Tuning to both Drop F# and Drop B 5 string bass?

[disgrxce]

Hello, I'm a bassist that is involved in two projects. These are heavy metal projects with downtunings. One project I am playing in Drop F# and Drop G#. In another I am playing in Drop B. For Drop B tuning, I plan to only play with the lower 4 strings and ignore the top string. The gauge string set I have is: 175, 135, 105, 85, 65. I am playing on a 35 inch Dean Edge 5 string bass with upgraded seymour duncan pickups. Meeting up with a guitar tech on Monday and was wondering which tuning I should ask him to setup for me so that I can play my bass guitar in Drop F# and Drop G# using all 5 strings and Drop B using the lower 4 strings. Thank you!

 

[ixlramp]

For Drop B tuning, I plan to only play with the lower 4 strings and ignore the top string

This is confusing. 'lower' and 'top' refer to pitch, not distance from the floor =)

I think it will be easier to use the 4 highest pitched strings for drop B, because that would be simply be drop F# with the C# tuned to B. This way the amount of retuning is reduced.
Otherwise you will be trying to use 1 gauge for F# up to B, a range of 5 semitones, i cannot imagine any gauge acheiving F# up to B well. In fact also, you would be retuning 4 strings across a 5 semitone range, which is too much to be practical.

By 'drop' do you mean the lowest interval is a fifth, for example F# C# F# B E ?

If so, to confirm, you want gauges to cope with all of:
F# C# F# B E
G# D# G# C# F#
- B F# B E (<- assuming the lowest pitch string is unused)
?

 

[ixlramp]

One project I am playing in Drop F# and Drop G#. In another I am playing in Drop B.

was wondering which tuning I should ask him to setup for me so that I can play my bass guitar in Drop F# and Drop G# using all 5 strings and Drop B using the lower 4 strings

This is confusing. You have stated the tunings you are playing already, you are switching between 3 tunings, so you cannot use one tuning.
I think you mean what gauges will allow you to retune to all 3 tunings?
Assuming that, the gauges you have now will not work, they are all too large, you need a carefully designed custom gauge set to cope with each string's range of pitch.

 

[ixlramp]

The gauge string set I have is: 175, 135, 105, 85, 65

These gauges are designed for F#BEAD, and are already tight at those pitches.

To tune to drop F# you would need to tune the highest 4 strings up by 2 semitones, this will create excessive tension, be hard to play, and will put a lot of stress on the neck. You might break a string. Bad idea.

To tune to drop G# you would need to tune the lowest string up by 2 semitones, and the highest 4 strings up by 4 semitones, this is dangerously excessive tension, will probably break strings and might damage the guitar.

So your gauges are unsuitable for the tunings you intend to use. You need a specially designed custom set of lower gauges for less tension.

 

[disgrxce]

These gauges are designed for F#BEAD, and are already tight at those pitches.

To tune to drop F# you would need to tune the highest 4 strings up by 2 semitones, this will create excessive tension, be hard to play, and will put a lot of stress on the neck. You might break a string. Bad idea.

To tune to drop G# you would need to tune the lowest string up by 2 semitones, and the highest 4 strings up by 4 semitones, this is dangerously excessive tension, will probably break strings and might damage the guitar.

So your gauges are unsuitable for the tunings you intend to use. You need a specially designed custom set of lower gauges for less tension.

What gauge strings do you think would allow me to do this?

 

[disgrxce]

These gauges are designed for F#BEAD, and are already tight at those pitches.

To tune to drop F# you would need to tune the highest 4 strings up by 2 semitones, this will create excessive tension, be hard to play, and will put a lot of stress on the neck. You might break a string. Bad idea.

To tune to drop G# you would need to tune the lowest string up by 2 semitones, and the highest 4 strings up by 4 semitones, this is dangerously excessive tension, will probably break strings and might damage the guitar.

So your gauges are unsuitable for the tunings you intend to use. You need a specially designed custom set of lower gauges for less tension.

To clarify, for the Drop B tuning, it will be played as if it's a 4 string bass. I'm ignoring the top string. So the B will be on the .135 gauge string.

 

[J Posega]

Tune it to drop F# and use a capo when you need G#. When you need to play in drop B, just tune your second string, C#, down to B. That’s assuming you’re doing a lot of open-string riffs that would be hard to play by just fretting the G#.

 

[ixlramp]

To clarify, for the Drop B tuning, it will be played as if it's a 4 string bass. I'm ignoring the top string. So the B will be on the .135 gauge string.

Ok that is what i suspected, and is the best approach.
I think you will confuse people if you refer to the lowest pitch string as the 'top' string, and refer to the 4 highest pitch strings as 'the lower 4'. Most people use all these words to referring to pitch, not height above the ground.
So you are not really 'clarifying', you are repeating the confusing wording of the first post =)

What gauge strings do you think would allow me to do this?

So:

F# C# F# B E
G# D# G# C# F#
- B F# B E

For the 4 highest pitch strings:
In drop F# and drop G# these are C# or D# standard. so i suggest a .110-.050 set for those.
Then the .110 is tuned to B for drop B, it will be low tension but functional. That string is retuned over a 4 semitone range from B to D#, so it is inevitable it will be low tension at B.
When tuning the .110 to B i suggest tuning the unused lowest string to G# (its higher pitch) to re-add some of the tension lost, this will reduce the effect on neck relief.

For the lowest pitch string:
F#/G#
A .165 will have equal tension to the .110 when in drop F# and drop G# tunings, and is a good balance for F# and G#.

So i suggest a 4 string set .110-.050 plus a single .165, or as close as possible to that.

I do not like the idea of using a capo as this reduces scale length, and scale length is critical to tone especially for low tunings.
Capos are also a pain in various ways, they increase tuning instability.