Tuning question/ recommendations

[danny-79]

Hi. Wasn’t sure what thread to put this in so hopefully it’s ok in here. 

In short I’ve been asked to drop tune to Drop Ab !!! That’s lower than I’ve ever imagined. I’ve to 3 decent basses all are four string all are 34in scale. The lowest I’ve ever gone is BEAD 

any and all advice is welcome on basses that can handle that tuning and string gauges, I’ve no clue. 135 is nice on a B

thanks in advance 

[Hellzero]

GHS has a 70~140 set that will do the job : https://www.thomann.de/gb/ghs_bass_boomers_70_140_heavy.htm

But the question is, do you have the amp and speakers able to go that low, which must be at least 1000 Watts and the speaker going down to 26 Hz (fundamental of Ab - 1) if you want to hear your note clearly... Otherwise, you'll hear the first or even second harmonic which is enough for your brain to recreate the fundamental but the sound will be muddy, for sure.

[Hellzero]

Warwick has even a 85~175 set, in case they ask for C - 1 at 16,3 Hz  : https://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_black_label_dark_lord_set.htm

 

[Hellzero]

Maybe start playing church organ, it will be easier for the sound, not the transport. 🤣

[Reggaebass]

10 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Warwick has even a 85~175 set, in case they ask for C - 1 at 16,3 Hz  : https://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_black_label_dark_lord_set.htm

 

They should be called   ‘oh my lord ‘     they are seriously low , even for me 😀.    Hellzero have you ever tried them?

[Hellzero]

Nope. Low B is enough for me.

[danny-79]

15 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Nope. Low B is enough for me.

And me, don’t usually go that low hence needing advice. 

[danny-79]

15 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

They should be called   ‘oh my lord ‘     they are seriously low , even for me 😀.    Hellzero have you ever tried them?

Lol nope. What scale bass do you use ? 

[danny-79]

15 hours ago, Hellzero said:

GHS has a 70~140 set that will do the job : https://www.thomann.de/gb/ghs_bass_boomers_70_140_heavy.htm

But the question is, do you have the amp and speakers able to go that low, which must be at least 1000 Watts and the speaker going down to 26 Hz (fundamental of Ab - 1) if you want to hear your note clearly... Otherwise, you'll hear the first or even second harmonic which is enough for your brain to recreate the fundamental but the sound will be muddy, for sure.

Personally I’m not a fan of tuning that low. I don’t mind setting up BEAD but that’s pushing it. Down a half step to flat, then drop tune to Ab ...... how low can you go indeed 🤪

as far as amps, I’ve got a genz Benz 410 & 115., shuttle 600w and also Orange terror 1000. 

I have a low pass filter on my board but that might save my speakers but like you say will it reproduce the low notes or die trying? 

[Reggaebass]

24 minutes ago, danny-79 said:

Lol nope. What scale bass do you use ? 

Fender jazz mostly 

[danny-79]

7 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Fender jazz mostly 

And what tuning? 

[Reggaebass]

19 minutes ago, danny-79 said:

And what tuning? 

I have quite a few tuned to e a d g and one tuned to   b e a d  

[paul_c2]

I don't normally get told by someone else how to tune my instrument. There is a perfectly serviceable Ab at the 4th fret of the E string.

[danny-79]

21 hours ago, paul_c2 said:

I don't normally get told by someone else how to tune my instrument. There is a perfectly serviceable Ab at the 4th fret of the E string.

This is very true. Just don’t know how well it would work playing everything a whole octave higher. 

I tune standard EADG with the cover band I play in and go down to Eb with my original band. I have on occasion gone as low as BEAD but can’t say i was overly impressed with it. The future project the guitars are both in Drop Ab. That to me is far too much, would you even hear it even if you had an amp that could reproduce it ? So maybe the octave higher is the way forward providing I end up taking the gig. This band is a lot heavier than what I’m used to 

[EliasMooseblaster]

On 01/12/2018 at 10:44, danny-79 said:

 The future project the guitars are both in Drop Ab. That to me is far too much, would you even hear it even if you had an amp that could reproduce it ? So maybe the octave higher is the way forward providing I end up taking the gig. This band is a lot heavier than what I’m used to 

Good grief...so are they playing 7-string guitars themselves, or are they on baritones? (ADGCEA is a standard bari tuning, which could easily be dropped another semitone). Either way that would leave them playing the same Ab that's on your E string...that's going to be pretty murky another octave down.

[danny-79]

15 minutes ago, EliasMooseblaster said:

Good grief...so are they playing 7-string guitars themselves, or are they on baritones? (ADGCEA is a standard bari tuning, which could easily be dropped another semitone). Either way that would leave them playing the same Ab that's on your E string...that's going to be pretty murky another octave down.

That’s what they are doing. 7string guitar, down half a step to Bb EB etc then dropping the Bb to Ab. Pretty darn low. Do they really even need a bass player ? 

I do love all the heavy heavy stuff but I’m a rock bassist at heart. Thinking I’m possibly the wrong person for the job. 

[cheddatom]

On 29/11/2018 at 20:08, Hellzero said:

GHS has a 70~140 set that will do the job : https://www.thomann.de/gb/ghs_bass_boomers_70_140_heavy.htm

But the question is, do you have the amp and speakers able to go that low, which must be at least 1000 Watts and the speaker going down to 26 Hz (fundamental of Ab - 1) if you want to hear your note clearly... Otherwise, you'll hear the first or even second harmonic which is enough for your brain to recreate the fundamental but the sound will be muddy, for sure.

I'm pretty sure our human ears are incapable of hearing 26Hz anyway, so I wouldn't worry about trying to create the fundamental

[paul_c2]

23 minutes ago, danny-79 said:

Thinking I’m possibly the wrong person for the job. 

There's the potential of saving an awful lot of time here......

[Grahambythesea]

Use a 5 string and then it’s only a half step down.

[paul_c2]

1 minute ago, Grahambythesea said:

Use a 5 string and then it’s only a half step down.

Ummmm no its not.....Ab to B (natural) is 3 semitones.

[Saved]

The lowest tuning i have tune a bass is B00,this is B one octave lower than 5-string B,its 15Hz.

I have make many weird tunings,and what i learned is:

You need a gauge that gets the pitch you want with the tension you like in the scale you have.

So,you can ask Neil from newtone strings to build you a string that do all these.Tell him the pitch,the scale and how stiff you like the touch of the strings,and he will do the rest 😉

[paul_c2]

Good luck flopping that kind of thing over your nut.

[danny-79]

21 minutes ago, Saved said:

The lowest tuning i have tune a bass is B00,this is B one octave lower than 5-string B,its 15Hz.

I have make many weird tunings,and what i learned is:

You need a gauge that gets the pitch you want with the tension you like in the scale you have.

So,you can ask Neil from newtone strings to build you a string that do all these.Tell him the pitch,the scale and how stiff you like the touch of the strings,and he will do the rest 😉

That’s low !!!!! Is the human ear even capable of hearing that ? 

But custom build strings purposefully for the job sounds interesting, I play four string and tune according, BEAD 440 I’ve never needed anything lower than that, got offered a job and hate turning it down. Drop G# an octave lower than 7 string is well over my head (not given up yet mind) 

[Grahambythesea]

On 03/12/2018 at 23:39, paul_c2 said:

Ummmm no its not.....Ab to B (natural) is 3 semitones.

Whoops you’re right of course, dah! 😖🤔

[Wolverinebass]

I'd not go lighter than 145 or 150. That's stupidly low. 

This is kind of endemic these days. It's funny how bands that are still considered "heavy" have managed it without drop tuning to Z flat. Sabbath were generally C#, Tool mostly drop D. I could go on. As someone who has 4 string basses that I'm not going to replace the nut on just to detune to wet fart territory, I make a rule that if I can't do it with DR Droptune strings or a Digitech Drop pedal ( below C# is the limit) then I'm not interested at all.