Going from EADG to BEAD (and back)

[Stylee Mousse]

It can take time and work.

I converted a seldom-played eb copy short scale I have into a piccolo bass and ended up tuning it for string tension more than anything else. Ended up CGcg. Fun as hell to play and compose on but very challenging to accompany anything.

 

[Jerry Catanescu]

I play both BEAD and EADG and find that switching back and forth is very natural, even after I haven't played one or the other for quite a while. It takes maybe not even a minute to adapt to shifting everything one string higher or lower than before.

I think BEAD-tuned fours are underappreciated. I can always move up the neck to play notes usually played on the G. I don't tend to play so far up the G that I couldn't find the same notes on the D. That's guitar land to me.

 

[Bassdoggydogg]

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?

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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.

BEAD is a lot of fun, and I think you should go for it! I don't miss the g string at all when I play my BEAD bass, but the tone is way different than my other basses due to the drop down strings (DR brand) I use on the BEAD. It's actually not too pricey to file the nut yourself btw, but you could be a doofus like me and pay around 70 bucks to have a tech do it. You'll also probably have to loosen up your truss rod, but I recommend waiting until you start hearing some fret buzz.