putting a low b on a 4 string

[sasquatchofohio]

I am in the market for a bass with a low b and one particular bass i like is hard to find as a 5'er

so here is my question could i put the low b on a four string version and move the e, a, and d up one and get rid of the g.

the guitar has a 35 inch scale, 5 piece neck with maple fretboard, so im not worried about the tension nor the b string being floppy.

im concerned about the pickups, would they pick up the low b?
and would this have any negative effects on the bass? would it hurt the brass nut or the bridge

if you want more info on this bass here is a similar model

http://cgi.ebay.com/Traben-Tribal-Sun-4-String-Electric-Bass-Guitar-3094_W0QQitemZ250305997906QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250305997906&_trkparms=72%3A1205|39%3A1|66%3A4|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[Tin Man]

well I am sure there are people here that know more than I but I have done exactly what your talking about .. well I had it done, I went and talked to a local luthier about it and he said sure thats no problem so I left my baby and picked her back up the next day .. had nice set up done and pleas great still .. several years lator

 

[ehque]

You'll need to file out the nut and redo the setup. Other than that everything should be ok.

Since its a brass nut, if you don't have the appropriate tools, i'd take it in for a setup.

 

[Earwigger]

Sometimes you can jam a lighter-gauge B into an E slot, especially on brass or graphite nuts. It's worth a try.

 

[atheos]

I've done that on two basses so it's no problem. Yes, you have to file the nut so that the thicker strings fit. I did that using the excess piece of the string itself and it turned out pretty well. It was only a plastic nut though

Edit: I almost had trouble with the bridge since the .130 string almost didn't fit through the hole, luckily I got it in place anyway

 

[sasquatchofohio]

how much would you think taking it in for a set up would cost

 

[hands5]

Anthony Jackson went all the way down to a low C on his 60's bass during the mid to late 70's and early 80 so I wouldn't think that it would be a problem provided that you do as people here have mention with the setup and adjusting the nut

 

[Ric5]

get strings for a 5 string bass and string your 4 string BEAD ... you may have to widen the slots in the nut and do a setup for action and intonation.

Why not just buy a 5 string bass?