# 6 String Bass Tuning



## Czar_4514 (Jul 28, 2011)

I play an Ibanez 6 string bass and haven't really tuned lower than Drop C but Im going to be trying out for a band and they are in Drop Ab.Now I feel like a complete noob but what exactly is Drop Ab tuning for 6 string bass and what gauge strings do you recommend?

The music is a very progressive feel.


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## Origin (Jul 28, 2011)

Drop Ab would require tuning down the low B string 3 semitones and the rest one semitone, I'm pretty sure. So high to low it would be

B
Gb
Db
Ab
Eb
Ab

I'd recommend a fairly thick gauge compared to regular ones, but nothing insanely huge. It's not short-scale so slightly thick strings would do fine


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## Demeyes (Jul 28, 2011)

I'd tune the whole six strings down a half step with a dropped low string to AbEbAbDbGbB. I'm not sure what gauge would be best, what scale is the bass?


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## Czar_4514 (Jul 28, 2011)

Its a 34' scale length.
I like how GHS Boomers feel but I dont think they make 6-string bass strings if Im not mistaken.What would you recommend? 

And thanks again you guys.


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## SirMyghin (Jul 28, 2011)

for Ab you are going to want at least a .135 on the Ab, that is about the biggest 'standard' size unfortunately. This is the plight of 34" scales, maybe try DR DDTs or something, I use a .125 of that inplace of the .135 I used to use for low B on my 5 banger and it feels better and is very clear. I would still go heavier for lower though.


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## danieluber1337 (Jul 29, 2011)

I would try Elixir strings.

I.

Love.

Elixir.




Strings.

I'm trying to see if they will manufacture a 0.060" gauge string for guitar, and make a 7-string set that's for drop G or Ab.

They only make a 5-string set, but you can add a 6th string. Here's the link. I would recommend their standard 5-string set along with the 0.135" string. That is, if you don't mind buying online. I think it's totally worth it though... especially for bass. Their strings keep their clarity for a longer time, due to how they put the coating on it.


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## Czar_4514 (Jul 29, 2011)

I think Im just gonna buy a complete set.My old ones are pretty worn out and I want to have that new string sound so now I know where to get em at.Thanks for the tips.


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## danieluber1337 (Jul 29, 2011)

No prob.

Welcome to sevenstring.org


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## ZEBOV (Jul 29, 2011)

There's no sense in using a drop tuning on bass because you're not playing chords with it.

EDIT: Well, not with the lower strings.


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## thedarkoceans (Jul 29, 2011)

i tuned in that way on my fender jazz bass 5 string for a while.if it hasnt got 35" scale dont do it.


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## Winspear (Jul 29, 2011)

I use this tuning on 35". D'addario .145 gauge, JUST about cuts it so I wouldn't go any thinner on a 34". 
I buy a 4 string set and two singles (superlong so they don't taper off too early).

EXL170SL 
XB145SL 
XLB032


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## Explorer (Jul 29, 2011)

I've never really considered using a drop tuning on bass. I guess I think of bass as a form of melodic instrument, with double stops and chords being a rarity. 

I always think of drop tunings which break the fourths pattern on guitar being necessary for some because it makes it easier for them to hold down certain chords and to just easily reach across to hit the octave/fifth/fourth of a particular chord. 

I'm curious. What is the motivation for using a drop tuning on bass? What advantages come from breaking the fourths bass pattern? Is anyone who's doing this coming from a background of bass playing, or does this come from someone just mirroring what they already do on guitar?

If the latter... does this mean that the basslines being played just mirror the same sonic and rhythmic space of the guitar as well? How do you make the basslines distinctive, in that case?

I own a couple of basses, 4-, 5- and 6-string, fretted and fretless, and I think of them as distinct instruments from my ERGs, with distinct techniques. I'm always interested to hear of different approaches, and the motivations behind those.


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## Waelstrum (Jul 29, 2011)

Yeah, whenever people want to mirror the bass and guitar tunings, it normally seems to me like the majority of the basslines are intended to be doubling the rhythm guitar down an octave. I'm not saying that's a good or bad thing, it is certainly a good way to get that heavy homophonic metal sound.

It's not just limited to metal and guitars, though. Many double basses have extensions on the low string to get down to low C to allow the doubling of cello lines.


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## Winspear (Jul 29, 2011)

Yep I also drop tune my bass to mirror guitar riffs. It's not the only way, no, but in my opinion it usually is going to sound best. Of course different fills here and there to make the bass line stand out, and distinct sections where the bass is upfront doing something different.

It just makes sense to me to be able to mirror shapes that the guitar plays, on bass. Not necessarily chords, but riffs using arpeggios, etc. 

Having the bass in drop tuning makes it easier to mirror the guitar whenever you do wish to do so, and doesn't make anything else any harder in my opinion.


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## Waelstrum (Jul 29, 2011)

Is having a fifth there not a bit hard for scalic (sp) runs on the bottom strings? It seems like quite a stretch, I can only just make that sort of stretch on a 34" bass at around the 5th fret, and at that point it's basically guitar fret size.


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## Winspear (Jul 29, 2011)

^ True. I've thought about it before when playing guitar, even, and it's my only problem with drop tuning. That said, I don't really tend to do runs on the bottom strings. 
I guess it definitely depends on your playing style. 
I'm soon getting a guitar in EA EADGBE tuning, and my playing style is illustrated there. No runs on the bottom strings, just played like a 6 string guitar with octaves available at the same fret. I guess my bass playing is similar as I tend to follow the guitar on anything involving low strings. Unique lines I tend to always play much higher.


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## SirMyghin (Jul 29, 2011)

Explorer said:


> I'm curious. What is the motivation for using a drop tuning on bass? What advantages come from breaking the fourths bass pattern? Is anyone who's doing this coming from a background of bass playing, or does this come from someone just mirroring what they already do on guitar?



Mirroring and boring basslines is the name of the game. You see it with guitars too, everyone wants the entire band in the same tuning for some reason. I used to play with a guitarist who dropped D when I played a 4 bang, I did not drop with him. My bass lines are a little meatier and melodic than that. Not static.


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## ixlramp (Jul 29, 2011)

EtherealEntity said:


> I use this tuning on 35". D'addario .145 gauge, JUST about cuts it so I wouldn't go any thinner on a 34".



This is exactly my experience too. A D'Addario .145 at Ab on 35" is at the limit of good tone. On 34" it might just work (I would recommend 145 + 100-40set + 28)

Even better is a specially designed 'drop tune' set from Circle K Strings: Circle K Strings - Standard Drop-tuned 6 Strings. These 'balanced tension' sets have gauges chosen to result in equal tension on each string in the drop tuning. I recommend the .150 set or heavier, the Ab will sound much better than a .145.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Jul 29, 2011)

> Explorer....
> 
> ...drop tunings which break the fourths pattern on guitar...



I was playing bass in a technical metal band .... chug chug chugga chug chug wwwweeee ooppp chug chugga ....

Morse code metal, if you will.

There was a long period where I refused to play in a drop tuning on my 6 string bass, but practicality forced me to relent and tune my bass the same as the guitarist.

Drop tuning creates stretches that just aren't worth the bother on bass.

But I would definitely mention that playing in drop tuning stifles the imagination as the cycle of fourths is broken!

Let's say your a genius, probably not then, but for learners it is a crippling habit. That's what I saw anyway. Not one of my drop D or lower die hard friends ever got great at lead or chordal playing, but did all develope unique takes on the complex rythmn metal style.

Anyway... Bass thread = Gratuitous Bass Videos!!!









And one of my teachers... Mr Dave Marks! :hugs: +9 chords


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## Explorer (Jul 29, 2011)

I dunno... the idea of the bassline always being in lockstep with the guitar just seems like a lost opportunity to make one's music interesting. However, it *does provide* an opportunity... for those who want to build something which stands out from that lockstep crowd.

Even just using a pedal point can make something so much heavier on a four-string bass than any amount of downtuning. 




I guess it's all up to personal preference. I don't like traditional Irish music seisúns for the same reason; everyone playing the same thing in unison just holds no interest for me, and I'd rather go to the most basic jazz or blues jam instead. 

Horses for courses, I suppose.


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## SirMyghin (Jul 30, 2011)

Explorer said:


> I dunno... the idea of the bassline always being in lockstep with the guitar just seems like a lost opportunity to make one's music interesting. However, it *does provide* an opportunity... for those who want to build something which stands out from that lockstep crowd.



I'm not really quite sure what happened to basslines, but I pin it around the 80s (as the 50s, 60s, and 70s had some great bass lines and players) that they started shadowing guitar, and playing a lot more root static lines. Nothing but a octave under the guitar constantly. Kind of like all the bass players were used up and people were looking for a spot in their band for a friend and well, that works.  Somewhere along the way people forgot the bass was an instrument and effectively reduced it to a rhythmic tool for the guitarist, strictly their to enforce his bottom end. I have never understood this either, but I have neglected, or been barred from playing with folks over it. 

At the end of the day it always worked like this, I am going to play bass my way, and if you don't like it, I won't play. There tends to be a very good reason I don't play much metal on bass, for practice or otherwise.

This thread seems to have gone a bit astray, but hopefully it proves enlightening.


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## Explorer (Jul 30, 2011)

I just went to YouTube to find a video with someone doing a bass cover of one of my favorite songs... and I ran across one of the evils of tabulature. It's like everyone learned this song without ever really listening to the original... even though they're playing along to a recording of it! WTF?

Anyway... here's a piece I play anytime I get a new-to-me bass over the transom. (Today it was a minty Cort Curbow 6-strring, with amazingly low action and comfortable strings. Normally I'd immediately order the appropriate light-gauge Chromes, but this came in with Foderas on it, and I'm kind of liking how it is.)

Anyway, here's a track from one of the albums from which I first learned deep lessons about music composition. I bought it when it first came out, and devoured every composition, and learned every instrument line. I actually learned guitar from the piano, forever ruining me for normal chord voicings, and the basslines remain a thing of beauty.

So, from the album Aja from Steely Dan (and what could be more metal than being named after a steam-powered dildo in a William S. Burroughs' novel?), I present you with... Josie.


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## Waelstrum (Jul 30, 2011)

Explorer said:


> steam-powered dildo













Wow, I'm immature.


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## Czar_4514 (Jul 31, 2011)

Well what tuning would you recommend?The band plays in Drop Ab and I use a 6 string bass with 34' scale length.
If anyone has some alternate tunings that would please let me know.

And also,I dont mimic the guitar most of the time.Of course I do play the roots so some parts but on other sections of songs I do not usually mimic and copy what the guitarist is doing.I prefer going off and play a melody upon melody but of course while in key and not just some random crap.

So for the Low B get something in the .130-.145 range?


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## Czar_4514 (Jul 31, 2011)

And for the record,its not really just bland technical death metal.Actually,its not even death metal at all.Tis Progressive Metal.


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## thedarkoceans (Jul 31, 2011)

well,i technique used with 8 string guitars tuned to low F is "when the guitar goes down,the bass goes up to unison" and it is cool,if the bass hasnt got a muddy tone.you could easily tune to Ab in a 34" i often do it.but you should keep only the bridge pick up (in my huble opinion).
take care


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## Waelstrum (Jul 31, 2011)

If I were in that band, I'd probably keep my bass tuned the way it is (F# B E A D G C F) because that's where I know all the notes are.

You say that you already learned bass in drop C, so you're used to having that p5 between the lowest strings. If you plan on doubling the guitar parts (there's nothing wrong with that), it makes sense to use the same tuning down an octave for ease of learning. If you don't plan on doubling for the most part, you can pretty much tune however you like. However, I would make sure, for the sake of keeping my options open, to keep the lowest at least an octave below the lowest guitar note.

Also, as someone else mentioned, that low Ab is low enough that you can quite effectively play in the sam octave as the guitar and still get a quite heavy timbre, see Meshuggah* for reference.

Since you're used to drop C, I'd suggest Ab0 Eb1 Ab1 Db2 Gb2 Cb2 (G#0 D#1 G#1 C#2 F#2 B2). For gauges, use this. First put in your current tuning and gauges to get the tension, then put in the desired tuning and tension to get the gauges.


*A personal first, I've finally recommended Meshuggah. It seems weird that I've been posting here this long and I've only now done it.


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## Winspear (Jul 31, 2011)

Well, like I said I see no problem with down tuning, it just makes more sense to me in riff-based scenarios and doesn't by definition stop you being an interesting bassist.

However, like thedarkoceans said above - "when the guitar goes down, the bass goes up to unison". That's what I'd suggest for tunings around F or so. Infact, G# is probably the limit at which I would play the bass an octave under the guitar. 
So I'd either tune to Ab Eb Ab Db Gb B with a .145 gauge string, or tune with an extra high string and play the Ab riffs on the higher Ab string.
However, that may not work well depending on the context of the riffs. I think an octave lower works better until you hit F# or lower.


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## Lon (Jul 31, 2011)

so, the biggest advantage of droptuning is... thinner strings, you avoid a lot of problems because you can tune up the full step, AND be honest in droptune-territories you cant use the lowest string for melody anyways because it will just cloud and shit over the arngement big-time, maybe try viewing it as a standard-tuning 5 string whilst having a lower string exclusively for doubling guitars.

in my progmetal band we use bass melodies and arpeggios a lot for laying down a moving and energetic foundation, but usually these arpeggios never have notes below the F2/G2 because it gets too muddy in the whole arrangement, but we play in drop C (standard C on bass)


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## ixlramp (Jul 31, 2011)

Czar_4514 said:


> Well what tuning would you recommend?The band plays in Drop Ab and I use a 6 string bass with 34' scale length.
> If anyone has some alternate tunings that would please let me know.
> 
> And also,I dont mimic the guitar most of the time.Of course I do play the roots so some parts but on other sections of songs I do not usually mimic and copy what the guitarist is doing.I prefer going off and play a melody upon melody but of course while in key and not just some random crap.



I would recommend keeping the familiar all-fourths tuning but starting on Ab, this is BEADGC detuned by 3 semitones, Ab Db Gb B E A. Circle K Strings sets are here: Circle K Strings - Standard Balanced 6 Strings I recommend the .150 (light), .158 or .166 (medium) sets . Or with other brands no less than a .145 for Ab.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Jul 31, 2011)

Like I said before, the reality is, if a piece was composed for a specific tuning it is usually best to play it in that tuning.

....

*eye roll emoticon insert here*

....

It just saves brain ache. And finger strain.

.....

that's what I found after trying really hard NOT to do down tune and play Properly. 

Onto the other interesting discussion in this thread; What happened to Bass players!!!!

My little theory was exposed by my choice of videos. They're all the ones a modern bass player is supposed to know, like how to play Victor Wooten chops or Stu Hamm tapping licks as "Audition Busters". Then when it comes time to play, throw all that out the window and play unisons with the guitarist all the time.

It's kind of in the name: A Band...

I love unison playing. Why should the guitarist get to play all the good licks while the bass player just plays roots to the kick drum?

My feeling is that the bass playing super egos (as I presented earlier on the 1st page) killed off imagination and the will to present it to an audience.

In metal there's no frequency range left for bass noodles. My choice is to play a sound reinforcement role with the single minded objective of NEVER BEING HEARD, EVER. If I play perfect it will be as if I am not there but the band sounds amazing. It's like being the goal keeper in a soccer team; boring but important.

Generally being a live Boss OC-2 for the guitarist keeps the best level of presentation for a performance. If something special is required no problem, but the music will inform that choice.

There's a great bass player at a jam I go to. He plays all the mad "$£%. Genius. All I hear is "yeah, he's a genius .. but he gets in the way all the time..." etc. etc.

It's the fate of modern bass players to be a utility instrument. I remember playing tapping solo's through delays and FX at my first ever bass gigs, coming off stage to hear people all over the bar complaining that although they liked it and were impressed bass players just don't do those sorts of things.

Just look at John Myung in Dream Theater. No one has ever heard him! He's too tight. 

I'm Pro Unison Bass playing. 

Hardest thing to play on bass : Malmsteen - Black star

4 minutes of doing ONLY a sliding octave will carve the flesh to the bone and induce agony and blood loss. I was recording it for fun... Looped it due to digital damage. 

Solo bass or songs written to feature bass are TOTALLY different!!! Be free ! 

It's all about presenting a lyric, at the end of the day.


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## SirMyghin (Jul 31, 2011)

^^^


There is a different between playing a bit of front, and overplaying out front, but to except nothing but unisons is a terrible waste of a player. That bass player at your jams sounds good but immature, you need to be able to walk the line and know when to cross it. If the music has no room for anything but bass unisons, it doesn't need to bass in the first place. A band should be greater than the sum of its parts, but by having such constraining rolls, you will be lucky to get by as the sum of the parts. You effectively have one member not contributing in the slightest to the music itself (filling out frequency in unison is not contributing in a meaningful way, it is doing the bare minimum).

This type of philosophy is likely a very large reason why I don't play in metal bands


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## ixlramp (Jul 31, 2011)

Czar_4514 said:


> If anyone has some alternate tunings that would please let me know.



You want an alternative tuning? Okay ... all fifths AbEbBbFCG, my 6 string was tuned to this for a while. The range of an 8 string bass or keyboard, 5 octaves, so you can play really low and really high, chords in fifths tuning are very beautiful.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Jul 31, 2011)

@Sirmyghin



> You effectively have one member not contributing in the slightest to the music itself (filling out frequency in unison is not contributing in a meaningful way, it is doing the bare minimum).



It's a job, man. Don't knock it.




After learning to play Wooten, Pastorius, Mark King, Marcus Miller, Dream Theater and seeing many bands with many approaches and playing bass for 12 years: predominantly unisons in metal is my verdict.

Of course there will be variety, but as a general rule begin from unisons and then expand to taste.

Vocal is king, don't get in the way.

Just my thoughts.

Of course I love playing the good stuff, but click track metal requires a tightness I think, as a bass player and guitarist, can only be created through predominantly unisons.

You make the parts fun anyway, otherwise you wouldn't play them in the first place.

I totally agree with what your saying and dislike my approach entirely; it's just my experience that it is the most complimentary way to play modern metal. 

And there's no denying that matching a guitarist with 60-10's on 135-35 bass strings (with the weight and bulk, too) requires a high level of instrumental precision and skill. I would be much worse as a guitarist if I hadn't spent so much time with bass. No doubt.

Most importantly, every musician does it differently and THAT is the joy of music.


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## Czar_4514 (Jul 31, 2011)

ixlramp said:


> I would recommend keeping the familiar all-fourths tuning but starting on Ab, this is BEADGC detuned by 3 semitones, Ab Db Gb B E A. Circle K Strings sets are here: Circle K Strings - Standard Balanced 6 Strings I recommend the .150 (light), .158 or .166 (medium) sets . Or with other brands no less than a .145 for Ab.


 

So would the .142 .106 .079 .059 .043 .031 pack work?

And for the record,I use standard 6 string tuning(BEADGC)and not the F#BEADG tuning.


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## ixlramp (Aug 1, 2011)

Czar_4514 said:


> So would the .142 .106 .079 .059 .043 .031 pack work?
> 
> And for the record,I use standard 6 string tuning(BEADGC)and not the F#BEADG tuning.



You're asking if it will work for BEADGC? Yes, that set will be medium tension (43 pounds) when tuned BEADGC. Also you can detune it by 3 semitones, it will have extra-light tension (30 pounds) when tuned Ab standard.
Circle K tension chart here: http://circlekstrings.com/CKSIMAGES/CircleKtensionChart.pdf


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## SirMyghin (Aug 1, 2011)

Ryan-ZenGtr- said:


> @Sirmyghin
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Not knocking your appraoch or job (hell whatever pays the bills), which for me is not music. So I can afford to be whimsical and turn stuff down. I used to play wooten type stuff, then I got bad thumb tendinitis, and since have not gone back down that road (I did manage to get my body back pain free though, which is more important. Most of my effort is more towards solo composition through multiple instruments, so I can build each of my tracks from the ground up for my needs. It is just hobby, afterall. 

Having a day career however lets me be very choosy about who I bother to play alongside . I also have more than a decade on bass, chasing you at 11 years. I am a bassist who pretends to play guitar a fair deal.


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