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Just found this thread, and wanted to post up my BEAD.
No need for a number or anything, but I may drop in from time to time
2010 Schecter Raiden Deluxe, strung with DR DDTs, 55-115;
No need for a number or anything, but I may drop in from time to time
2010 Schecter Raiden Deluxe, strung with DR DDTs, 55-115;
Just found this thread, and wanted to post up my BEAD.
No need for a number or anything, but I may drop in from time to time
2010 Schecter Raiden Deluxe, strung with DR DDTs, 55-115;
View attachment 5297236
Welcome a new Club number! 
#98 @eddybuzzard
Yeah, ed, there's never really any "need" for a number, strictly speaking. They're just for fun! But, please, dew drop in as often as you can and give us the 'low'down, won't you? 
I'll be monitoring to add more members as they post here. If I skipped anyone, please let me know. There's still a few numbers left for even more members!
And, you can find the entire BEAD Membership list on the BEAD Club Wiki page.
.
Welcome a new Club number!
#98 @eddybuzzard
Yeah, ed, there's never really any "need" for a number, strictly speaking. They're just for fun! But, please, dew drop in as often as you can and give us the 'low'down, won't you?
I'll be monitoring to add more members as they post here. If I skipped anyone, please let me know. There's still a few numbers left for even more members!
And, you can find the entire BEAD Membership list on the BEAD Club Wiki page.
.
Well, fair enough, I appreciate the hospitality.
Thank you!
Just tried BEAD for the first time. I like...
I ran through a huge chunk of my sets last night and really enjoyed it. I had been contemplating a 5 string for some time, but that's expensive and I don't think I'd care for the extra bulk.
Using a Mikro with standard short-scale strings, I had a lot of fret buzz to the point where it was deadening the sound. I loosened the truss and lifted all of the bridge heights.... plays great.
I may end up sticking with this... I rarely use the G string and the low B, C, C#, and D could get a lot of use. Thank yall for this thread.
I ran through a huge chunk of my sets last night and really enjoyed it. I had been contemplating a 5 string for some time, but that's expensive and I don't think I'd care for the extra bulk.
Using a Mikro with standard short-scale strings, I had a lot of fret buzz to the point where it was deadening the sound. I loosened the truss and lifted all of the bridge heights.... plays great.
I may end up sticking with this... I rarely use the G string and the low B, C, C#, and D could get a lot of use. Thank yall for this thread.
Update on my BEAD journey.....now 5 months of playing a BEAD 4 99% of the time, with 1% on a BEADG 5er. I have sold off all but 2 of my 5ers.....prolly gonna sell one more and keep only one. I am loving it so much! My playing has also taken another baby step forward. I know that the easier muting of 4 vs 5 strings has helped and that my note selection has changed for the better. As an amateur hobbyist I am now much less prone to predictably running lines from low to high. I can't be sure how much of the overall improvement is truly caused by the change to BEAD vs how much is just a chance correlation.....prolly a bit of both. My jam buddies/ band mates have very much noticed and I have gotten a string of unsolicited compliments from them . I think that there's also a cascade effect, whereby a small but definite improvement leads to a bit more confidence in a reinforcing +ve feedback loop.
On a technical note, I have found that any 5 string set with a 120B works fine with a standard 34" EADG 4 string nut without a need to re-file. I have 4 BEAD basses and re-filed the nut on only 1 of them to accommodate a traditional, 130B. The others are all strung with light gauge 5 string sets....La Bella Low Tension Flats (118B), Rotosound swing bass light steel rounds (120B), DR Fat beams & DR Pure Blues (light sets with 120B).
Looking 4ward to more 4 in '24!
On a technical note, I have found that any 5 string set with a 120B works fine with a standard 34" EADG 4 string nut without a need to re-file. I have 4 BEAD basses and re-filed the nut on only 1 of them to accommodate a traditional, 130B. The others are all strung with light gauge 5 string sets....La Bella Low Tension Flats (118B), Rotosound swing bass light steel rounds (120B), DR Fat beams & DR Pure Blues (light sets with 120B).
Looking 4ward to more 4 in '24!
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Glad you're diggin' it. It does sound from your post as though your current setup is good enough for a trial run but not optimized? I suspect you'd enjoy it much more, both sonically and ergonomically, if you get a proper setup with dedicated strings that doesn't require you to raise the action beyond your sweet spot. Keep in mind that a 34" scale bass tuned BEAD can be played much like a shorty high up the neck, with the comfort of short fretting hand reach and higher tension and clarity without the need to use much thicker strings. Jus' sayin'
I finally tried BEAD about twenty years ago, and started that same exact way,
with typical EADG sets, and rod and bridge tweaks.
Gradually I've increased gauge over the years, and have seemed to be settled in with 55-115 DDTs.
Now I use them on my more recently acquired fiver too, just with an added 40.
Glad you're diggin' it. It does sound from your post as though your current setup is good enough for a trial run but not optimized? I suspect you'd enjoy it much more, both sonically and ergonomically, if you get a proper setup with dedicated strings that doesn't require you to raise the action beyond your sweet spot. Keep in mind that a 34" scale bass tuned BEAD can be played much like a shorty high up the neck, with the comfort of short fretting hand reach and higher tension and clarity without the need to use much thicker strings. Jus' sayin'
I may play around with different string tensions to get the action lower. It did seem a little high at first, but I find the shorty BEAD string height feels a lot like a 34" EADG string height tuned to minimize fret clacking.
I have a set of shortly LaBella's I may try. The shorty, with stock Mikro pickups and flats, starts to sound a little too muddy, even for me. So I haven't used them in a while. But I may put these back on as they are a good bit more taught than these rounds.
I did notice the intonation is much better with the higher string height.
Oh the tinkering! Thanks for the thought.
I understand how those little challenges / obstacles can really help improve your playing when you get that fire in you to fight through them. Being pretty new to bass, new to being apart of a band (besides high school band), and new to playing on a stage (without 80 other people), there have been a lot of these this year.
As we start going thru pieces I first played 6 months to a year ago, I'm finding what I struggled with then has become fun and playful. I think this BEAD will be another one of those enjoyable challenges. I played for 3 hours into the wee hours of the night. Haven't done that in a long time.
You and several others have mentioned these... thanks for the advice. It sounds like they may fit well in the nut without modification. I believe these may be my next strings.
Welcome a new Club number!
#99 @Yahweh22
Yes, Yah, I always say that the lower notes "resonate" with me.
I'll be monitoring to add more members as they post here. If I skipped anyone, please let me know. There's still a few numbers left for even more members!
And, you can find the entire BEAD Membership list on the BEAD Club Wiki page.
.
I'm not sure how DDTs would work on a short scale though,
because of the taper location at the tuner hole.
You may have to experiment with heavier gauge short scale sets.
In retrospect, and similar to your findings, my journey started in the "unacceptable, that'll never work" gauge,
and went up from there, to settle where I'm currently happy, with the gauge, and the set up
Gotta say all the basses I beaded were playing sharp on the lower frets on all the strings till I filed out the nuts. Well the last one got filed before it even got strung. So I can't say for sure on that one. All Lo Riders if that makes a difference.
What gauges? My DR lights are 120,100,80,60 and the La Bella Low Tension Flats have a 118 B.....although I obviously needed to do complete setups, they all intonate perfectly (G & L ASAT, L1K, L2K). I didn't have to file those nuts and the action is nice and low.
45-130. If your action is low they're probably bedding Down in the nut already. If you can see daylight under the string you'd expect the extra tension of playing the money notes to sharpen them a little. By the 12th fret I couldn't hear it. And neither could the tuner
Yes the light gauges sit perfectly in the EADG nut without any mods. The action and intonation are perfect. Same for my Lakie 44-64, but on that one I eventually opted for thicker gauges so I bought a set of proper nut files and widened the slots.
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Happy New Year!
As 2023 Rumbles into History,
May You All Have a
Safe and Healthy 2024!
.
As 2023 Rumbles into History,
May You All Have a
Safe and Healthy 2024!
.
I'd like to join the club. I've been learning a bunch of songs for a new project and been struggling with changing tunings with everything being in different keys, mostly tuned to Eb or D. Never got along with a 5 string but I've tried this tuning before a few times over the years. I set up both my 4 strings with the bottom 4 of a Rotosound 66 set and I don't think I'm going back, everything just feels right and makes sense. I really love how it encourages you to stay low and not overplay with octaves and being excessive on the higher strings. Plus I don't have to re learn the notes up and down each string like you have to do with DGCF tuning which I tried a few times. It's called BASS for a reason
I am interested if anyone knows of a good neck through, 35" scale 4 string to see how far you can take this concept.
Thanks
I am interested if anyone knows of a good neck through, 35" scale 4 string to see how far you can take this concept.
Thanks
