7 string + ERG thread

[velvetkevorkian]

The short answer is that most of what we hear as a note is not the fundamental frequency, and it's actually different combinations of harmonics right up the string which make up the sound we hear. On a 4 string, the bottom E is ~41hz but most cabs don't produce very much of that, but we still hear it as a low E. I'm not really the expert on this but there's plenty of discussion around on this kind of thing, and there are people using super low tunings.

[leftybassman392]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' timestamp='1330285492' post='1555256']
The short answer is that most of what we hear as a note is not the fundamental frequency, and it's actually different combinations of harmonics right up the string which make up the sound we hear.
[/quote]

I know. The idea has been a staple of the budget HiFi market for decades. The ears pick up the harmonics and the brain extrapolates downwards.

Nevertheless, many modern bass cabs are still producing useful output at around 35 Hz, so you are still physically hearing the fundamental frequency of a low B. It's a situation any sensible musician should want, but is only possible through advances in both driver technology and cabinet design. It's a tradeoff situation, and a point comes when it's physically impractical to build a cabinet to reproduce such low notes.

Actually though, I'm more concerned at the need some musicians appear to feel to play notes at the very limit of human hearing. Given that most people are struggling to hear them at all, what's the point of playing them? Surely the whole idea of powerful deep bass is to play notes that people can physically hear, rather than have their brains fill in the gaps.

Call me an old fart if you must, but I don't get it. It puts me in mind of Nigel Tuffnell's Marshall amps (whose controls all went up to 11).

[oggiesnr]

As someone who also plays mandolin I've thought about tuning one of these in fifths, so high to low E,A,D,G,C,F,B. The scale length is going to be similar to a bouzouki (also tunes in fifths) so should be manageable for chords, melody and bass.

Any thoughts (other than I'm mad )

Steve

[leftybassman392]

Go for it! The nice thing for me about different tunings is that you're exploring different ways the instrument can be developed and used. It's not quite the same as chord based tunings that you get on, say, a 5-string Banjo or with open tunings on a guitar. Chord based tunings are usually there to facilitate a specific style or song or method, whereas tuning in fourths across a Guitar or fifths across a Mandolin have more to do with rethinking the way the instrument works, and for me are much more interesting.

[velvetkevorkian]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' timestamp='1330020091' post='1551613']
Heh, I tried drop A with the strings on it (10s with a .058 B I think) and that was pretty wobbly. If I do try it it will have to be a special order set, possibly a mix of bass and guitar strings- the guy uses something insane like a .090 for the bottom string.
[/quote]
Just had another try with drop A- same strings but tweaking the amp [modeller] settings. Actually sounded OK. Might stick with this for a bit.