My idea for tuning a bass to cope with a low F on a guitar

Kronpox · 09-17-2008, 11:26 PM

So my band is going to switch to 8 strings soon (whenever they arrive

), and we've been pulling our hair out trying to figure out what to do with the bass. We'd tune to the same octave, but we're not going to be playing on the low strings all the time and playing on a higher Bb and Eb would probably sound wimpy. We don't want to tune an octave down because that's hard to handle with cheap bass rigs. So, my zany idea is to tune F Bb Eb Ab Db like we planned, but tune the F an octave up so it's like the 2nd fret on the Eb. So when we're gnarl-ing on the low Fs we're in unison, and when we go up to the higher strings we're an octave down like any normal metal band.

Basically I want other people's opinions on of this is a retarded idea or not. It's all hypothetical until we receive the 8s and try this out, but input would be appreciated

All_¥our_Bass · 09-17-2008, 11:50 PM

I think that would be really cool.

TomAwesome · 09-18-2008, 12:17 AM

Why do that instead of just playing the same notes on the Eb string?

Kronpox · 09-18-2008, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomAwesome

Why do that instead of just playing the same notes on the Eb string?

ease mainly, it would be a lot easier to play everything the way we're used to be playing it as opposed to trying to figure out how to pick something two frets and two strings higher than we're used to every time the guitars play something on the low F.

TomAwesome · 09-18-2008, 01:58 AM

I guess. Well, if it works right for you, do it!

Variant · 09-18-2008, 02:27 AM

Actually, that's not zany at all... that way you're using the same fingering going from one instrument to another. Another neat idea to reinforce the unison idea might be to try a double-course bass (eight string, maybe) with a F1/F1 - Bb0/Bb1 - Eb2/Eb3 - Ab3/Ab4 kinda setup, you know?

Crucified · 09-18-2008, 10:42 AM

or get yourself a longer scale bass and and use a big thick assed string. the 175 on my warwick wasn't ideal but it didn't sound bad.

MerlinTKD · 09-18-2008, 11:36 AM

I was going to say, why not tune Bb Eb F Ab Db, but I realized that would totally mess up any runs you did.

Besides, have the 'lowest' string be higher pitched than the rest is kind of banjo-like, and could make for some seriously cool runs right there!

Kronpox · 09-18-2008, 04:09 PM

Banjo-like death metal in low F tuning

We don't really have budget for a new bass (our band doesn't even really have a 'bassist', our old bassist left and lately the rhythm guitarist has been using my bass rig), so we're trying to get by with what we have. Which isn't bad, but definitely isn't specialized for low low tunings. We'll try an F an octave down, but I don't have high hopes, so I'm just hypothesizing.

next up; bass mod picstory - replacement banjo body

B Lopez · 09-18-2008, 04:53 PM

Thats what I'd do if my bass had enough strings

gaunten · 09-18-2008, 07:22 PM

you know, that's basically what meshuggah do, but your way of doing it, tuning the lowest string up, makes it easier for the bassist to follow riffs on the Eb string.
my bassist friend will probably try tuning his 5 stringer drop A, and my guitar will be EADGCFAD, so on the low E riffs, he just plays from the fourth string up, and on the low A riffs, he plays his lowest string, but differently because of the drop tuning of course. since most our songs will be based around low E or A, it doesn't matter much with the D string.

MF_Kitten · 10-01-2008, 03:27 PM

when you´re doing the whole lowest-string-is-unison thing, i´d reommend having a thick string for it, so it´s pretty tight, while everything from the B and on should have thinner strings. that way, it´ll sound more balanced, instead of the unison parts sounding whimp-assed :P

eleven59 · 10-01-2008, 09:49 PM

I've been thinking about how to handle low-F# lately, since my guitarists want to get 8-strings, the issue is that I'll still want to be comfortable playing on the higher strings, and I don't want to do a strange tuning.

So far I'm thinking:

-Custom long-scale 5-string tuned F#BEAD (Knuckle Quake Bass?)
-35"-scale 6-string tuned F#BEADG
-34"-scale 5-string tuned F#BEAD (unison with guitars)

I know I want at least a 5-string. I'll hopefully still be able to use my Jazz Bass for our B-tuned songs (as I'm assuming we will be doing some songs on the 7-strings and some on the 8-strings), as I really don't like the idea of playing the whole set on a 6-string bass with the low-F#, or trying to play some of our riffs on a longer-scale bass (I have a hard time with some of the stretches as it is).

Also, where on earth do you find heavy enough strings without spending $30-40+ for a single string?

thorninyorspine · 11-12-2008, 03:46 PM

Get a 6 string bass , drop the high string off. Bump the other 5 down , and add a thick ass stif string "cable" above the b and tune to the same as the 8 string. Thats what im going to try.

TomAwesome · 11-12-2008, 03:50 PM

Wow, that's a tiny-ass font.

Metal Ken · 11-12-2008, 03:55 PM

Alternately: Tune up

thorninyorspine · 11-12-2008, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomAwesome

Wow, that's a tiny-ass font.

Yeah sorry bout that !

gaunten · 11-12-2008, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorninyorspine

Get a 6 string bass , drop the high string off. Bump the other 5 down , and add a thick ass stif string "cable" above the b and tune to the same as the 8 string. Thats what im going to try.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomAwesome

Wow, that's a tiny-ass font.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorninyorspine

Yeah sorry bout that !

MF_Kitten · 11-15-2008, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorninyorspine

Yeah sorry bout that !

get your nick from Korn - Lost, off the Life is Peachy album, did you?

or am i completely off here? :P

also, for the OP, how´s the idea coming along?

Kronpox · 11-18-2008, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MF_Kitten

also, for the OP, how´s the idea coming along?

we ended up tuning the guitars down to Eb instead of F so we decided to not get complicated and just tune the bass down a half step so its 4th string is in unison with the low string on the guitars. We might tune it to drop Ab so when the guitars are on the higher strings the bass can drop down but right now it sounds pretty good as is

edit; basically it's gaunten's idea a half-step down

Stephen · 11-26-2008, 01:26 PM

i just use a capo me when i record if I'm doing 8 string based stuff, then when I'm not i take the capo off.

Just a quick fix really. Plus i'm not a bassist, i just play it on my own recordings/ideas

bulletbass man · 11-26-2008, 07:59 PM

What you can do is upon arrival of your 8s tune two steps down. With a 6 string bass tune to drop A. On the fourth string you'll both be on e. And then he can also play lower notes as well as runing unison all the time gets very very boring.

Thats what I have my bassist do in my band. But he uses a 4 and I use a 7.

Kronpox · 11-27-2008, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bulletbass man

runing unison all the time gets very very boring.

I never really understand this thinking. If a riff is boring then a riff is boring, and if a riff isn't boring then how does guitar and bass playing the same note make it any /more/ boring? I understand the philosophy, but I also understand that for a lot of music, especially metal, the role of the bass is to either provide or strongly reinforce the root note, and if the bass is going off and doing different things for the sake of doing different things, then it loses focus.

I mean, I agree with you and am planning on implementing a tuning like that just so the bass can go lower when the guitars go higher, but I just never liked the thought of that you have to stray from root notes exactly so many times in an album before your bass work will be considered 'interesting'.

sorry rant.

TonalArchitect · 11-27-2008, 09:39 PM

^ I agree.

Also, I like the unison for really low, octave for everything else.

Alternatively, maybe harmonize with fifth and fourth intervals, or use other intervals, have a 2nd inversion chord made by the bass (assuming that the guitars are playing fifths).

So yeah, do something different. Don't be bound to tradition, especially the LOWER IZ HEVIEYER, OKTUV TEH BICH! thing.

I think it would be really interesting to move among the use of unison bass, doubling an octave lower, and harmonizing in non-perfect intervals.

knuckle_head · 12-04-2008, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kronpox

we ended up tuning the guitars down to Eb instead of F so we decided to not get complicated and just tune the bass down a half step so its 4th string is in unison with the low string on the guitars. We might tune it to drop Ab so when the guitars are on the higher strings the bass can drop down but right now it sounds pretty good as is

edit; basically it's gaunten's idea a half-step down

You could drop one more half step AND have the bass an octave down if you want to...

If you go to Conklin's site they sell a .195 that is suitable for octave E tuning on a 34" scale bass. There are better ways to do it, but this one is simplest.

09-17-2008, 11:26 PM	#1
Kronpox shrent? shrent. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 790 Thanked: 17	My idea for tuning a bass to cope with a low F on a guitar So my band is going to switch to 8 strings soon (whenever they arrive ), and we've been pulling our hair out trying to figure out what to do with the bass. We'd tune to the same octave, but we're not going to be playing on the low strings all the time and playing on a higher Bb and Eb would probably sound wimpy. We don't want to tune an octave down because that's hard to handle with cheap bass rigs. So, my zany idea is to tune F Bb Eb Ab Db like we planned, but tune the F an octave up so it's like the 2nd fret on the Eb. So when we're gnarl-ing on the low Fs we're in unison, and when we go up to the higher strings we're an octave down like any normal metal band. Basically I want other people's opinions on of this is a retarded idea or not. It's all hypothetical until we receive the 8s and try this out, but input would be appreciated __________________ www.myspace.com/kronpoxmusic www.myspace.com/symbionicmusic www.myspace.com/brideofthemonster www.myspace.com/nephelium

09-17-2008, 11:50 PM	#2
All_¥our_Bass Ping-Chan <3s Pie Join Date: May 2006 Location: T3H 1NT@RW3BZ!!!!1!11!! Posts: 4,291 Thanked: 58	I think that would be really cool. __________________ STARBUCKS IST KRIEG!! "In Soviet Russia, Rose Funeral gets beat up for not playing UNO" - SerratedSkies "Wait, so he has THREE noise gates?!" - PirateMetalTroy "Your man gland detected that the bread to bacon ratio was entirely too high and rejected it." - Konfyouzd

09-18-2008, 12:17 AM	#3
TomAwesome I LIKE JUICE!!! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 7,332 Thanked: 38	Why do that instead of just playing the same notes on the Eb string? __________________ "Tom, you're like 1 part a serious dork, and 2 parts the most awesome fucking guy ever." -

09-18-2008, 01:58 AM	#5
TomAwesome I LIKE JUICE!!! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 7,332 Thanked: 38	I guess. Well, if it works right for you, do it! __________________ "Tom, you're like 1 part a serious dork, and 2 parts the most awesome fucking guy ever." -

09-18-2008, 10:42 AM	#7
Crucified Deathgrind Maniac Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Victoria BC Posts: 1,828 Thanked: 57 $Crucified is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Crucified is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Crucified is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Crucified is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Crucified is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Crucified is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$ $Crucified is rather kvlt and tr00. \m/$	or get yourself a longer scale bass and and use a big thick assed string. the 175 on my warwick wasn't ideal but it didn't sound bad. __________________ ------------------------ Don't talk shit about total.

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09-18-2008, 02:27 AM	#6
Variant CORE FREE SINCE 1977 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,864 Thanked: 50	Actually, that's not zany at all... that way you're using the same fingering going from one instrument to another. Another neat idea to reinforce the unison idea might be to try a double-course bass (eight string, maybe) with a F1/F1 - Bb0/Bb1 - Eb2/Eb3 - Ab3/Ab4 kinda setup, you know?

09-18-2008, 11:36 AM	#8
MerlinTKD 7-String Drummer! Join Date: May 2007 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 2,552 Thanked: 20	I was going to say, why not tune Bb Eb F Ab Db, but I realized that would totally mess up any runs you did. Besides, have the 'lowest' string be higher pitched than the rest is kind of banjo-like, and could make for some seriously cool runs right there! __________________ Mer7in / Anonimosity Music @ Myspace Facebook SoundClick Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage. ~ Maya Angelou I like a little rebellion now and then. It's like a storm in the atmosphere. ~ Thomas Jefferson

09-18-2008, 04:09 PM	#9
Kronpox shrent? shrent. Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 790 Thanked: 17	Banjo-like death metal in low F tuning We don't really have budget for a new bass (our band doesn't even really have a 'bassist', our old bassist left and lately the rhythm guitarist has been using my bass rig), so we're trying to get by with what we have. Which isn't bad, but definitely isn't specialized for low low tunings. We'll try an F an octave down, but I don't have high hopes, so I'm just hypothesizing. next up; bass mod picstory - replacement banjo body __________________ www.myspace.com/kronpoxmusic www.myspace.com/symbionicmusic www.myspace.com/brideofthemonster www.myspace.com/nephelium

09-18-2008, 04:53 PM	#10
B Lopez Vescere bracis meis. Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Killafornia Posts: 3,469 Thanked: 74	Thats what I'd do if my bass had enough strings __________________ UNSCARED "...The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." -J.S. Mill "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will." -Vince Lombardi

09-18-2008, 07:22 PM	#11
gaunten WUUUUAAAAAAAAH!!! Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Örkelljunga Sweden Posts: 621 Thanked: 20	you know, that's basically what meshuggah do, but your way of doing it, tuning the lowest string up, makes it easier for the bassist to follow riffs on the Eb string. my bassist friend will probably try tuning his 5 stringer drop A, and my guitar will be EADGCFAD, so on the low E riffs, he just plays from the fourth string up, and on the low A riffs, he plays his lowest string, but differently because of the drop tuning of course. since most our songs will be based around low E or A, it doesn't matter much with the D string. __________________ Here's a little riddle bout a when I was a little toddle, piddle in the puddle and my head was in a muddle you can sing it when you're sad, you can sing it when you're mad, you can sing it in the shower come along the latest's Gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia to gaia www.myspace.com/scorneddisciple www.myspace.com/nattsmyg

10-01-2008, 03:27 PM	#12
MF_Kitten Me=Pain in the ASS! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Lillehammer, Norway Posts: 5,705 Thanked: 218	when you´re doing the whole lowest-string-is-unison thing, i´d reommend having a thick string for it, so it´s pretty tight, while everything from the B and on should have thinner strings. that way, it´ll sound more balanced, instead of the unison parts sounding whimp-assed :P __________________ -------------------------------------- Rhythm In Jump. Dancing Close To You.

10-01-2008, 09:49 PM	#13
eleven59 Free Agent Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 7,739 Thanked: 149	I've been thinking about how to handle low-F# lately, since my guitarists want to get 8-strings, the issue is that I'll still want to be comfortable playing on the higher strings, and I don't want to do a strange tuning. So far I'm thinking: -Custom long-scale 5-string tuned F#BEAD (Knuckle Quake Bass?) -35"-scale 6-string tuned F#BEADG -34"-scale 5-string tuned F#BEAD (unison with guitars) I know I want at least a 5-string. I'll hopefully still be able to use my Jazz Bass for our B-tuned songs (as I'm assuming we will be doing some songs on the 7-strings and some on the 8-strings), as I really don't like the idea of playing the whole set on a 6-string bass with the low-F#, or trying to play some of our riffs on a longer-scale bass (I have a hard time with some of the stretches as it is). Also, where on earth do you find heavy enough strings without spending $30-40+ for a single string? __________________ Aaron VanDuynhoven on Myspace Aaron VanDuynhoven on Facebook Your Extended Network

11-12-2008, 03:46 PM	#14
thorninyorspine ss.org Regular Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Plantation MI Posts: 2 Thanked: 0	Get a 6 string bass , drop the high string off. Bump the other 5 down , and add a thick ass stif string "cable" above the b and tune to the same as the 8 string. Thats what im going to try.

11-12-2008, 03:50 PM	#15
TomAwesome I LIKE JUICE!!! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 7,332 Thanked: 38	Wow, that's a tiny-ass font. __________________ "Tom, you're like 1 part a serious dork, and 2 parts the most awesome fucking guy ever." -

11-12-2008, 03:55 PM	#16
Metal Ken Hates the Air • Super Moderator • Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 17,673 Thanked: 81	Alternately: Tune up __________________ Since the Bible and the church are obviously mistaken in telling us where we came from, how can we trust them to tell us where we are going? Didn't you say... Jesus was coming?

11-26-2008, 01:26 PM	#21
Stephen Collibus Join Date: May 2006 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 348 Thanked: 13	i just use a capo me when i record if I'm doing 8 string based stuff, then when I'm not i take the capo off. Just a quick fix really. Plus i'm not a bassist, i just play it on my own recordings/ideas __________________ Collibus - Manchester Progressive Metal Band

11-26-2008, 07:59 PM	#22
bulletbass man Classical & Metal Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: King of Prussia Posts: 1,573 Thanked: 8	What you can do is upon arrival of your 8s tune two steps down. With a 6 string bass tune to drop A. On the fourth string you'll both be on e. And then he can also play lower notes as well as runing unison all the time gets very very boring. Thats what I have my bassist do in my band. But he uses a 4 and I use a 7.

11-27-2008, 09:39 PM	#24
TonalArchitect Augmented Chords! Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rapid City, SD Posts: 1,495 Thanked: 11	^ I agree. Also, I like the unison for really low, octave for everything else. Alternatively, maybe harmonize with fifth and fourth intervals, or use other intervals, have a 2nd inversion chord made by the bass (assuming that the guitars are playing fifths). So yeah, do something different. Don't be bound to tradition, especially the LOWER IZ HEVIEYER, OKTUV TEH BICH! thing. I think it would be really interesting to move among the use of unison bass, doubling an octave lower, and harmonizing in non-perfect intervals. __________________ I'll just pull my santa hat down over my eyes and think about Batman fighting a bear. -TomAwesome

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My idea for tuning a bass to cope with a low F on a guitar