Which pedal for dropping the tuning?

[PawelG]

Is there a pedal that would drop my tuning by a whole tone? If so, which ones are worth looking at? I’d like something that doesn’t change the tone much, just drop the E string (tuner to D) to C on a 4 string.

Edited February 4, 2019 by PawelG

[Guest oZZma]

I use the Pitchfork but it sounds a bit artificial. I read The Drop sounds more natural but I haven't tried it.

[PawelG]

21 minutes ago, oZZma said:

I use the Pitchfork but it sounds a bit artificial. I read The Drop sounds more natural but I haven't tried it.

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/pitchshifter/digitech-drop-polyphone-drop-tune-pedal?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIho2Pydei4AIViPdRCh2qJwdKEAQYBCABEgKIE_D_BwE

This?

[Guest oZZma]

7 minutes ago, PawelG said:

https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/pitchshifter/digitech-drop-polyphone-drop-tune-pedal?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIho2Pydei4AIViPdRCh2qJwdKEAQYBCABEgKIE_D_BwE

This?

Yep

[Cuzzie]

I’d always go another bass set up that way - I know it’s not as practical but it’s a vain hope in justifying having more basses than necessary 

[PawelG]

3 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

I’d always go another bass set up that way - I know it’s not as practical but it’s a vain hope in justifying having more basses than necessary 

Ha, yes - sounds great but I need it for literally 40 seconds of one song, so thought pedal was the best option. Or I will have to get a 5 string...

[Guest oZZma]

5 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

I’d always go another bass set up that way - I know it’s not as practical but it’s a vain hope in justifying having more basses than necessary 

I think that, if you can, it's the best solution. I'd go for It of I could afford another bass

[Cuzzie]

@PawelG is it just the D string down to C?

if so get a double stop Hipshot

You can be tuned EADG, flick a lever to DADG, flick again CADG

[Guest oZZma]

6 minutes ago, PawelG said:

Ha, yes - sounds great but I need it for literally 40 seconds of one song, so thought pedal was the best option. Or I will have to get a 5 string...

Not a bad idea, as much as I dislike the idea of N+strings stuff I'm more and more convinced they are actually a better solution than 2-3 basses or pitchshifting pedals

Edited February 4, 2019 by oZZma

[Cuzzie]

Add in Strings like DR DDT’s (expensive I know) but hold a low tuning very well

[T-Bay]

I have a Digitech drop and it is very very good but not perfect. I mainly use it for practice where the original is in a different tuning to how we play it but occasionally use it at rehearsals and have used it live for the drop D on another brick in the wall. The only time I find it struggles is when you play a run across the strings from low to high, it goes a bit warbly on the higher strings in a way it doesn’t if just stay in that area. Nothing major but I notice it. I have never used it for more than a tone down but it will go a full octave.

[Muzz]

I've been chasing this particular beastie for a while, as the Zoom B3 and HD500x I had got rather wobbly down past D, with lots of artefacts chiming in, but I'm pleased to report the HX Stomp's as clean as a whistle down to C.

A bit expensive if that's all you want it for, mind...

[prowla]

Dropping the bottom-E to a C might flap a bit with a Hipshot.

I quite like 5-strings, though.

[Cuzzie]

It’s only for 40 seconds tho!

[prowla]

Back in time I used to use a set of bass pedals and could play a D and C on them if I wanted to go low.

[Wolverinebass]

I've got a Digitech Drop pedal. If you're using it on bass, don't use it to detune more than 2 semitones. I'm doing a project that's in C# standard. That's just on the cusp of too floppy strings, but also crucially if you use the pedal for the 3 semitones, the bottom goes weird and sounds plastic. So what I do for that is tune the bass down a semitone then drop the pedal by 2. Sounds fine.

Either that or I use DR DDT strings. Not cheap at 30 odd quid a set, but it's personal taste.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Wolverinebass

[The59Sound]

I've heard a tuner is capable of doing that. 

[prowla]

Seems like a lot of faff to me, when you could just get a decent budget 5-string.

[PawelG]

3 minutes ago, prowla said:

Seems like a lot of faff to me, when you could just get a decent budget 5-string.

I’m looking into that. 

[thodrik]

A decent octave pedal would get you a decent low C with a minimum of fuss. 

I am very much a 'just tune down if you need to'. Back in the day if I needed to use a low C for 40 seconds of a song, I would just tune the E to C for that song and rework the fingering to suit. It wasn't as ideal as having a five string or a separate bass for a particular song, but the solution was free rather than find a solution that would cost me more money like another pedal.  Now I have a five string which makes things a lot easier. 

For anything lower than drop D, which involves tuning all of the strings to E flat standard or below, I use the D'Addario 120-50 Balanced Tension set. Usually less than 20 quid a set compared to the far more unbalanced DR DDT set of 115-55 set at £30 plus quid and to me the work just as well. ideal for D standard/drop C but good for drop C sharp (a bit high tension for my liking) and decent enough for C standard (albeit with lower tension). Anything lower than C standard is five string territory. 

[Cuzzie]

 another +1 for DR DDT strings but as well as 55-115 they have 50-110, 45-105, 40-100 so there is choice amongst the range.

Yes they are expensive - but they Do last a long time. I have used them down to drop C.

One if the best basses I have used in drop C is my little Hohner headless - did a brilliant job 

[Wolverinebass]

Stuff getting a 5 string. It's why I make rule about what tuning I play in. Anything lower than C# standard is a "no." That tuning is easily obtainable with the drop pedal or with 105-45 DR DDT set.

One of my producer mates is mixing a band that are tuned in drop E. It's just pointless and how I pity their bass player. Why they even need one with the guitars tuned that low is another question though.

Ultimately, I play basses that for the most part aren't cheap. I'm not messing with the nut. Would you recut the nut on a Wal so you could play in C? Er, no. 

[prowla]

How about stringing the bass BEAD?

[thodrik]

12 hours ago, Wolverinebass said:

Stuff getting a 5 string. It's why I make rule about what tuning I play in. Anything lower than C# standard is a "no." That tuning is easily obtainable with the drop pedal or with 105-45 DR DDT set.

One of my producer mates is mixing a band that are tuned in drop E. It's just pointless and how I pity their bass player. Why they even need one with the guitars tuned that low is another question though.

Ultimately, I play basses that for the most part aren't cheap. I'm not messing with the nut. Would you recut the nut on a Wal so you could play in C? Er, no. 

Sometimes it is actually pretty impressive how large a gauge of strings you can install on a bass without having to recut the nut. I managed to install a D’Addario set of 120-50 strings and the DR DDT 115-55 set without having to recut the nut of my Sadowsky from stock. That is my absolute limit though on a four string. I would never tune a four string BEAD for example.

I used to have a designated ‘drop tuning’ bass, but after a certain point, more and more of my projects were in alternate tunings. After a while I just thought that I might as well use my best bass for all this stuff, otherwise it would my ‘standard tuning’ bass that would never be used!

if I was doing a set of standard tuning songs though and just one song needed to be in E flat or d standard, then I would definitely consider a pedal. 

[PawelG]

I think in the long run a 5 string makes the most sense. And it's a reason to get another bass which is great.