Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

[bassboysam]

depends on what "proper sounding" is. we play some songs tuned half a step down and others we tune to C# standard. i found that using 120+ guage made the notes more clear as you described but it no longer sounded "downtuned" for me. i realized the for both me and the guitarist it was not necessarily the pitch but the feel and tone that looser strings create. we don't have vocals so when we write songs we try to use the tuning the gives us the right tone and feel. also we find the looser tension forces you to play differently and inspires different ideas. so i guess what i am trying to say is that it really depends on why you are downtuning in the first place.

for what it is worth i use 110-50 for my C# and also when we do drop B from C# standard. 115-55 is nice too but not many choices.

the la bella downtune set was a cool compromise.

 

[kleinenenten]

depends on what "proper sounding" is. we play some songs tuned half a step down and others we tune to C# standard. i found that using 120+ guage made the notes more clear as you described but it no longer sounded "downtuned" for me. i realized the for both me and the guitarist it was not necessarily the pitch but the feel and tone that looser strings create. we don't have vocals so when we write songs we try to use the tuning the gives us the right tone and feel. also we find the looser tension forces you to play differently and inspires different ideas. so i guess what i am trying to say is that it really depends on why you are downtuning in the first place.

for what it is worth i use 110-50 for my C# and also when we do drop B from C# standard. 115-55 is nice too but not many choices.

the la bella downtune set was a cool compromise.

Well, I downtune because I want to be in the same tuning as my guitars for the sake of simplicity. Why they downtune seems to change frequently...

 

[bassboysam]

Well, I downtune because I want to be in the same tuning as my guitars for the sake of simplicity. Why they downtune seems to change frequently...

so do you want to maintain a similar tone to when you are not downtuned? if so then look for something in the 120 or more depending on what your tension is like in standard. if you want that Sleep, Church of Misery bass sound then keep it floppy!

 

[kleinenenten]

so do you want to maintain a similar tone to when you are not downtuned? if so then look for something in the 120 or more depending on what your tension is like in standard. if you want that Sleep, Church of Misery bass sound then keep it floppy!

I currently use flats, one of the reasons being more tension. We’re talking 5 and 6 string basses, so I think my B strings are 135 or so if I remember. Whatever the standard Chromes gauge is.

Edit: My B string is not downtuned, as the guitarists use 6 string guitars tuned down to B. If I remember correctly, they tune everything down 1.5 steps, then tune their top string (originally E) down to B. Kinda like a weird form of drop B. So I actually uptune all of my strings except the low B, which stays the same.

 

[Novarocker]

*warning nostalgia ahead*
I'll say this though, for the few minutes that it was working well, I was able to rip out some old tunes that I didn't even know that I remembered.
I was, briefly, whisked back to 1984....
View attachment 3287662

I had ducked out of high school early that day and headed to the music store. I was sick of trying to get the tone that my Little Big Muff pedal (the closest thing to distortion that I could afford at the age of 13 when I bought it in 1983). I was playing metal and I wanted to sound like it!
The guy behind the counter held out the HM-2 and said, "We just got this in. Wanna be the first to try it?"

I replied, "Heavy Metal pedal huh? Well, that is what I'm trying to sound like.... "

*plugs everything in, and strums*

View attachment 3287663

After regaining the ability to speak, I yelled over the echoing awesomeness in my head... "I'LL TAKE IT!!!"

Although I wasn't around then, I definitely felt like that's the generation I am in tune with most. Great story man, reminds me of similar events from my high school days.

Weird observation, looking for confirmation. My guitarists are in a weird tuning that has me slightly tuning up my bass. It seems that the extra tension really helps in clarity on my pedals. Is it just my head? I play the identical notes on another bass (6 string version of previous bass) and they just don’t sound the same. What’s happening? Science, or psychoacoustics?

Also, still inching towards isolated power. Now my amp randomly starts to hum after a while being turned on. Removed the pedals from the equation and it’s gone. So now it’s causing filter and hum issues. Man, wish I had the money to spend on something more exciting, but it is what it is, I guess.

I've noticed the same with my prototype (32"). I think it completely relates to tension and harmonic content like others have said. I've heard that's one of the reasons for short scales having such beefy low-end but not as much punch typically.

depends on what "proper sounding" is. we play some songs tuned half a step down and others we tune to C# standard. i found that using 120+ guage made the notes more clear as you described but it no longer sounded "downtuned" for me. i realized the for both me and the guitarist it was not necessarily the pitch but the feel and tone that looser strings create. we don't have vocals so when we write songs we try to use the tuning the gives us the right tone and feel. also we find the looser tension forces you to play differently and inspires different ideas. so i guess what i am trying to say is that it really depends on why you are downtuning in the first place.

for what it is worth i use 110-50 for my C# and also when we do drop B from C# standard. 115-55 is nice too but not many choices.

the la bella downtune set was a cool compromise.

I gotta check those out and so true about how loose they feel impacting approach to playing. Ton of fun for me.

 

[themarshall]

...not necessarily the pitch but the feel and tone that looser strings create...also we find the looser tension forces you to play differently and inspires different ideas...

This is it for me, too. I played standard tuned 5's with fingers for ever. I was really burnt and in a rut. Downtuned fours with a pick is really refreshing.

 

[kleinenenten]

Random question about isolated power - if I need more outputs than the supply has, and I use a splitter on 2 or so outputs, would I be able to power more pedals? The supply has the max mA per output labeled, and these pedals would all be analog, so I doubt anything draws more than 15mA or so. Anything besides the power rating and not having those specific pedals sharing an output isolated?

Oh, and I might run an old HM-2 in there, too. Wouldn’t it benefit from being with another pedal like this with its strange 9v daisy chain power necessity?

 

[Novarocker]

I believe you can do that and the mA would be the only thing that will limit how many you can daisy chain to each output.

 

[gfen]

Yes.

 

[Jolagh]

+1 to above as long as you have the mA you can plug in as many as you want, just pay attention to the ground loops as you can still create one in the daisy chain as far as i understand.

 

[hardtop]

Damn, you guys must play with a lot better technique than me, or just not like as much tension. Obviously string values differ, but I calculated that, to equal a 100 tuned to E on a 34" scale bass (36.5 lbs of tension), I would need a 130 at A# on a 35" scale bass... and that still is less tension at 32.51 lbs. I honestly think I like a slightly lighter string tonally; 125's ring nicely, but I just needed to compromise a little clarity for tension in my playing. By calculation, one would need a 135 on a 34" scale to get into that 32 lb range at A#, which is the tree trunk i usually play on my 34" scale basses.
Also, FWIW, at B, you'd need a string with a unit weight of 0.003280932594 to get that 36.5 lbs of tension on a 34 incher. That's above a 135 in a d'addario xl nickle plated round. All string sizes I'm throwing out are based on d'addario xl NP tensions; like i said, your manufacturer may vary.

All that said, and calculations aside, through a lot of experimentation, I feel like a 130 on a 35" scale bass tuned down below B feels right and sustains well... for me, of course.

 

[Jolagh]

I used a 35" scale tuned to drop b (B, F# B E A) and prefer 130, 86, 64, 47, 33. Pretty much the same tension as a normal strung bass even though im technically tuned up from standard. Yes it doesnt have the downtuned slop, but i kind of prefer it that way. Been known to swap the 33 for a 28 if the only thing available is ernie ball slinkys.

 

[Novarocker]

Wow, it's always interesting to hear what other people use especially with all the different tunings.

It took me a while to get used to the extra flop, but I use slinky's 105 85 65 45 even for drop C. I wouldn't mind going up to 50-110/115 but I don't know if I'd tune much lower...maybe C std. I remember c# std being a bit floppy for me.

I did tune BEDG for a little while and tried BEAD. I think for the latter I would use heavier if I went with it for a while.

 

[socialleper]

I didn't pay much attention to tension values until Kalium made it a "thing." According to them, around 40lbs is right for any string. So yes, a .135 would be about right. That is a pretty thick string, and even though the tension is right, the mass of the string starts to impact its tone. Having a taper at the bridge helps.
My personal feeling is that any tuning below D should have a 35" scale for proper tension. In reality a B should be about 35.5 to 36.
When I was watching videos about setting up my Spector, I found one of a tech setting up Alex Webster's basses. He plays DR Hi Beams, which are round core, and tunes between A# and G. .125 on the B no matter what. I gave it a shot and it is doable. I'm looking for a fair amount of bite so it has worked out so far.

 

[br1qbat]

Damn, you guys must play with a lot better technique than me, or just not like as much tension. Obviously string values differ, but I calculated that, to equal a 100 tuned to E on a 34" scale bass (36.5 lbs of tension), I would need a 130 at A# on a 35" scale bass... and that still is less tension at 32.51 lbs. I honestly think I like a slightly lighter string tonally; 125's ring nicely, but I just needed to compromise a little clarity for tension in my playing. By calculation, one would need a 135 on a 34" scale to get into that 32 lb range at A#, which is the tree trunk i usually play on my 34" scale basses.
Also, FWIW, at B, you'd need a string with a unit weight of 0.003280932594 to get that 36.5 lbs of tension on a 34 incher. That's above a 135 in a d'addario xl nickle plated round. All string sizes I'm throwing out are based on d'addario xl NP tensions; like i said, your manufacturer may vary.

All that said, and calculations aside, through a lot of experimentation, I feel like a 130 on a 35" scale bass tuned down below B feels right and sustains well... for me, of course.

I am a recent convert to Rotos. I am using the bottom 4 of a five string set. I found out they make a four string 'drop zone' set which has identical gauges. It is meant for BEAD, though I'm tuned CFA#D#. 65-80-105-130. The round zip really gives me definition especially when I'm using the Big Muff.

 

[socialleper]

I am a recent convert to Rotos. I am using the bottom 4 of a five string set. I found out they make a four string 'drop zone' set which has identical gauges. It is meant for BEAD, though I'm tuned CFA#D#. 65-80-105-130. The round zip really gives me definition especially when I'm using the Big Muff.

I used Rotosound a lot when I was a kid because Duff and David Ellefson used them and I dug their tones. I don't use steel wounds too much anymore. I tried them a few times and ran into problems with the strings being consistent out of the package. One would be a little less bright than the others, etc.
It is nice that they have caught on to the fact that there are a lot of 4 string BEAD players out there. More brands need to do this. I'd like to see a C tuning set with like a .120 .95 .75 .60 set up.

 

[br1qbat]

I used Rotosound a lot when I was a kid because Duff and David Ellefson used them and I dug their tones. I don't use steel wounds too much anymore. I tried them a few times and ran into problems with the strings being consistent out of the package. One would be a little less bright than the others, etc.
It is nice that they have caught on to the fact that there are a lot of 4 string BEAD players out there. More brands need to do this. I'd like to see a C tuning set with like a .120 .95 .75 .60 set up.

They also have a super drop zone for F# standard, which has enormous gauges

 

[hardtop]

I used a 35" scale tuned to drop b (B, F# B E A) and prefer 130, 86, 64, 47, 33. Pretty much the same tension as a normal strung bass even though im technically tuned up from standard. Yes it doesnt have the downtuned slop, but i kind of prefer it that way. Been known to swap the 33 for a 28 if the only thing available is ernie ball slinkys.

Same. I used to use the bottom 4 strings of a 5 string set, but the 100 tuned to F# (in the "A" position) on a 35" was way too tight; and it was like that across the other high strings too. I now order custom sets of 130-95-75-60 which seems to get me right in the tension zone of a standard long scale bass tuned bass on medium-light gauge strings. It feels pretty natural and I can set it up with "standard" action, etc.

 

[Jolagh]

Same. I used to use the bottom 4 strings of a 5 string set, but the 100 tuned to F# (in the "A" position) on a 35" was way too tight; and it was like that across the other high strings too. I now order custom sets of 130-95-75-60 which seems to get me right in the tension zone of a standard long scale bass tuned bass on medium-light gauge strings. It feels pretty natural and I can set it up with "standard" action, etc.

When i first started practicing with this band i tried a standard 5 didnt like the additional tension so i bought a 6 string set and threw out the e string. It worked though the tension was then too low for my taste and i ended up doing custom sets as well.

 

[Kriegs]

Swede update:
It lives! I got the ICs in from China a day early and the pedal screams exactly as expected. I'll get some clips up after I do some recording this weekend

I've already ordered my next builds, a Klon Centaur clone and a BBE Sonic Stomp clone