# Bass tuning for Drop G#



## xenochris

I tune my 7 to drop G# (at the moment) and I was curious as to what bass tuning people would recommend for that tuning. I just think that tuning the bass that low gets too floppy and sounds like a fart, without getting some thick strings that cost a fortune, but I think drop G# would be a stretch to tune up to, like Meshuggah does with F, which is my favorite bass sound. I've read that Periphery plays some songs in Drop G# as well but I have no idea what their bass is tuned to. 

Any suggestions?


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## Andii

I'm tuned to G#/Ab on a 35in scale with a .130 and it's really comfortable.


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## TemjinStrife

Periphery does Drop A on a bass with a 37" scale on the low string


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## ixlramp

Just my opinion of course but .130 is too loose for G#.

D'Addario make .145s in steel and nickel. They're not expensive, super flexible, great tone. I used them on my 35 inch scale bass and found that the detuning limit was G# without losing that superb tone.

So I would recommend a bass in drop G#. Circle K Strings make tension balanced sets for drop tuning:

Circle K Strings - Circle K Strings

Perhaps a .142 or .150 drop tune set on a 35 inch scale?


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## DaveCarter

Im curious about this too, Im about to start recording some stuff in G# and Im not sure how to approach the bass parts. I only have a 4-string bass so I plan to buy a 5 but I need to find a cheapish one with a long enough scale, minimum 35". Some people have said that for G# the bass doesnt have to be on octave below, and you can just use the same octave, but that idea doesnt appeal to me personally. I know Chimp Spanner recently mentioned he was thinking of using a synth to produce the tones that his bass cant reach, so there's another possibility!


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## xenochris

At the moment I only have a 4 string bass as well with a 33" scale, so would .145's be too thick for it? 

Or would getting thinner strings and tuning up to G# and playing in the same octave sound good?


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## Andii

Tuning up the bass to the guitar octave in G# would not work well.

Meshuggah puts the bass in F, but that's really pushing it. Any tighter than F and it's going to sound like a cruddy sounding guitar and not retain the characteristics of the bass. 

You should be fine with the .143 set.


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## Waelstrum

If you want to play in unison, you could down tune to EbAbDbGb and play on the 3rd string, or if you want to match the tuning of your guitar, you could tune the bottom strings down a half step and the top two up a half step to get EbAbEbAb.


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## Winspear

Got a 35". I used to play in B standard with a 130. Perfect. Going to drop A needs a 145. I can use this in drop G#, but I'd much prefer a longer scale length.


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## Andii

There are a lot of people with 35s posting in this thread. I never realized they were so common. 

What 35s do you people have?

Mine is a BTB776.


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## knuckle_head

I bet you'd find a .158 or .166 for G# would work best.

I dare not assume by 7 you mean guitar or bass specifically, so given that this is IMO what a decent string set would look like;

.166 .112 .084 .061 .043 .031 .021p

.158 .106 .080 .058 .043 .031 .021p

If you go as long as 36" or 37" you could go to a .150

No reason not to use a 4 string bass for this. My personal 4 is tuned to octave down E and I truly don't miss the lack of the traditional high side.


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## xenochris

knuckle_head said:


> I bet you'd find a .158 or .166 for G# would work best.
> 
> I dare not assume by 7 you mean guitar or bass specifically, so given that this is IMO what a decent string set would look like;
> 
> .166 .112 .084 .061 .043 .031 .021p
> 
> .158 .106 .080 .058 .043 .031 .021p
> 
> If you go as long as 36" or 37" you could go to a .150
> 
> No reason not to use a 4 string bass for this. My personal 4 is tuned to octave down E and I truly don't miss the lack of the traditional high side.


 
By 7 I mean guitar. What string gauge do you use for tuning down to E?


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## knuckle_head

xenochris said:


> By 7 I mean guitar. What string gauge do you use for tuning down to E?



I cheat - my bass is a Quake. It's got a 39.5" scale length so I can get away with a .174 or .182. I'm generally a high tension guy though.

I generally suggest a .190 or a .200 for E.

There's a guy on TalkBass that tuned his Thunderbird to E using a .182 - he seems to like the way it worked out.


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## Antimatter

In an interview once Danza's bassist said he used a .185 for E


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## knuckle_head

Antimatter said:


> In an interview once Danza's bassist said he used a .185 for E



Interesting...

Rule of thumb for shifting an octave is the 'double' rule; to go down a full octave you need to either double the scale length, or double the size/weight of the string. A .190 has about one pound less tension on it at 20 Hz E than a .100 has at 40 Hz E.


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## Antimatter

knuckle_head said:


> Interesting...
> 
> Rule of thumb for shifting an octave is the 'double' rule; to go down a full octave you need to either double the scale length, or double the size/weight of the string. A .190 has about one pound less tension on it at 20 Hz E than a .100 has at 40 Hz E.


 
I didn't know that
That's pretty interesting.


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## ixlramp

knuckle_head said:


> Rule of thumb for shifting an octave is the 'double' rule; to go down a full octave you need to either double the scale length, or double the size/weight of the string.



This works for other intervals too. Very roughly, for 2 equal tension strings on the same scale length, the gauge ratio is the frequency ratio:
Octave 2:1
Fourth 4:3
Fifth 3:2


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## Haunted

knuckle_head said:


> I cheat - my bass is a Quake. It's got a 39.5" scale length so I can get away with a .174 or .182. I'm generally a high tension guy though.
> 
> I generally suggest a .190 or a .200 for E.
> 
> There's a guy on TalkBass that tuned his Thunderbird to E using a .182 - he seems to like the way it worked out.




190. works quite well at F0 on my 35" just as you suggested
and the 142. is not bad at all dropped down from Bb to G#(Ab)
my tech went nuts when he saw that huge ass 190 string, he told me I'm mad


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## OwlsHaveEyes

I tune Drop G# on my 4 string Ibanez which is a 34" scale. I use a .135......It is all about preference though.


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## xenochris

OwlsHaveEyes said:


> I tune Drop G# on my 4 string Ibanez which is a 34" scale. I use a .135......It is all about preference though.


 
I'm just worried that using a thick string like that will warp the neck? Do you have to adjust the truss rod or anything?


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## Razzy

xenochris said:


> I'm just worried that using a thick string like that will warp the neck? Do you have to adjust the truss rod or anything?



It's down tuned, so there's really not much a change in tension.


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## xenochris

Razzy said:


> It's down tuned, so there's really not much a change in tension.


 
Will a .135 fit in most 4 string basses without shaving the nut?


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## Andii

xenochris said:


> Will a .135 fit in most 4 string basses without shaving the nut?



When I put a .135 on several people's basses a drill was involved. It completely depends on what bass. Cheap bridges need to be drilled where you pull the string through. The worst the nut could need is a slight bit of fingernail file action, whether it will need it once again could go either way. 

None of it should be a problem.


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## knuckle_head

40 pounds is normal tension - just sayin'

.135 at G# is 27 pounds and at that tension you are barely above the tension the string was made at. You REALLY want to have your strings tighter at pitch than they were manufactured under - at minimum 30 pounds. That's in the .140 to .145 range. My .142 at G# gets to 30.2 pounds and IMO isn't right for the job.

A G# really ought to be a .158 or .166. Your bass was made to withstand this kind of tension.

You should plan on a new nut. If you need to drill out bridges or ferules you can do so to 5/32" or 3/16" and still have the ball end secured.


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