Rather than buying/buildings/converting a bass to BEAD tuning, what are the thoughts on picking up a pedal? Do they sound good? I play mainly with an Ibanez SRxxv4 with flats. If viable, any recommendations? I don't have a clue about using pedals with my bass.
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Is using a pedal a good idea to try out BEAD tuning?
- Thread starter pecBass
- Start date
You sure you want that? I'm not a "pedal" person so I don't have anything positive to say about them. I don't believe simulating the B string is the answer. And "I" wouldn't enjoy going BEAD 1) because it drives the need for strings and possibly a nut modification. 2) How often do you need to go below E? (I rarely see the need). And when I do I just tune down for that song. Now I've had a drop-D tuner and that works great, but adds a bit of weight to your neck. So it could increase any neck dive issues you have. And still ..... I rarely used it. I've even had 5 strings and the B string spent a majority of the time as a thumb rest. Thats why I ask..... are you sure you want that?
Nothing will 100% nail a BEAD-tuned bass except a BEAD-tuned bass (or a 5-string). There are pedals with pitch shift functions (the Digitech Bass Whammy comes to mind), but while tracking has come a loooonnnnng way, the response and consistency has not always been there IME.
Try one out and see if it's close enough for your tastes, everyone has their opinions and thresholds for what is acceptable. Take your bass to a shop that has one and try it out, or buy from a place with a good return policy.
Just out of curiosity....no desire to try out a 5'er instead?
Try one out and see if it's close enough for your tastes, everyone has their opinions and thresholds for what is acceptable. Take your bass to a shop that has one and try it out, or buy from a place with a good return policy.
Just out of curiosity....no desire to try out a 5'er instead?
The only pedal that I can think of that might just do that (and other uncommon tunings) on a regular tuned bass and do it fairly well is a Boss SY-1000 with a GK system attached. The thing is that such a set will easily costs you 1k if you buy it new. If that's all you're going to use it for, getting a 2nd bass or a 5-string might be cheaper and easier.
Detuning (with or without a hipshot mod) is the only other valid option in my opinion. Using a -5 semitones pitch shift with a normal pedal introduces a form of latency I could never live with. So far I've seen no pitch shifter (including the the new boss SX 1/100) that will do this with little or at least acceptable latency on bass.
There's no avoiding science, not even for us bass players.
YMMV
Detuning (with or without a hipshot mod) is the only other valid option in my opinion. Using a -5 semitones pitch shift with a normal pedal introduces a form of latency I could never live with. So far I've seen no pitch shifter (including the the new boss SX 1/100) that will do this with little or at least acceptable latency on bass.
There's no avoiding science, not even for us bass players.
YMMV
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I played with a Whammy pedal with 2 semitones down. It worked well.
For low C note, I used to drop my E string to D with a Hipshot D-tuner, and then use the Whammy for 2 semitones. It was great sounding and tracking was usable.
Some pedals are better then another in tracking. My experiance is that more then 3 semitone is not great, but up to three is ok with some good pedals.
It's certainly cheaper than buying another bass for that purpose.
For low C note, I used to drop my E string to D with a Hipshot D-tuner, and then use the Whammy for 2 semitones. It was great sounding and tracking was usable.
Some pedals are better then another in tracking. My experiance is that more then 3 semitone is not great, but up to three is ok with some good pedals.
It's certainly cheaper than buying another bass for that purpose.
It’s only going to be a simulation, pitch-wise, and even with the technical part of creating that shift having improved over time, it’s still not perfect, and the artifacts not only affect the sound, but become the sound. No natural “B” string is going to sound or respond the same way.
But the main thing is that a thicker B is just going to feel/respond differently, plus the lesser tension. Then, I don’t use flats, don’t like the feel or the sound, but had them initially on my fretless when I started out on that. When I got a fretless 5, I didn’t like the murkiness and lack of definition of flats that low, so I moved to ground wounds, but that’s just me. Can’t you go to a GC or local equivalent to try out a fretted 5?
That involves enlarging the nut slots. Then, if a B just isn’t going to work, a possible nut replacement. Just trying out a 5 string in the store is the real deal way to go.
I use the Helix Poly Capo and it tracks perfectly. However it won't sound a like a .135 tuned to B, it sounds like a .105 tuned to B without the tension drop. It's a subtle difference.
I agree that it's going to be a cheaper and more realistic experiment to string a bass up BEAD and see what happens. A pitch shifter can be a fun effect but there aren't many that can detune in fourths, the ones that can aren't necessarily good at tracking a low E string, and they are almost guaranteed to add a weird synthy tone to the sound.
If the slot in the nut has an evenly round bottom then putting a skinnier string in shouldn't be much of a problem in case OP decides EADG is better after all. I wouldn't worry about the integrity of the nut a whole lot unless it's idiosyncratic or the bass is expensive or a collector's item of some kind. I would look up guidance on how to properly modify a nut slot and then do it with the utmost care: Accidentally slot it too low and you've definitely added the cost of a new nut to the project.
Digitech makes a pedal that is called The Drop. It does nothing else than simulating down tuning.
It does track the low E on a bass, but I've never tried dropping that all the way to B, since I bring a 6 string when I need that.
It does track the low E on a bass, but I've never tried dropping that all the way to B, since I bring a 6 string when I need that.
For my first excursion into BEAD tuning I just tuned down a regular set of strings. For me it worked absolutely fine. If you hit hard then you'll probably find that the lack of tension creates too much string noise, and the intonation will be a bit out, but it was more than good enough for a test. It was quick, free and reversible all within 5 minutes.
It worked sufficiently to convince me that it was the way forwards for a particular project, so I set aside a specific bass and bought a set of heavier strings to set it up BEAD. A little nut file was needed but not enough that it couldn't switch back. And of course a proper setup was needed.
Personally I find pitch shifters have too much latency. I can live with it on guitar but on bass even the slightest delay feels terrible. I can't imagine tuning down a 4th and it still being in any way tolerable for me.
It worked sufficiently to convince me that it was the way forwards for a particular project, so I set aside a specific bass and bought a set of heavier strings to set it up BEAD. A little nut file was needed but not enough that it couldn't switch back. And of course a proper setup was needed.
Personally I find pitch shifters have too much latency. I can live with it on guitar but on bass even the slightest delay feels terrible. I can't imagine tuning down a 4th and it still being in any way tolerable for me.
Yes, this! Just detune, takes 5 minutes. You wouldn't want to play a show like this, but it actually works better than you think it would. Just don't hit the strings too hard and it will be fine. It definitely works well enough for you to try BEAD for a while and see if you like it. Free and fast!
If you have a bass that doesn't need to be in standard tuning for a little while, I personally would try the restringing route first. A pack of heavier strings is cheaper than a detuner pedal and will be more natural. If you are just doing it as a test first you can probably get away with only basic setup adjustments and save actual modifications (e.g. widening nut slots) until if and when you decide you actually want to keep a bass in BEAD longer term.
Pick up a Glarry P bass for <$100.. If you do a little setup work, they can play great.
Costs less than a pedal, and you've got another bass to play around with, mod, and practice setups on.
A whole education! I went kinda wild with mine ... or don't do anything but put BEAD string on it.
Costs less than a pedal, and you've got another bass to play around with, mod, and practice setups on.
A whole education! I went kinda wild with mine ... or don't do anything but put BEAD string on it.
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I have. I does not do well.
I use The Drop to switch to Eflat tuning on the fly for some 90’s cover songs, and it works great for that. But once you go below 2 semitones down it starts to sound weird and thin.
Although, the function to add a low octave and keep the dry signal sounds mega cool for some NIN songs.
Agree with everyone that a pedal will not get it done. I have an Axe FX 3 and after a few semitones, the pitch shifting starts so sound pretty bad. I've found that a bass tuned to D standard with a drop tuner gets me close enough; just had to buy a bit heavier strings. But either way, I'd recommend trying the actually detuning the bass to some degree to test things out.
