervals. This helps in many ways.

 

[Jogobass]

I play a 5 string. But I kind of avoid the G string in most applications because it sounds thin compared to the other strings. but it's nice to use it in solos though.

 

[Dynacord]

I'm a fan. As others have said, it's a different animal than a 5 (which I have as well). No problem going back and forth (I will admit once coming back in a string off after a break but quickly corrected - that's life...)
I keep the purple one in BEAD so there's no confusing which bass it is.

BEAD on 4 string Jazz bass sound meh for me.... but PJ bass with reverse neck pickups just work !!!

The B string has better clarity and tone definition compare to std PJ pickups placement.

I do find with the 34" scale that the B string is highly dependent on string and pickup choices - both for tone and upper register usability. It's not just throwing whatever strings on and go. For me, it took a fair amount of experimentation. Of course, it also depends on subjective tone goals. Here's playing that purple Jazz a couple weeks ago - very simple but played entirely on the E and B strings and I think it sounds quite good. They are split humbuckers so it's not super far away from the P bass thing. Bridge pickups are very useful on basses with B strings IMO.

 

[wintremute]

I have a bass strung BEAD. After a little practice, no issues jumping back and forth with EADG (and also using drop DADG).

 

[lark_z]

I did BEAD for awhile one one bass. Just move everything up five frets from EADG and you're good.