rockstarbassist
Inactive
My NS-5 is a 34" scale, and it handles a low A and C (hybrid drop C tuning, sorta) just fine. Strings and set up will be more of a factor IME than that extra 1" scale. I'm happy either way, though.
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My NS-5 is a 34" scale, and it handles a low A and C (hybrid drop C tuning, sorta) just fine. Strings and set up will be more of a factor IME than that extra 1" scale. I'm happy either way, though.
Do you tune the bass down a whole step like ADGCF or just drop tune your B string to A? Also, what strings do you use? Sorry for the questions but I was thinking about tuning my Euro 5LX to ADGCF but was wondering if I would need to adjust the neck since there would be less tension. I wouldn't keep it in that tuning but there are some songs I wanted to play along with that have that tuning so I was curious.
gravesbass
Supporting Member
- Aug 16, 2006
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- Endorsing Artist: DarkglassElectronics-SpectorBass-Dunlop-EMG Pickups-Hipshot
If you run ADGCF tuning, you most likely will have to run a heavy gauge set of strings or the strings would be flapping all over the place. Spector 5ers handle low tunings quite well. I have .50 .70 .90 .115 .135 on one of my EURO5 tuning full step down and its great. The neck will have to be adjusted and brass nut cut a hair to work properly if using greater gauge strings.
rockstarbassist
Inactive
My band plays in drop C, but I don't like my low B all the way down to G lol. So I kinda have it in a hybrid way-
ACGCF. That way you still have your "normal" octave position on your B and A strings which I do a lot of. I really wish I could just tune to D std but with the way my singer writes it'd be impossible to not have that open low C for hammer ons/offs. And at this point I've been doing it for about 1.5 years so it's second nature.
I use a custom Circle K set and honestly with how "right" their tension is, even w/ bigger strings I get better flexibility than I do with say a standard DR or Ernie Ball string tuned down. It's pretty easy to wrap your head around once you get the purpose. Lots n lots of info about this in the Strings forum. I had to widen the nut slots for my B and E strings but that's it. My low B is a .158 and E is a .124 but trust me- I have a standard .135/.105 set of DR's on my Stingray in the same hybrid drop C tuning, and it's no biggie to go back and forth. I only haven't gotten my custom strings on the SR5 yet because I wanna make sure I'm keeping it before I mod the nut any and have to replace it. If it's up to snuff after the next few months I'll have it setup same as my NS-5.
And actually nowadays, I don't even keep a bass in E std anymore. I just transpose up if I need to. My at home/backup bass is in D std.
rockstarbassist
Inactive
Yeah for just 1 step down at least on the E, a .115 is plenty. I'd probably want something a lil bigger for a low A, but that's just preference.
And HUGE +1111 to the Spectors sounding
detuned! I've never heard anything sound as good in a dropped/lower tuning.
Hey everyone. Wow. Chapter 16 of this thread came fast!
Number 15 was burnt through in record time!
I've been on the East Coast for the past 7 days. Visited Bass Central... got some KILLER photos and discovered a SUPER RARE SPECTOR in their inventory!
I'll tell you all about it a little later when I've had time to get the photos processed.
Number 15 was burnt through in record time!
I've been on the East Coast for the past 7 days. Visited Bass Central... got some KILLER photos and discovered a SUPER RARE SPECTOR in their inventory!
I'll tell you all about it a little later when I've had time to get the photos processed.
If any of you are in the Los Angeles area please come by and visit the SPECTOR booth at BPL. PJ Rubal will be there and I've volunteered to help out again this year.
Just confirmed... my Alex Webster Signature Bass was shipped to me yesterday and I've told PJ that I'll bring it to display and let people try out. So far only a dozen have been produced. So if you want to see how skinny that neck is... BPL will be the perfect place.
And just to clarify... there seems to have been some confusion... sorry if I muddied the waters myself.
Alex and PJ had been talking for some time about a customized Euro5LX for him. Skinny neck, DC pups, EMG circuit, etc... Then they got to talking about making it a signature and tricking it out with BLOOD RED neck inlays.
Dennis Pepa of Death Angel had done this a few years ago and PJ had worked to develop those red inlays so it was well within the scope of what had and could be done.
Then Alex asked about a "bloody" paint job.
PJ came to me, asked me to develop a "splatter" paint design and the idea was that Alex's hands had been bleeding on the bass. Then as I started developing the design, Alex and PJ started saying, "more blood"...
We went through 4 revisions to get to the design that's on the final bass.
The confusion is that I DID NOT DESIGN the bass itself. It's a classic NECK-THRU NS-BODY (designed by Ned Steinberger). The idea for the paintjob and color scheme was a mixture of Alex and PJ talking together and I DID design the actual paint graphic for the body.
So when it is mentioned that I "designed" Alex's bass... I designed the paint job... NOT the bass itself. It's an NS-SPECTOR... you all know the history of the NS-Bass.
Just making sure everyone knows the story. I've gotten some emails lately about how my guitar design for Alex is cool... and the senders are confused a little. I figured this out when someone asked me why I put humbuckers in my bass design and not P/J's... Doh!
Link Removed
Photo of me in my home office/studio with one of the original two Alex Prototypes.
Just confirmed... my Alex Webster Signature Bass was shipped to me yesterday and I've told PJ that I'll bring it to display and let people try out. So far only a dozen have been produced. So if you want to see how skinny that neck is... BPL will be the perfect place.
And just to clarify... there seems to have been some confusion... sorry if I muddied the waters myself.
Alex and PJ had been talking for some time about a customized Euro5LX for him. Skinny neck, DC pups, EMG circuit, etc... Then they got to talking about making it a signature and tricking it out with BLOOD RED neck inlays.
Dennis Pepa of Death Angel had done this a few years ago and PJ had worked to develop those red inlays so it was well within the scope of what had and could be done.
Then Alex asked about a "bloody" paint job.
PJ came to me, asked me to develop a "splatter" paint design and the idea was that Alex's hands had been bleeding on the bass. Then as I started developing the design, Alex and PJ started saying, "more blood"...
We went through 4 revisions to get to the design that's on the final bass.
The confusion is that I DID NOT DESIGN the bass itself. It's a classic NECK-THRU NS-BODY (designed by Ned Steinberger). The idea for the paintjob and color scheme was a mixture of Alex and PJ talking together and I DID design the actual paint graphic for the body.
So when it is mentioned that I "designed" Alex's bass... I designed the paint job... NOT the bass itself. It's an NS-SPECTOR... you all know the history of the NS-Bass.
Just making sure everyone knows the story. I've gotten some emails lately about how my guitar design for Alex is cool... and the senders are confused a little. I figured this out when someone asked me why I put humbuckers in my bass design and not P/J's... Doh!
Link Removed
Photo of me in my home office/studio with one of the original two Alex Prototypes.
Too bad, I would have met ya over at bass central. I live about 10 min. Away. We could have abused the spector stock together! Lol. The blue one there has been calling me for a wile now though.
BC has a used black gloss NS-2 Kramer era for sale - owned by the bassist from Twisted Sister, lol.
It's that BLUE NS-4 that's actually VERY, VERY rare...
Of course it's a beautiful blue-black quilt maple with a gloss finish... and it's got an AMAZING thin neck profile... the thinest NS-4 I've ever held...
But the signature on the back is what makes this bass unique and very rare.
Stuart signed it wrong. It's signed as an NS-2. And that bass is very clearly an NS-4. I called PJ and asked him and he said that it's one of the very small (less that 10) basses in the company history that Stuart was busy, distracted and wrote the wrong model/serial number on the back of the headstock.
So if any of you want to own a real interesting piece of SPECTOR history... a mislabeled bass, signed by the man himself... this is the one you should get.
If I had the extra cash laying around I'd get it just because I love the neck and the finish on that bass. It's a stunner.
That's funny, I bet I have looked at that bass online 500 times, Especially since I have gotten my NS-4. I love that color and now that you mention it, you can see the signature in the picture. That's very cool...
Thanks for the info guys. I have been reading the strings forum most of the day today and now I am on information overload
Rockstarbassist, I think I have seen your progress over the past year with the different strings your tried, LOL. I was reading the DR DDT thread and then see your posts in the Circle K threads so it's like I was catching up with your trial of different strings 
I think I am going to pickup a used Rex Pro bass and use that as a bass for different tunings and have it setup for that. Not sure if I want to go for a 4 or 5 string yet so I will have to decide on that. I am looking through my Pantera Bass Anthology book and it shows Rex tuned down to G# on the song "13 steps to nowhere"
For you Rex Brown fans, someone uploaded video of the Kill Devil Hill concert from last week at Dingbatz in northern NJ. Normally, I can't stand watching fan filmed video but you can hear Rex's white Euro very well and there are a bunch of different video's. Here is the link if you are interested:
Kill Devil Hill 1 - YouTube
Kill Devil Hill 1 - YouTube
- Jun 16, 2005
- 3,584
- 31
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- Endorsing Artist: Spector, Aguilar, Darkglass
I've even gotten away with a A @ .130 on mines... but then again.. i think it has a lot to do with how ones playing style and attack is..
oh and I think a good set up is also key for "down tuning"
JPSBassist said:
I never noticed lol. Its an 07 and has been played by a billion people. But even so, that one has the magic. Thought about making them an offer.
rockstarbassist
Inactive
Thanks for the info guys. I have been reading the strings forum most of the day today and now I am on information overload
I think I am going to pickup a used Rex Pro bass and use that as a bass for different tunings and have it setup for that. Not sure if I want to go for a 4 or 5 string yet so I will have to decide on that. I am looking through my Pantera Bass Anthology book and it shows Rex tuned down to G# on the song "13 steps to nowhere"
Haha yeah I'm one of those that pretty much ONLY tunes down, so anything that helps my kind out (or purports to, anyway...
) I'll be checking it out!But yeah the DDT's were a huge letdown for me. At the time I knew Skip was making his own strings (I've known him for quite a while from another forum) but when I finally got my first set back last Sept or Aug, they were total game-changers. It's what I've been searching for for years now.
Pretty much anything from Far Beyond Driven to afterwards was in C# std, tuned down 1/4 step from that (but that's close enough to play along by ear). And Brownie can attest to this on the back of her headstock!
Check it:Link Removed
It's only 1.5 steps down, so really not that bad. And he used Medium Blue Steels so it can work if you get it set up right.
rockstarbassist
Inactive
soooo much this!
my tech is a friend of the band's and sees us play somewhat often, so he knows my style and our sound so he can dial it in exactly for me. but at this point he knows what i want and like so it's really easy to do.
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