my mikro 5 string is on the way!

[pcake]

I realize you only did this for a quick test for the benefit of another TB member so no problem. If you do want to tune your five string Mikro EADGC or any other bass to any other tuning then there is NO long term concern about the tension on the neck AS LONG As you buy strings that are appropriate for the tuning you plan to use. With the right strings for the tuning you can put the total stress on the neck right where it was with the original strings and tuning. The neck won't know you changed anything and the truss rod won't either!

I'm glad to hear your initial report and any follow ons you might post. I have a slight notion to get a five string Artcore so I am interested to hear how the 5 string Ibanez short scale fives work out. It would be a matter of faith to assume that an Artcore plays as well as a Mikro but Ibanez seems pretty consistent to me and hopefully your Mikro results will match an Artcore's.

the artcores have a longer scale than the mikros - 30.3" vs 28.6" - and that's enough to make a difference. also the artcores are more expensive, and i expect they're probably better quality. my husband has an older artcore guitar - one of the gibson lawsuit models - and it's really nice.

btw, i'm a huge ibanez fan, and many of their basses are very consistent when it comes to quality. but of the two 4-string mikros i have now, they're completely different in quality. one has a super smooth finished neck, the other has a slightly rough unfinished neck. they sound very different, one being rich and the other mid-heavy and nasal. and oddly, the tuners are set on the headstock differently. they were bought at most a year apart.

 

[khutch]

Yeah, I know there will be some differences but since the Artcore is a little more expensive, as you say, whatever a Mikro can do the Artcore should do a little better. If I did get one I would up tune the B string to C and then in fifths up from there ending on E. Now you know why I've taken the time to learn all about string tensions and alternate tunings....

 

[timshacklock]

Khutch I'd be really interested to see how you get on with 5ths tuning on a short scale. I'm a cellist myself and have been playing my backup bass in cgda for a little while now. The tone is nice and clear on the 34" scale but I'd really like to be able to play it well enough so that it's not obvious I'm playing in a different tuning (love some of the patterns that fifths allows but I'm missing some of my 4ths tricks) so some of the shifting is frustrating me so I've been considering getting a cheap short scale and seeing how it goes. Im assuming it will be super thumpy with big fundamental response, wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Could even use flats to accentuate the old school thump even further and end up with something quite unique. Im just worried about the tension and clarity of the low c. I wouldn't mind having to raise the action heaps to deal with loss of tension since the shorter scale would make it easier to play, plus i play upright so high action doesn't freak me out so much. But now I'm thinking that with low tension and high action AND short scale there would inevitably be intonation issues along the line. Let me know your thoughts! I'm really interested in making 5ths tuning a viable option and it's great to see that there are like minds out there on tb