My guitarist keeps down tuning

[TomA1234]

Just because it works for Meshuggah doesn't mean everyone should do it.

They seriuosly should put "Don't try this at home"-stickers on their albums...

Indeed, Pestilence (a great tech/jazzy death metal band) tried it for one album (Doctrine) and the results were un-listenable, mainly because of the god awful vocals, but also due to the incredibly muddy sound of guitars and basses tuned down to F#.

 

[Cyrus987987]

Look at it as a learning experience. If he wants to go low, what's to stop you from going high? Let him have his fun, use the opportunity to play some bitchin lead bass.

 

[InternetAlias]

Just because it works for Meshuggah doesn't mean everyone should do it.

They seriuosly should put "Don't try this at home"-stickers on their albums...

Sigg'd.

 

[fdeck]

Let it be a learning experience -- the guitarist gets to learn what happens when you play bass through a guitar amp.

 

[JakeF]

He is just changing the role of your bass. After careful consideration you should hit him with the bass and ask him if that's low enough for him.

In all seriousness. Sux dude.

 

[Dave W]

im not trying to insult the 4 string players out there, in fact sometimes theres nothing i like more than breaking out the ol 4 string and slapping away. but for me, i have a lot of parts in this band that require me to use all 5 strings. i wouldnt be able to play the same on a four string

I don't understand why you won't be able to continue to play the way you want to.

Just because the guitarists lowest note is an E doesn't mean you can never play a note below that.

 

[nashvillebill]

Yep, why would you have to go to a 4 string? Why can't you just play the notes you want to play on your 5 string?

 

[bearfoot]

Get a contrabass guitar and a couple of subwoofers. Make your audience literally **** their pants. Call your band The Brown Noise.

 

[Spectrum]

Buy a pipe organ and see if he can go lower than that:

 

[lfmn16]

Hey guys, I would love to hear what you all think about this.
I am a 5 string player, and I have been for most of the time that I've played bass. when I joined my current band about 2 years ago, my guitarist played in drop Bb on a six string guitar. I suggested that he should get a 7 string and play in drop A, I told him that his strings wouldn't be as floppy and its only a half step lower. After rejecting this theory for months he finally decided to go with a 7 and we changed our tuning to drop A.
Now hes tuning his low B down as far as he can. He claims he wants an 8 string, and to play in E. I keep trying to explain to him that I cant go that low. I keep telling him that the E he wants to go to is the lowest note on a four string bass. He keeps saying "play the octave" but then I wouldn't ever have any use for my B string, so I'd pretty much end up having to buy a four string. His upgrade will force me to downgrade.
What do you guys think?

I would ask him why he thinks he gets to dictate tuning. It's completely disrespectful to you to decide this type of thing without your input and if your band members don't agree I would start looking for a new band.

 

[bostonasphalt2]

There was a Warwick model a few years back tuned F# B E A. (I.e.: an F# below the low B on most 5s.) You could try to track one of those down.

The Vampyre Darklord.

 

[Noot]

If he gets an 8-string guitar and plays low E, you can just play the E on your 5 or 4 string bass. Just because he's in the same octave as you doesn't mean it will sound the same. Even if a guitar hits that low E, it won't have the fullness of a bass note, it will probably just throw out some overtones, which do make a interesting effect but can not replace a proper bass. He could dim the low bass and you could dim the mid bass from EQ so it doesn't sound muddy. I think you could work it out, do some experiments before making a decision.

 

[duff beer]

Change your strings so that a "normal" E is the lowest string and add a high C. Then at the next rehearsal play only the high strings above the 12th fret.

 

[InternetAlias]

I get a chuckle every time I read the title of this thread. It's like one of these pet forums where people make threads like "My beagle is pissing on the rug".

 

[mellowinman]

I get a chuckle every time I read the title of this thread. It's like one of these pet forums where people make threads like "My beagle is pissing on the rug".

Except the Beagle is worth the trouble.

 

[InternetAlias]

Except the Beagle is worth the trouble.

Amen.

 

[curbowkid]

Just get him a 9 string guitar and got buy a 7 string bass and call it a day haha

 

[curbowkid]

Also if your having trouble. Meshuggahs bassist uses a 5 string bass. Works just fine and they go from F#-E

 

[El-Bob]

I feel like this whole issue is solved with a heavier string gauge, no?

 

[El-Bob]

Also if your having trouble. Meshuggahs bassist uses a 5 string bass. Works just fine and they go from F#-E

+1.