• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Tuning a sixer as a guitar

T

tms13pin

May 12, 2012
8
0
#1
Ok, first time poster, need advice. I'm a guitarist (they say
admitting your addiction is the first step to recovery), who
sometimes plays bass. Started out playing only 4-stringers,
then decided I wanted more variety so I picked up a 5 a few
years ago, but I've never bonded with the low B because I
play bass so infrequently that when I do pick it up, it screws
me up (yeah, I know... play more often and get used to it).
I've never been interested in 7-string guitars for the same
reason.

Well, I've been thinking lately of getting a six and stringing it
so I can tune it like a guitar, to make the jump back and forth
easier, and to do some stuff I couldn't do with 4 strings. If
I were to do this, what would you suggest the gauges of the
high B and E to be if I'm using 105, 80, 65, and 45 for my
bottem E A D G? Do they sell bass strings in a small enough
gauge for that high E. I'm using roundwounds, as that's what
I'm used to. I'm hoping I can find singles around town here
somewhere. Any tension issues?

Do any of you do this (or am I just wimping out)?

Thanks.

--Tom
 
#5
I did it with my carvin 6.

I used "snakeskin" brand strings (which I guess were made for the conklin 7 string bass) and threw out the Low B, then just tuned the C and F strings (the two highest) down a half step. Works fine, and allows you to play chords on the bass.

No need to go all crazy with string guages. This is a simple deal to do.
 
#6
I know a guy who strings his BTB like a guitar, it is certainly do able.

In fact before anthony jackson helped with the contrabass all 6 string basses were tuned like a guitar. As somebody already mentioned the Fender VI, that is about as close to a guitar as a bass gets
 
#10
Thanks for the replies folks. Not really interested in a short
scale like a Fender VI. I want to take a full 34" scale six
stringer and tune it E to E like a guitar, so the bottom four
strings are like any standard 4 string bass, but I don't have
to re-think the neck when I jump from guitar to bass (I'm just
not that good!).

So, it sounds do-able. I'm probably looking in the 30-35 range
for the B and 20-25 range for the high E.

Cool, I think I might give this a whirl.

--Tom
 
#11
I highly recommend the balanced sets from circlekstrings.com. They're made to give even tension across all strings. I'd recommend getting the .106 4 string set from "The Basic Sets" section (this gives you .106 .079 .059 .043). Then add .033 and .025 from the "Single Strings" section. That combo should be perfect for the tuning you want.
 
#12
I love Talkbass! This exact idea crossed my mind today... I wasn't seriously going to try it, but the information here makes it obvious that this is entirely do-able. So now I just need to keep my eyes peeled for a reasonably priced used 6-string... Maybe an Ibanez SR506? String spacing and neck are somewhat more guitar-like, yes?
 
#16
Are you going to attempt chords on the bass as you would a guitar? How big hands do you have? It's a different animal. I play a six, not because it's cool or different, but because it's convenient. It makes some work Easier. Modern music nearly requires you as a bass to reach down to low D or C. A Hipshot is fine, but you have to flip a lever. A five? Fine. Downtune a 4? Cool too, lots of metal players do just that. But the pop ones can afford to switch back and forth.
Jackson called his 6 a contrabass. In orchestral music I find some controversy over 4's with an extender vs a 5 (more popular in Europe, but with their own issues).
There is the baritone guitar to consider, which might be a direction you should look if you are not seeking just the bottom groove.
Are you playing lots of lead solo? Get a bloody guitar and tune it however you want!
 
#17
Baritones are very cool, but honestly, to my ears they sound far more like a extended range guitar then a bass.

With the E to E tuning (like the OP wants, and like I myself have done), it gives him an instrument that is still able to sound exactly as any bass would, but with the familiarity and possibilities that a guitar has.
 
#19
ggunn said:
Consider tuning the top two strings to C and F. Unless you are playing chords there is no real reason to have that major 3rd interval in amongst all those 4ths.
Click to expand...

Even if you are playing chords, I think you're better off having everything in 4ths. The fingerboard actually makes sense that way.

Guitar and bass are two different instruments. Trying to "port" guitar voicings and techniques, while perhaps seeming to be easier in the short-term, kind of fights against the instrument. Horses for courses.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back