It's a great idea, but the market for them is probably small enough it will remain a custom build, or a guitar tech project if you find a bass that you think would suit that tuning best and have it converted.
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Janek Gwizdala, the E-C setup and custom necks
- Thread starter AngelCrusher
- Start date
I had it built by a factory in China, there's a thread about the process here: The Music Zoo / Aliexpress (china) custom bass guitar builds. Not sure if it's an especially viable option anymore if you're in the US.
Yeah it’s not a gimmick. A B string is far thicker than a C so if you know the bass is built for a C then you don’t need as chunky a neck. Personal preference but nothing wrong with that when there are so many options out there.
I mean, I've owned B-G 5 strings with super thin necks; Ibanez SRs and USA Peavey Millenniums are both 19.5mm at the first fret and 21.5mm at the twelfth, the same as what I went for on my E-C bass. I think if you go any thinner than that you'll probably have stability issues.
I was able to convert my 5 string to E-C with no nut work and just some saddle intonation adjustments I also used La Bella tapes, The larger diameters yet normal to lower tension also helped. You can noodle on it endlessly but for mat and potatoes playing you do not really need it, For me for about 6 months I was comping a singer, Specially great for comping singers like Andres Rotmiskovsky A single cut or a bass with easy high note access is necessary to effectively comp IMO
Another option could be IYV in Vietnam. They do custom builds and there's a Facebook group where people have discussed their experiences: Log in to Facebook.
I had a Fender Dimension which I strung E-C because I had another 5 string strung conventionally. It played great with new strings, and no need to change the nut. I finally sold it because I got tired of changing basses and started playing 6 string basses which surprised the heck out of me because my hands are smaller than average, but if you find the right bass it was certainly doable. I ended up with two 6s, one fretted, one fretless. I still have five string basses, but they are all tuned conventionally now.
In general, if I am going to do a lot of soloing, I will play one of the 6s. Otherwise for convention, the 5s do the job. I still have a pair of four string basses too, although I hardly play them anymore, but they are too great to part with. Sigh.
I remember this bass! As a Rickenbacker guy, I wish Ibanez didn't discontinue it. The 33" scale length is perfect for me. I would consider tuning one from D1 to A#2 if they still made them. The problem is that strings for that tuning are hard to find unless you buy singles.The Ibanez BTB33, known as the Vola, was designed to be strung E to C.
BTB33
The BTB33 is a five string BTB series solid body electric bass model introduced by Ibanez for 2015. It was produced in Indonesia as part of the Ibanez Bass Workshop line and was succeeded by the BTB845V in 2018. The BTB33 is the first shorter, mid-scale addition to the Ibanez Bass Workshop range...ibanez.fandom.com
While the B string is a lot thicker than the C string, most of the times it acually has less tension than the other strings (check out some tension charts...for example Daddario EXL1706: .130 B string = 14.608 KG vs .032 C string = 17.179 KG). Its a misconception many people have though. But for most standard string sets the B String is actually the one with the least tension.
I guess the neck made for E-C tuning and chordal playing in this case is just what Janek prefers in terms of radius, neck shape, scale length. But this is very personal. Some like a totally flat fingerboard for chording (like classical guitars) some prefer a more rounded fingerboard with a pronounced radius. In terms of stability a well built neck should be able to take both, a B-G or E-C tuning.
Some builders like LeFay build a slight "curve" into the fingerboard (they call it "B Bow") that becomes progressively bigger towards the thicker strings. Its to compensate for the bigger oscillation of the thicker strings. It might have a positive effect in therms of feel however I have played 6 string basses with a flat radius that set up absolutely beautiful on all strings as well.
The fact that most of you all are saying the B-G setup is easily configured for E-C, without the neck feeling too chunky or needing a new nut is good to hear. Opens up the possibilities greatly. I am seeing more companies making double P style basses.
I think most important is just finding a neck that's comfortable to you rather than thinking about what specs work for the tuning, as @groooooove stated previously.
Oh yeah, that's the thing people forget about all the time. Acoustic guitar strings are fairly thin at say 12-54 and 25.5 inch scale but the tension is quite a lot higher than a bass at 45-100 and 34 inch scale. Why? Because the scale length and string gauge while important are secondary to the tension the strings are at the given pitch.
I owned a Bass V years ago that is strung E to C by design. My Gillett 5-string is also strung E to C.
That said, I agree with @groooooove and @who - it is about a comfortable neck. I do not love the 5 string Gillett neck but their 4-string is perfect for me.
Here is the Gillett with the high C
That said, I agree with @groooooove and @who - it is about a comfortable neck. I do not love the 5 string Gillett neck but their 4-string is perfect for me.
Here is the Gillett with the high C
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Soooo, I actually have a Mattisson Gwiz bass but in 33" scale (not 32"), solid (not chambered), and with the same profile neck, 16.5 mm string spacing, tuned E to C. It's actually amazing...I play straight ahead bebop Jazz pretty much exclusively, so I'm not bothered by not having a low B (but I do own a 6-string Mattisson as well). I switched to 5-string E to C a year ago and haven't looked back (my 5-string double bass is also tuned E to C). Low B's are great to have in your back pocket (especially when playing with a singer in gigging bands who want to transpose to another key), but you have to be really diligent about muting it with your hands when not it use. Imho, you only really gain 4 notes with the low B since playing notes higher on the B string tend to go out of tune easily or you get weird overtones or they wolf out pretty bad, or the string has a different timbral quality than the other strings. I feel like the C string opens a whole new world of usable notes...especially playing upper chordal extensions in chords or in solo lines (to avoid the dreaded scaler bass solo...dreaded for me at least lol).
The asymmetrical neck profile took a little getting used to, but now I love it and it really does make a difference in playing chords or fast lines whilst still having some real meat to grab onto when playing the lower strings (like an old Fender). My other basses now feel super strange when I pick them up.
In terms of converting a regular B to G 5-string into a E to C 5-string, I actually did this on seveal basses that I own. If your bass has a zero fret like Mattissons then it's a non-issue, but I've done this successfully with Fenders, two F Basses, Elricks. I would say that it helps to have a Gruz gear fretwrap to minimize any possible buzzing (this only happened to a D string on one bass), but it hasn't been an issue for me otherwise in my experience.
The asymmetrical neck profile took a little getting used to, but now I love it and it really does make a difference in playing chords or fast lines whilst still having some real meat to grab onto when playing the lower strings (like an old Fender). My other basses now feel super strange when I pick them up.
In terms of converting a regular B to G 5-string into a E to C 5-string, I actually did this on seveal basses that I own. If your bass has a zero fret like Mattissons then it's a non-issue, but I've done this successfully with Fenders, two F Basses, Elricks. I would say that it helps to have a Gruz gear fretwrap to minimize any possible buzzing (this only happened to a D string on one bass), but it hasn't been an issue for me otherwise in my experience.
I have started playing my 5 string basses in the high C option. I think it is great but I'm concerned about finding the high C strings to purchase. I play jazz so I'm hoping to find tapewound single C strings. Although the D'Addario Chrome Flatwound strings work pretty well too. Any suggestions for where to buy single C strings?
