High C string for piccolo tuning

[Ale the Snail]

Hey y'all,
Does any one know of a high C string that would work for a piccolo bass?
Recently got a short scale Ibanez 5 string acoustic bass I strung E-C, threw a set of piccolo strings on my old acoustic bass since it was just sitting in its case and now I am really digging mixing things up between the two basses however I do miss the shorter scale length and high C so in case I find another Ibanez for the right price I'd like to know what options I have for piccolo strings

Thanks!

 

[Lenny JG]

I'd probably just buy 6 string sets and throw the low B somewhere else

 

[Jon Moody]

Hey y'all, Does any one know of a high C string that would work for a piccolo bass?

Easiest thing to do would be to grab a .012-.014 plain guitar string, thread a bass ball end onto it and use that for your piccolo C. Plain guitar strings are incredibly cheap so you could easily try this out for very little.

I'd probably just buy 6 string sets and throw the low B somewhere else

That won't work for his intended piccolo E-C tuning. At all.

 

[Lenny JG]

Easiest thing to do would be to grab a .012-.014 plain guitar string, thread a bass ball end onto it and use that for your piccolo C. Plain guitar strings are incredibly cheap so you could easily try this out for very little.




That won't work for his intended piccolo E-C tuning. At all.

Oh, okay. Well why? Jw, not arguing.

 

[Jon Moody]

Oh, okay. Well why? Jw, not arguing.

Your option works for someone that wants to tune in STANDARD tuning, E-C.

The OP wants piccolo tuning E-C, which is an octave above standard (if you put a capo at the 12th fret).

 

[Joshua Pickenpaugh]

I use a set of guitar strings for my piccolo bass, tuned an octave and a fourth higher (ADGC). I use a set D’adaario 9’s, but only the 11, 16, 32, and 42 strings for the A, D, G, and C strings, respectively.

The bridge on the bass (an el cheapo Dano reissue) accommodates the guitar ball ends of the string, but using a ball end from an electric bass set would be a good option if the bridge won’t accommodate the smaller ball ends.

 

[Ale the Snail]

Awesome, thanks guys!

The bridge uses saddle pins so I'm thinking I might be okay without having to thread a bass ball end on?

 

[Jon Moody]

Awesome, thanks guys!

The bridge uses saddle pins so I'm thinking I might be okay without having to thread a bass ball end on?

Depends on the size. Worth a shot without it, and if it doesn’t work then thread the bass ball end.

 

[Joshua Pickenpaugh]

Another option that I've wanted to pursue is taking a 12-string bass set (BbEeAaDdGgCc, the "John Paul Jones" tuning), and only using the very top 4 strings (adgc). You'd get a bass ball-end, plus (maybe) a better length/gauge ratio.

@Jon Moody : does GHS offer a 12-string set like this?

 

[Jon Moody]

@Jon Moody : does GHS offer a 12-string set like this?

Nope. Smallest string we have with a bass ball end is a plain steel .018.