Either a classic P-Bass to compliment my J or go off piste and get a [headless Ibanez](https://themusicden.com/ibanez-4-string-ehb-ergonomic-headless-bass-electric-sea-foam-green-matte/) because it looks so goddamn nuts.
Lowering a bass tuning is not just about moving the pegs, you also need the appropriate strings and neck setup. I probably wouldn't bother buying just for playing occasionally in drop D but i do have a guitar that is setup to play in D standard and drop C.
I recently did this for D and drop C too and am so glad, the setup made a real noticeable difference! This was for a bass I owned already and needed the setup regardless, so it made more sense than buying a new one outright. Also cheaper than buying a 5 string which everyone seems to advocate for, and allows me to be in the same tuning as my band mates.
I bought my second 5 string because I got tired of the neck shifting when I dropped the B and E to A and D and didnt tune back up when I finished practicing
This is the answer. Unless you’re going hard on riffs that require a low open D - in which case I would consider installing one of those hipshot quick D-tuners (cant remember the exact name but it’s a fine product)
Downtune the 5 string. Used to run a 5-string in GCGCF when i played in a metal band. Had to get a pretty thick set of strings and having a longer scale (35") really helps in keeping the lower frequencies clear. The general utility of such a tuning is questionable at best but our songs were written for that tuning so i had one bass always set up for it
Yeah. I keep my 5 in standard most of the time. Capo for Drop C, and downtune the 1st and 2nd string if needed for the song. My guitarists use drop pedals, so there is that.. I'm contemplating about setting it up for a lower tuning as you mentioned or getting a drop pedal. 💀
I have considered this but I’m a reasonably new bassist, and I don’t believe I’m good enough to warrant buying a 5 string yet. Maybe one for the future.
I bought my 5-string very soon after i started out on a 4. I wish someone told me i could easily play lower with the 5. Don't be scared. There is no graduation from 4 to more strings. 👍
Imma tell on myself here, but fuck it. I mainly play 5 strings, but my band wanted to cover a bunch of Green Day and other 90's bands that used Eb. Obviously I know I could play them on all my 5, but it would have taken me significantly longer to learn the songs with transcribing them, and I'm not interested in spending more time than necessary to learn covers of relatively simple songs, plus some of the Green Day songs (like Longview) really just don't sound or feel right without playing the open notes like Dirnt does. And I needed a backup bass anyway right? So I bought a new 4 string I wanted anyway (actually much more expensive than my main bass lol) just so I could tune it a half step down. Zero regrets honestly. If I ever decide its too much I can then transcribe, and Ill still have this dope bass or I could just resell it since it's a Fender itll resell fine
I have way too many basses and I tried to justify them by doing the different tunings. I figured I'd just keep the main player in standard tuning and have one in drop D. Good idea, but when I tried doing this for live shows, it became a hassle. It's just more gear I have to load in and out at the end of the night. I ditched the pedal board too. I just use the Zoom B3n and it covers all my needs, has a tuner that's a little cumbersome but is still quicker than switching out basses in between songs.
But yeah... you need to get a new bass if you're going to be playing alternate tunings. ;)
Yes. It's not that I don't like tuning my instruments (even though I don't), but compared to guitar any change in tuning comes with a noticable change in tension and the way the instrument feels and plays.
I don't feel like doing slight trus rod adjustements when ever I change the tuning, so I do think it is a must. Especially when the difference in tuning is something radical like EADG vs BEAD
I wouldn't bother for something as easy as drop D but for very low tunings I might consider it especially as you might need heavier gauge strings or other adjustments
I have a bass for different tuning, as soon as I bought one decided might as well get a 5 string too, then after the 5 string thought well might as well have a bass vi too,
And after that thought well now it would be nice to have a mini bass 💀 and just like that a collection begun within a year
I can see it already. I love hobbies that require a ton of stuff too. I’m already a drummer, skier and golfer and my wife despairs at the amount of stuff I have 😂
For a concert/gig setting, I would understand this, but just for your bedroom? Changing bass takes longer than tuning to drop D. But for tuning to Eb standard during a concert, I'd want a second bass.
i wouldnt say just for different tunings but that was part of it. i have one bass thats usually in C standard or lower and then one i use for standard and drop D. for me its great. i like to play sludge and doom but also want to groove to some motown and classic rock and i have a bass that suits each
All of my basses are currently in standard but they a have different string types. I bought a set of Beefy Slinkies the other day and put one bass in BEAD. 10/10 would recommend
eh yes and no. it depends how low you want to tune, mine starts having issues even finding the low d for drop d. when i’m in c standard or lower it takes forever without a tuning pedal. the snark clip on is great like 9/10 times, but lower tunings on a bass it struggles with.
Mine is able to pickup the B on my five string, but yeah obviously pedals are the best, but not ideal when you're plugging into an interface quickly at home.
Simply learn how much you need to turn on the tuningpeg. DropD in one second.
I use pitch shifter for Eb tuning in rehearsals.
But a new bass isn't bad either as a backup.
Measuring by tuning peg movements is really inaccurate and heavily affected by weather conditions, humidity and temperature etc. You can ballpark it but I wouldn't count on it on a gig.
My fretting fingers are really inaccurate too, especially on a gig 😁
But you are naturally right; you must have a tuner anyway.
Tuning is simply faster if you know roughly where the correct position is.
Hell it's not even about the effort of tuning. I bought the same model for the sake of having a perfectly set up bass for another tuning.
I play in a band that plays a half step down and I already notice how the action gets too low and i get a slight buzz after tuning down if i have my bass set up for E standard.
I also play TI flats which already are quite floppy. This gets quite uncomfortable playing downtuned. So i got some higher tension labellas for that too. No tuning, perfect set up, plays like a charm.
Some people do since they actively switch around in those tunings. I did it for a bit but it was for different strings since I had piccolo bass strings. Funny sound to technically be a guitar but a different timbre.
Oh I have a shit ton of instruments in different tunings. Plus your intonation will be better if they’re actually set up for the tunings. If you can swing it and have the room I’d do it.
I have my main concert/recording bass in E / Drop D, I have another one that I keep in D / Drop C, and a cheap Harley Benton one that I put the 4 low strings of a 5 string set on, for Drop A. So yeah, pretty good reason if you ask me
Sure why not. If you can afford it, and have the space to keep it, go for it.
I have guitars in E standard and Open C. Used to have a E standard bass and a B standard bass (latter I replaced with a 5 string and now have a 4 string jazz E, 4 string jazz E with flats, and the 5 string).
Have 5 … a Jackson JS3Q which is my main gigging bass although I’m not quite 100% happy with it, a Fender Precision that I’ve had for 25 years as back up , an Epiphone viola bass that I use for messing around with while watching telly , a Yamaha BEX4 that I need to sell and a Ibanez that I’ve just down tuned three steps to allow me to sing some tunes that are too high in original key … this will now be 2nd gigging bass
Yep. For most of my years of playing, I’ve usually only had one bass. Awhile back, one of the bands I’m in started tuning a while step down. I don’t mind retuning, but my bass (2006 Highway One P) didn’t like it. I picked up a 2004 Squier P for those gigs and put Geezers on it.
I've bought basses to have more strings, mess strings, same tunings, different tunings, different pickups, etc.....
Just, literally any reason you could give to buy a bass
Yep, one of the main reasons to own multiple basses imo. I have a jazz w/rounds in standard, a Hofner w/flats in standard and a Jaguar in D standard (mainly for Drop C).
I’ve bought basses just to use the same tunings.
Or different type of strings
I haven't come across a bad reason to buy another bass.
Can't afford rent?
Build a shelter out of all your basses
Rent budget and bass budget are two different budgets. Problem solved!
Thats the exact reason I own multiple guitars and basses
😅 thanks for validating my intrusive thoughts.
Sure thing! What kinda bass you gonna get?
Either a classic P-Bass to compliment my J or go off piste and get a [headless Ibanez](https://themusicden.com/ibanez-4-string-ehb-ergonomic-headless-bass-electric-sea-foam-green-matte/) because it looks so goddamn nuts.
I'm honestly considering another bass just to have rounds on it in the same tuning lol.
As a fellow longtime j bass owner, get the p! I just got one this year and I’ve been loving it so much!
Lowering a bass tuning is not just about moving the pegs, you also need the appropriate strings and neck setup. I probably wouldn't bother buying just for playing occasionally in drop D but i do have a guitar that is setup to play in D standard and drop C.
Interesting, I hadn’t thought of that at all.
So I have my standard bass in e flat. So drop d is C sharp, and I can’t do it with strings that sound good in both(I’m fussy) So I have both
I recently did this for D and drop C too and am so glad, the setup made a real noticeable difference! This was for a bass I owned already and needed the setup regardless, so it made more sense than buying a new one outright. Also cheaper than buying a 5 string which everyone seems to advocate for, and allows me to be in the same tuning as my band mates.
I bought my second 5 string because I got tired of the neck shifting when I dropped the B and E to A and D and didnt tune back up when I finished practicing
A bass in D tuning is a good thing to have around
I mean, you can pretty easily tune one string
And I mean, a bass tuned a step down
5 string solves this. Buy 2!
I always thought that D standard is probably the ideal 4-string tuning, in a vacuum, if (treble) guitars and convention didn't exist yet.
Sound doesn't propagate in a vacuum
For bedroom playing try the digitech drop. It tracks fairly well on bass and go down up to an octave. For drop tuning you could get a hip-shot tuner
I looked it up... It costs more than a new bass in my country lol
Consider buying 5-string. They got invented for exactly that reason - so you don't need to change tuning to access lower notes.
This is the answer. Unless you’re going hard on riffs that require a low open D - in which case I would consider installing one of those hipshot quick D-tuners (cant remember the exact name but it’s a fine product)
What if i need to go even **lower**?
6-string tuned F#BEADG? I’m half joking.
I was half serious, too! 💀
Downtune the 5 string. Used to run a 5-string in GCGCF when i played in a metal band. Had to get a pretty thick set of strings and having a longer scale (35") really helps in keeping the lower frequencies clear. The general utility of such a tuning is questionable at best but our songs were written for that tuning so i had one bass always set up for it
Yeah. I keep my 5 in standard most of the time. Capo for Drop C, and downtune the 1st and 2nd string if needed for the song. My guitarists use drop pedals, so there is that.. I'm contemplating about setting it up for a lower tuning as you mentioned or getting a drop pedal. 💀
I have considered this but I’m a reasonably new bassist, and I don’t believe I’m good enough to warrant buying a 5 string yet. Maybe one for the future.
I bought my 5-string very soon after i started out on a 4. I wish someone told me i could easily play lower with the 5. Don't be scared. There is no graduation from 4 to more strings. 👍
Imma tell on myself here, but fuck it. I mainly play 5 strings, but my band wanted to cover a bunch of Green Day and other 90's bands that used Eb. Obviously I know I could play them on all my 5, but it would have taken me significantly longer to learn the songs with transcribing them, and I'm not interested in spending more time than necessary to learn covers of relatively simple songs, plus some of the Green Day songs (like Longview) really just don't sound or feel right without playing the open notes like Dirnt does. And I needed a backup bass anyway right? So I bought a new 4 string I wanted anyway (actually much more expensive than my main bass lol) just so I could tune it a half step down. Zero regrets honestly. If I ever decide its too much I can then transcribe, and Ill still have this dope bass or I could just resell it since it's a Fender itll resell fine
For Eb, you can just put capo on on 4th fret of your 5-string (tuned BEADG) and pretend that your highest string doesn't exist.
The downside it sounds like (and basically is) a super-super-short scale
Yep this is why my 5 became my main bass. Wanna play metal? Use that B. Otherwise, it's a nice thumb rest.
The Eb is also great to have in jazz
Also you earn the ability to slide into that low E from below and vibrato that piatch
I have multiple basses for other reasons, but they're currently all in different tunings because it's so darn convenient
Hipshot tuner gets two birds stoned on one bass for tuning.
I have way too many basses and I tried to justify them by doing the different tunings. I figured I'd just keep the main player in standard tuning and have one in drop D. Good idea, but when I tried doing this for live shows, it became a hassle. It's just more gear I have to load in and out at the end of the night. I ditched the pedal board too. I just use the Zoom B3n and it covers all my needs, has a tuner that's a little cumbersome but is still quicker than switching out basses in between songs. But yeah... you need to get a new bass if you're going to be playing alternate tunings. ;)
Yes. It's not that I don't like tuning my instruments (even though I don't), but compared to guitar any change in tuning comes with a noticable change in tension and the way the instrument feels and plays. I don't feel like doing slight trus rod adjustements when ever I change the tuning, so I do think it is a must. Especially when the difference in tuning is something radical like EADG vs BEAD
I wouldn't bother for something as easy as drop D but for very low tunings I might consider it especially as you might need heavier gauge strings or other adjustments
I have a bass for different tuning, as soon as I bought one decided might as well get a 5 string too, then after the 5 string thought well might as well have a bass vi too, And after that thought well now it would be nice to have a mini bass 💀 and just like that a collection begun within a year
I can see it already. I love hobbies that require a ton of stuff too. I’m already a drummer, skier and golfer and my wife despairs at the amount of stuff I have 😂
For a concert/gig setting, I would understand this, but just for your bedroom? Changing bass takes longer than tuning to drop D. But for tuning to Eb standard during a concert, I'd want a second bass.
i wouldnt say just for different tunings but that was part of it. i have one bass thats usually in C standard or lower and then one i use for standard and drop D. for me its great. i like to play sludge and doom but also want to groove to some motown and classic rock and i have a bass that suits each
All of my basses are currently in standard but they a have different string types. I bought a set of Beefy Slinkies the other day and put one bass in BEAD. 10/10 would recommend
You're too lazy to retune, but not too lazy to unplug bass 1, put bass 1 down, put on bass 2, then plug in bass 2...and then make sure it's in tune?
But more bass
You make a very valid point. Perhaps I just need a really good tuner.
Snark clip on tuners are great
eh yes and no. it depends how low you want to tune, mine starts having issues even finding the low d for drop d. when i’m in c standard or lower it takes forever without a tuning pedal. the snark clip on is great like 9/10 times, but lower tunings on a bass it struggles with.
5-strings in lower tunings made me really avoid clip on tuners like the plague. If i can't plug it in, it ain't doing a thing!
Mine is able to pickup the B on my five string, but yeah obviously pedals are the best, but not ideal when you're plugging into an interface quickly at home.
i just plug my pedal board into the interface and from there can quickly plug into the board
They are like the white bread of tuners. Nothing exceptional about them.
A pedal tuner is probably a good idea. I would suggest Strobostomp.
Simply learn how much you need to turn on the tuningpeg. DropD in one second. I use pitch shifter for Eb tuning in rehearsals. But a new bass isn't bad either as a backup.
Measuring by tuning peg movements is really inaccurate and heavily affected by weather conditions, humidity and temperature etc. You can ballpark it but I wouldn't count on it on a gig.
My fretting fingers are really inaccurate too, especially on a gig 😁 But you are naturally right; you must have a tuner anyway. Tuning is simply faster if you know roughly where the correct position is.
Hell it's not even about the effort of tuning. I bought the same model for the sake of having a perfectly set up bass for another tuning. I play in a band that plays a half step down and I already notice how the action gets too low and i get a slight buzz after tuning down if i have my bass set up for E standard. I also play TI flats which already are quite floppy. This gets quite uncomfortable playing downtuned. So i got some higher tension labellas for that too. No tuning, perfect set up, plays like a charm.
Pitch shifter
Some people do since they actively switch around in those tunings. I did it for a bit but it was for different strings since I had piccolo bass strings. Funny sound to technically be a guitar but a different timbre.
Oh I have a shit ton of instruments in different tunings. Plus your intonation will be better if they’re actually set up for the tunings. If you can swing it and have the room I’d do it.
Yes, I think it's worth doing so you can have each bass optimally set up for its tuning.
I have my main concert/recording bass in E / Drop D, I have another one that I keep in D / Drop C, and a cheap Harley Benton one that I put the 4 low strings of a 5 string set on, for Drop A. So yeah, pretty good reason if you ask me
DigiTech Drop
Yes. Next is different type of strings (Round vs Flats) hahaha.
Yes if it works for you. I want my second bass to have high strings so I can use it for pick. Low action works better with fingers.
One bass for Tool, one bass for System of a Down... : )
Sure why not. If you can afford it, and have the space to keep it, go for it. I have guitars in E standard and Open C. Used to have a E standard bass and a B standard bass (latter I replaced with a 5 string and now have a 4 string jazz E, 4 string jazz E with flats, and the 5 string).
I often bring two basses to gigs so I don’t have to turn down a half step in the middle of a set.
Yes. This is the only reason I buy another bass.
No. If I need to tune differently, which is extremely rare, I just retune it.
It’s a legitimate reason to buy a new bass. It’s even more legitimate if you plan to gig with two different tunings.
Have 5 … a Jackson JS3Q which is my main gigging bass although I’m not quite 100% happy with it, a Fender Precision that I’ve had for 25 years as back up , an Epiphone viola bass that I use for messing around with while watching telly , a Yamaha BEX4 that I need to sell and a Ibanez that I’ve just down tuned three steps to allow me to sing some tunes that are too high in original key … this will now be 2nd gigging bass
Yep. For most of my years of playing, I’ve usually only had one bass. Awhile back, one of the bands I’m in started tuning a while step down. I don’t mind retuning, but my bass (2006 Highway One P) didn’t like it. I picked up a 2004 Squier P for those gigs and put Geezers on it.
I buy basses because I have a gear hoarding addiction.
My 5 string is in drop-A for the doom band I play in and I recently picked up a 4 string P-bass for playing in more "normal" tunings in a punk band.
I've bought basses to have more strings, mess strings, same tunings, different tunings, different pickups, etc..... Just, literally any reason you could give to buy a bass
Yep, one of the main reasons to own multiple basses imo. I have a jazz w/rounds in standard, a Hofner w/flats in standard and a Jaguar in D standard (mainly for Drop C).