Bass Tuning: EADG or BEAD?
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Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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Well, I'm glad this isn't on TalkBass because I wouldn't have seen it. Sounds like you've got your answer already. I guess it depends if you want the option to go lower or higher.
SkuttleFunk
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rockskate4x said:
I'm surely hoping you have a typo there rs4x. if not, then you need to go do your homework before posting such nonesense as you'll find very few 5-string basses with a scale longer than 35". please leave all nonesense posting to our dear birdseye maple and telecaster loving friend from Brazil :toothy12:
34" and 35" scale both have full potential to produce a solid B-string - it's all in the neck construction, string selection, and set-up as to whether a B-string in either of these scales will produce a satisfying result. you will need to cut a new nut (or at least modify the slots in your current nut). you will need to give the bass a complete set-up including trussrod adjustment, intonation, and pickup adjustments. depending on your bridge, you may need to make modifications as well.
all the best,
R
rockskate4x
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yes the "more than" was a typo, my apologies. I meant that very few of the non-fender 5 string basses I see are less than 35 inch scale length.
well, seems like i've got my answer! i guess i'll set this bass up in standard (due to the B most likely not fitting through the bridge) and if i REALLY end up needing a B i'll just have to find myself a cheap-o 5 string. i'm sure one would pop up on craigslist or maybe i can find one locally in a store.
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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It (the low B) will probably fit on a Top load or combination bridge, as it seems most string thru types are.
Well, although the topic is answered I'll chime in with my musical money wrench anyway... I don't personally like the sound of the low B strings, I don't think it's an amplification problem as much as the actual string itself sounding toneless and dead. If you watch five-string bassists carefully - really carefully - you'll see that they agree, because they play way less than 10% of their notes on 1/5 of their strings. It's a mere thumbrest, as so many of them joke. Maybe a 40" scale would help, there are builders who have gone to 36" but of course, most strings don't fit.
There certainly are musical reasons to wish that the low B strings did work better, but I'd personally rather not play bad-sounding notes. :sad1: I built a five-string and went the opposite way - EADG&high C, just because I wanted them all to sound good. Again, watch how often five and six stringers actually play that sucker.
There certainly are musical reasons to wish that the low B strings did work better, but I'd personally rather not play bad-sounding notes. :sad1: I built a five-string and went the opposite way - EADG&high C, just because I wanted them all to sound good. Again, watch how often five and six stringers actually play that sucker.
rockskate4x
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well I for one won't play on the low B so I can sound "pretty" :evil4: 
arty07: :rock-on:
arty07: :rock-on:
line6man
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stubhead said:
And I would have to agree, even though I've never actually played a 5 string bass amplified.
B strings sound terrible.
Listen to this guy's wonderful F#BEA tuned Warwick Dark Lord btw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K57w9pdJPnY
Quite possibly the most irritating sound I've ever heard. If he would have started slapping that thing, I would have jammed a pen in my ears and ended it all. :dontknow:
Having strings flopping around like that is absolutely not an attractive sound. Why anyone could think that it is is just entirely beyond me.
To be fair, the high notes sound just as bad. :icon_scratch:
But I agree, that to a certain extent the low B string doesn't sound quite the same as the others, though in my case this may be because my 5-string bass is a cheap Washburn with pickups that probably weren't designed for 5 strings.
But I agree, that to a certain extent the low B string doesn't sound quite the same as the others, though in my case this may be because my 5-string bass is a cheap Washburn with pickups that probably weren't designed for 5 strings.
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom
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Well before we all dog pile that sound, there's room for everything and everyone in this world, even the stuff we don't particularly care for. That percussive stings flopping on the fretboard is nothing new. Fieldy has been doing that with Korn since the mid 90s, and it's one of the most criticized and sought after tones in recent memory. And while I don't care for it, it can support a band that's going for that sound. Most any bass track (or any other instrument) when isolated and not heard within the full band context can sound crappy.
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
good point. i used to love Korn, and still kind of like that technique. i guess it's all about placement. this guy with his bass tuned to F# might sound awful in a room by himself, but might sound awesome in a full band setting with the right vibe to it.
line6man
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Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
Well, my tone is the opposite.
My tone sounds great on it's own, but I don't know if it would work at all in a band.
This is not a question of musical context though. I don't care what you do with the floppy string tone, it's going to sound like shit to my ears, because a floppy string banging against the board is an unattractive sound to begin with. :dontknow:
here's my two cents.
I played roots Reggea for many years on an Alembic Essence four string set up BEAD . I ran this through a Steve Rabe SWR sm400 with the original Goliath 4-10. we filled the house with an EV based system run by a sound man. Never had any complaints and we were a very popular band. Hope this helps with your decision.
I played roots Reggea for many years on an Alembic Essence four string set up BEAD . I ran this through a Steve Rabe SWR sm400 with the original Goliath 4-10. we filled the house with an EV based system run by a sound man. Never had any complaints and we were a very popular band. Hope this helps with your decision.
clearerphish
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I tune mine BEADG. 
