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Multiple bands, multiple tunnings dilema.

R

rockwarnick

Jul 29, 2006
692
4
39
Rockville, MD
www.myspace.com
#1
So I am basically in three bands right now, which I don't mind(:bassist:). The problem is they each have different tunnings and I have only one bass..One band is standard tunning, my main band is drop-d, and the one I joined today is drop C#/Db(Db,Ab,Db,Gb).

I am currently using DR Fat beams?(The marcus miller set). I am wondering how bad it is for my strings/neck to be jumping back and forth between these tunnings. If it is bad, my next question would be if anyone had suggestions on a set of strings that might handle this better. Or if there were any other ideas. Thanks.
 
#2
If possible, I'd suggest tuning to the lowest note you'll need, and just leaving it there, relearning all your material for the new tuning. It'll do wonders for your fretboard knowledge, too, IME. If that won't work, find out why, and invent your own tuning. Either way, I'd suggest finding one tuning for all bands, and playing that way.

I went through this when starting to play guitar in a cover band. At one point, I had three guitars on stage. After a while, I just tuned baritone and relearned to play the instrument. It helped focus my understanding of intervals wonderfully, and the period of adjustment was nowhere near as long as I thought it'd be.
 
#5
WalterBush said:
If possible, I'd suggest tuning to the lowest note you'll need, and just leaving it there, relearning all your material for the new tuning. It'll do wonders for your fretboard knowledge, too, IME. If that won't work, find out why, and invent your own tuning. Either way, I'd suggest finding one tuning for all bands, and playing that way.
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Thats some good advice, it makes sense. But I don't think I have the time and patience to do so. More importanly, alot of basslines are written to where open strings are important in the piece.

idoru said:
If you can stand to lose your G-string, why not tune B E A D? You get to keep "normal" string tension, and having a low B is excellent when guitars are tuned standard.
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I couldn't stand to lose my G-string. Again, many of my parts make it too important to lose.

vindy500 said:
buy a 5 string?
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Give me some money?
 
#8
I would also say in the long run upgrading to having a 5 string tuned BEADG would serve all your needs.

I don't think basically retuning a 1/2 step will do much but shorten the life of your strings and consufe you. But to answer your question I don't think any set of strings will perform better then others although you may wish to play with the guage...
 
#9
*smb said:
Just suck it up and change tunings! It's not a big deal.
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I don't think it's a big deal, I just wanted to hear about other experiences with this situation. Thanks though, I needed someone to say that.

tlwaps said:
I'd say buy another bass if you've got the cash laying around. Currently in my band we use 2 tunings, CGCF and AEADG. I lug around 4 basses, 2 4 strings and 2 5 strings.
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I'm saving up for another bass right now but I doubt I will get the bass before the next practices/gigs.

peterpalmieri said:
I would also say in the long run upgrading to having a 5 string tuned BEADG would serve all your needs.
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Im considering it, but for some reason I hate b-strings. I would rather have it tuned EADGC.

I guess your marcus miller quote answers all of the questions I have ever had regarding gear.
 
#10
Personnally I never had bands with alternate tunings. But I know a guitar player that kept changing his tuning back and forth all the time and eventually it really messed his neck up.

when you downtune the tension get lower and the neck moves same when you tune back up. All that constant moving make the neck very unstable.

The best thing to do is to have a bass set up in a permanent way to accomodate its tuning.

You could always set up your best bass for your main band's tuning. that bass could be used for the standard and dropD. Then for now you could buy a cheaper bass like an SX for about a 100$ and set it up for the other bands tuning. Then you could start saving and buy a five string that'll cover all your needs and that is better than your current bass
 
#11
A step and a half change is going to mean that you'll either have strings that feel too tight in standard tuning, or too loose in Db. You're also going to find the neck has less relief when you tune down, so its going to make things hard.

If you had one bass for standard, and another for D/Db, you'd be set (since a half step difference isn't a big deal), then you could run a .110-.50 set on the low tuned bass and .105-.45s on the other.

Until then you'll just have to make it work and evaluate if its better to have too-loose strings in the low tuning, or too-tight ones in standard tuning.
 
#12
rockwarnick said:
Im considering it, but for some reason I hate b-strings. I would rather have it tuned EADGC.
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But that wouldn't help you here at all :confused:

If you don't like B strings, it most likely means that it wasn't a good 5 string, or that it didn't have good strings on it. Its a LOT easier to find a good 4 string than a good 5 string, but when you do get a good one (and throw on some hard rockin steels), its a thing of beauty.
 
#14
I play in two bands at the moment, one with standard EADG tuning and one with DADG tuning. I use a EBMM Stingray 4 string so i have to change the tuning of my lowest string quite often. Now my question is: is this bad for my E/D-string or my bass in general?

Thnx
 
#15
Another important thing to think about is the intonation of your bass. When your bass is setup in one tuning with a certain type of strings and you change the tuning, the higher notes on your fretboard will be out of tune with the lower notes. The only way to do what you're doing and still have a bass that is properly intonated is to adjust the intonation (by moving the bridge saddles forward or back) every time you change tunings.

To see what I'm talking about....using a tuner, tune all the open strings of your bass to the correct pitch (get as close to perfect as you can). Now check the 12th fret (the octave) of each string- the 12th fret should be pretty much dead on with the open string (actually- a little flat is better, to compensate for a less than perfect/ heavy touch). If not, adjust the bridge saddle for the string forward or back until they match- you'll have to retune the open string every time you move the saddle. Assuming you have correct intonation in your standard tuning, retune the bass in another tuning and check intonation again. Due to the change in tension that different tunings have on the neck, the intonation in the new tuning should be off...

This isn't to say that you need to worry about intonation- the majority of people that play guitar/bass don't even know what it is!:smug: Just something to think about- especially if you don't like alot of sour sounding notes (of course, this is assuming that the guitar players you play with have their instruments set up properly as well!).

Karl
 
#17
For this reason I switched to a 5er and have never looked back. I take it to all shows I play. For safety I take a back up 4, but that will soon be replaced with a fretless 5 that I'm building. Basically I've found what works for me, and I'm not changing. It took some planning and saving to reach this solution, but it has been the best solution for me.

Go 5ers. :bassist:
 
#18
rockwarnick said:
Im considering it, but for some reason I hate b-strings. I would rather have it tuned EADGC.
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You'd rather do that after all that you described here? Sorry, that don't make sense, half the reason why people have 5s in the first place. When I was doing rock bands, and then going to funk gigs, I just used 5s, and never changed a thing.

So yeah, if you don't want to go that route, keep chaging your tunings.
 
#19
Amenra said:
thnx for the tip, but I'm not sure how to change the saddles. Is there a chance that I do something completely wrong, hence ruining my bass or is it just a matter of turning a screw a bit?
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On about 95% of basses, it is a matter of simply turning the screw that the saddle is attached to forward or back until the 12th fret is in tune with the open note (or slightly flatter than the open, as I mentioned previously). You are essentially adjusting the distance between the bridge saddle and the 12th fret, to make it equal to the distance between the 12th fret and the nut. You are not likely to damage your bass- though it is a good idea to detune the string while turning the screw and then retuning so that you aren't fighting the tension of the string with the screw...

Karl
 

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