JuR Posted March 20, 2001 Share Posted March 20, 2001 In tuned my bass a whole tone lower. From EADG tuning to DGCF. Mainly beacuse I wanted to have more range and a less synth-like sound. Can i do this without risking any damage to my bass. A guy said to me that this tuning whould damage my neck beacuse the tension of the strings would be lower. I have a Precicion bass and my strings have a gauge of .105 .085 .070 .050. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bootyquake Posted March 21, 2001 Share Posted March 21, 2001 Whoever told you that tuning down will hurt your neck is full of it. If anything, tuning UP will do the damage, because it puts more strain on the wood. Tuning down a step is a great idea, if you like that sound. The 12-string guitarist Leo Kottke usually plays tuned down to Bb, and it sounds different and interesting. Michael Manring does all kinds of weird tunings, so don't be afraid to experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornbread_medhotmail.com Posted March 21, 2001 Share Posted March 21, 2001 You're not going to damage the neck by tuning down that low. You may notice some fret buzz, though. If you do, tweak the truss rod a little to alleviate the buzz. I tune down a lot and use .115, .095, .075, .065 strings sometimes and have no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted March 21, 2001 Share Posted March 21, 2001 If you like the lower tuning, you may want to try a heavier set of strings. A 105 can get a little floppy at D, they make heavy gauge sets with a 50 or 55 "G" for this purpose. Lots of heavy metal bands tune down to Eb or lower to make the strings bend easier for leads. And of course lots of the new bands like Korn etc. are tuning down so they sound "dark and heavy". ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuR Posted March 21, 2001 Author Share Posted March 21, 2001 Whel thanks for the advice. Got any tips for on weird tunigs that could improve my sound. I mainly play Ska an Reagge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 30, 2001 Share Posted March 30, 2001 I have a '69 Precision that I have been tuning DGCF for many years. Seems happy with regular Fender flatwounds. I play folk and a lot of songs (especially fiddle tunes) are in D, which was my original reason. Now I just leave it there all the time. It also keeps me from wanting a 5 string - most of the time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.