Rotosound dropzone

[Bloc Riff Nut]

Thinking about tuning my jazz to bead and was wondering if anyone has tried Rotosound Dropzone sets.They are 65 80 105 130. Are they designed to fit the nut of a standard 4 string? What is the b like on a 34 inch scale? Reading other bead threads it sounds like i will have to adjust the truss rod, intonation and file the nut. I don't expect to miss the g-string much.

[BigRedX]

A standard gauge E-G round wound set will have a 100-105 E string. I your current strings are a reasonably snug fit in the nut then you will have file it to accommodate a significant step up in gauges.

What's a B like on 34" scale? Depends entirely on the bass and how well the neck and neck joint are constructed. While a longer scale length can help, it's no substitute no good construction. The only way to find out if your bass is suited is to try it.

Whether or not you need to adjust the truss rod will depend on the tensions of the strings you had on before and what new strings you change to. Generally speaking low B tends to be lower tension than high G so if you do need to make any adjustments it will the slacken off the truss rod slightly.

You should be checking and adjusting the intonation every time you change strings anyway.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

The bass is a CIJ 3 bolt on neck 75 re-issue jobby. I always check intonation when new strings are applied but it's always minimal adjustment. With the b changing to e I was expecting a significant change. The nut slot files will make the job easy but they are quite expensive. I play quite heavy handed and the action on my basses is on the high side. Whenever I've bought/traded basses on here I've had to higher the action, some of you guys must have a feather-light touch.

[BigRedX]

If you play aggressively you might want to consider a chunkier low B than 130, unless these string have a low compliance. Is there anything special about the strings? The gauges make them look just like the lower four strings from a standard 5-string set.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

On the Rotosound site they give no extra info, which makes me think they are a 5 string set without the G. I've got an old 5 string set with a 130 gauge B. i'll check the tension before buying the Dropzones.

[thodrik]

I think that they are just the standard Rotosound roundwound strings like the bottom four strings of a five string set. It would probably need some work on the nut just so the strings could fit. You could also try the DR DDTs, which are 65 85 102 125, though I found them to be just a bit expensive.