OP, since they are playing in your sonic space, play in what used to be theirs. Turn up the treble and mids. Tune your bass UP from EADG to GCFBb and play everything way up on the neck...
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I think I'm getting kicked out
- Thread starter Civi92
- Start date
I would decide whether or not they're kicking you out of the band by your relationship with them, not by this tuning idea.
Haha, this rings close to home. Some friends of mine started a metal band, and invited me to be the bassist for them. But one of the big turn-offs for me was how low they were dropping their guitars, and how stupid low they wanted me to drop. There were some other issues as well, such as the distance I'd have to travel to practice with them, etc. Ultimately, I turned it down.
Now they're sounding pretty dang good, they're getting ready to start gigging, and they have no intention of dropping their bassist:
Now they're sounding pretty dang good, they're getting ready to start gigging, and they have no intention of dropping their bassist:
A lot of 7 strings are still 25.5" scale. They're probably going to sound like poopie and change their minds pretty fast 
My 27" scale 8-string was tuned to F when I got it, and sounded okay if I didn't use it for riffing. It was also a bass string, and not a guitar string, and sounds pretty tight and chunky tuned to G with a proper .063 guitar string.
But that longer scale really helps. And I digress.
The F# below the B on a 5-string is 24Hz iirc
I don't think you have to worry, though, just keep doing your thing and have fun being heard as their amps/speakers struggle lol... (depending on the amp, of course, some sound pretty good down there >.> ) Besides, bands like Meshuggah still have a bass player
My 27" scale 8-string was tuned to F when I got it, and sounded okay if I didn't use it for riffing. It was also a bass string, and not a guitar string, and sounds pretty tight and chunky tuned to G with a proper .063 guitar string.
But that longer scale really helps. And I digress.
The F# below the B on a 5-string is 24Hz iirc
I don't think you have to worry, though, just keep doing your thing and have fun being heard as their amps/speakers struggle lol... (depending on the amp, of course, some sound pretty good down there >.> ) Besides, bands like Meshuggah still have a bass player
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Look at them and simply say... 'This is shaging silly, I'm done', then go out and buy a PBass with flat wounds, learn some Motown, and forget all about the silly assed land of make believe dungeons and dragons poopie.
Tell them that you're playing EADG, but it's A WHOLE OCTAVE below what is written.
Ha! It is!
Though I've tuned an electric upright's lowest string (normally a C) all the way down to E an octave below a standard bass. Fun to play with, recorded some samples of it. Throw a big reverb on a bowed note and it sounds like engines vibrating a ship's hull. Very cinematic. With a few simple filters and envelopes I turned some notes, both plucked and bowed, into imitations of analog drum machine kicks. I'm sure they could be used in thrash metal also. Maybe not all the time, but at least for emphasis and effect on the hugest parts.
Nah, they're not trying to kick you out (at least I'd hope not); like other's have stated, they're probably thinking lower = br00tal. Which is false, it's all in the attitude and note selection that determines how mehtul you sound. Plenty of bands are just in Drop D, Eb, and Standard tuning and sound heavy (Lamb of God, Protest the Hero, Animals As Leaders*).
*ok so maybe they're in drop E, but it's still tuned EAEADGBe
*ok so maybe they're in drop E, but it's still tuned EAEADGBe
LOL that is ridiculous. If you seriously like that band I would just boost the mids and treble and laugh at them. Who knows, maybe become the first thrash band with bass as the lead instrument.
....just....you know.....put....you know....the bong down for a minute.....and.....you know....realize you are just SUPER BAKED PARANOID .......man.......
Here's what I think: First, the point of tuning a guitar down to low G is to get a special tone from it, NOT to achieve a lower range. A guitar tuned that low has a certain sound color, very mean, very aggressive. It will NOT push more bass. The guitar amps, effects, etc. are not designed to push bass. It will sound like a chainsaw, but it will not substitute the bass.
Second point, why do bass players try to follow guitarists in down-tuning? If they play a low G, why can't we play a normal G on the E string? The resulting sound will include both the aggressive guitar tone, and the bass fullness to complement it. The low B has the fundamental frequency of 31Hz. That's already lower than most PA systems put out. Going lower than that makes absolutely no sense.
So what I would do in this band is use a standard tuned 5-string bass, and whatever the guitarists play lower than low B I would play on the octave above.
Second point, why do bass players try to follow guitarists in down-tuning? If they play a low G, why can't we play a normal G on the E string? The resulting sound will include both the aggressive guitar tone, and the bass fullness to complement it. The low B has the fundamental frequency of 31Hz. That's already lower than most PA systems put out. Going lower than that makes absolutely no sense.
So what I would do in this band is use a standard tuned 5-string bass, and whatever the guitarists play lower than low B I would play on the octave above.
ya, play above em. Crank your mid highs and high. Be where the guitars are not. tune up in g and adjust your string guages if needed. My guitardist in one of the projects loves to use heavy strings and we always play in droped c# with his lows cranked sky high, its not metal, more like desert rock or sludge. it walks all over the bass the and the drums and leave a generally large mess between 80hz to 400hz. I tuned my 5 up and strung it accordingly. nice and bright. The look on his face was priceless "I thought the bass would be.......lower" lol. youll need to play very accurately though, just about everything you do will be heard. Could lead to a very cool sound though. almost like a metal version of the melvins.
Tosin Abasi is not human, then again not everyone is Tosin Abasi.
If you hear the clean part the guitar becomes more like a piano. Able to play bass lines chords and melodys. I will admit I thought the idea of drop G was ridiculous until I heard this group.
