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An Idea for a 4 String

machinehead5	Date: March 11, 2005 @ 7:55 PM Hey guys im new to Dmusic.com, but and idea had recently crossed my mind. I am a 5 String bassist, fairly new, ive only been playing for about a year. I love metal, so thats what i aim to play, and i love the Low sounds (thats why i quikly graduated from a 4 to a 5 string). MY idea was to take the b, e, a, and D Strings from a % string and place them on a 4 String bass. Making a 4 String bass with deeper sounds... What do you think of this idea? it would make for a truly unique play up on stage...
geekynerd	Date: September 10, 2005 @ 4:04 PM Well, if you did that, you would have to specially reinforce the neck because the thicker strings would cause more tension in the neck, far beyond what most normal four strings are designed to do. At this point, it becomes rather silly, because this "custom" four string would cost much more than a plain five string.
blueyes2112	Date: September 10, 2005 @ 4:10 PM why not buy yourself a cheap bass and customise it, love the sound of your idea it must be said!! you should be able to work it out that way. Try www.thomann.de great cheap website for basses/guitars etc
GeneHilbert	Date: September 10, 2005 @ 4:31 PM I not convinced there would be any detrimental neck damage or really that much additional stress. Plus you could compensate if necessary with a truss rod adjustment. If I was you – I would just play the 5 string with the low B. I don’t see any advantage in modifying a 4 string unless that was all you had and wanted the low range - or just for shits and giggles. You should however consider having one or more 18” speakers in your rig. I use to run 500watts into 4 15’s two per stage side - really full and fat without being overly loud, but could be if necessary. Pushing that low frequency all night every night…… you are going to need some muscle. 18 and 15 or 18 with 2-15’s or 2-12’s or 2-10’s would do the job.
shouhei	Date: September 10, 2005 @ 8:19 PM I agree with the above, you /could/ do it easily, just whack on some high gauge strings so you don't lose too much tension and adjust the truss rod to compensate. I would stick with a 5 string just for the fact it's far easier.
Intergalacti...	Date: September 11, 2005 @ 7:33 AM sounds like an idea that could be forwarded to a company maybe but i think a little diy would cuase problems withboth basses but you could buy a cheap bass and do it good job
BlackMage	Date: September 11, 2005 @ 9:06 AM If you put B, E, A and D string to a four string, I don't even think you'll need any truss rod adjustments. Make sure that the gauge is pretty small on the B string tho'. You won't even have to adjust your truss rod if you don't put too big gauged strings there. The higher your tuning (with supposedly BEAD being the highest) and the bigger your strings, the more tension.
Intergalacti...	Date: September 11, 2005 @ 10:31 AM I hate it when technical words get involved whats wrong with 'the bit at the top' and 'the tunie bits'?
zedsalt	Date: September 11, 2005 @ 12:35 PM I'd be more worried strings binding in the nut...I mean, thingy that the strings pass over before the bit at the top...than I would the neck relief, but then, I almost always tune slacker than standard.
Intergalacti...	Date: September 11, 2005 @ 6:05 PM yeah see zed knows what hes talkin about, go put your truss rod where the sun dont shine
zedsalt	Date: September 12, 2005 @ 12:42 PM Now, IGW, be nice. I'm just saying that widening the slots in a nut can be tricky, especially for those among us who aren't especially handy with tools.
phccn	Date: December 15, 2005 @ 8:22 PM that is a goog idea, although not enirely new.. with the growing poularuty of bands like korn and other de-tuners, guitar players have actually started similar adjustments.. now they sell premade guitars(1 string lower) as "Baritone" guitars... http://www.hago.org.uk/guitars/baritone/ they'll probably do the same for bass eventually.
BOWILLIE	Date: December 16, 2005 @ 3:55 PM e flat tune.
100thmonk	Date: January 3, 2006 @ 10:51 PM
jewsus	Date: March 1, 2006 @ 9:05 AM this isn't an original idea. many players have done it, myself being one of them. there's no harm in doing it, aside from the grinding that needs to be done to allow for thicker gauged strings. i do believe i gave the truss rod a little tweak as well. it was quite awhile ago, but i think i did, and it probably needed it anyway. but yeah, if you want to do it, be sure you don't want to switch back to standard strings. like i said, you're going to have to grind out places (on the bridge/the piece at the end of the neck that holds the strings going to the head stock) and if you ever put a standard 4 string set on again, the strings will either A) flop all over the place or B)cause your tuning to constantly change on account of improper tension. i know i'm a bit late in giving this info to you, and you've probably already done it. but i thought i'd go ahead and post anyway incase someone else is thinking about it.
JeraldHenry	Date: March 24, 2006 @ 3:07 PM I'd be interested to know how that idea works out
EchoMinor	Date: March 26, 2006 @ 3:14 AM well if the original poster is doing this for himself, i dont understand why sense he already has a 5string that obviously can reach that lower tone.
Alecs	Date: March 26, 2006 @ 10:51 AM Billy Sheehan has a double neck that uses this idea. The bottom neck is tuned EADG, the top is tuned BEAD. You might check that out.
Lemieux1	Date: June 23, 2006 @ 1:04 PM Hey you can tune your bass in C, It sound pretty nice and no need for new adjustment. Good old stirng and a good old bass.
jewsus	Date: July 12, 2006 @ 11:36 PM yeah...that works well...as long as you don't want to play a B...
imemine	Date: July 13, 2006 @ 12:02 AM I’m sorry---this really makes no sense to me.
jewsus	Date: July 13, 2006 @ 12:38 AM what makes no sense? stringing a 4 string like the low end of a 5 string? it makes loads of sense if you don't like the feel of a 5 stringer.
imemine	Date: July 13, 2006 @ 12:42 AM You read the whole thread?
jewsus	Date: July 13, 2006 @ 12:47 AM awhile ago, like, back in march.
hate9wicket	Date: July 13, 2006 @ 12:50 AM The only time I've dropped below E has been on drop D, my opinion is anything below that...you aren't really gonna hear the fundemental anyway, just the psycho-acoustics, the boom in your ribcage, just my But and however, Timmy C strings his BEAD and uses lighter guage too...you can read on here, but he's a bit of a nut, I'll just encapsulate here 1. He winds his own pickup coils 2. He tracks 6 rigs for live shows. 3. That thing he did during the MTV awards Anyway links away http://www.bassplayer.com/story.asp?storycode=9509
imemine	Date: July 13, 2006 @ 12:50 AM Okay. I play a little bass. http://images2.dmusic.com/users/i/m/e/imemine/47542.jpg To each their own I suppose.
Lemieux1	Date: July 14, 2006 @ 8:08 AM Hey if you tune in c you need to tune all your stirng with the c scale. your not only tuning the e sting in c.
jewsus	Date: July 14, 2006 @ 4:45 PM well, you don't have to really. there's a thing called "dropped C" and "standard C". you're talking about standard C. but i use dropped C. standard is where all strings are dropped 2 steps. dropped is where the first string is dropped 2 steps and the others are only dropped 1. the same goes with all key tunings. D is the same way, and is frequently used in both dropped and standard tuning.