More Tunings More Basses?

Gear
1

Hi! First time posting in forum. I have some doubts about Bass tunings. How do you all deal with them? Do you have a bass for each? Do you constantly change the tuning of your bass?

This is what I do but I’m not sure if I’m overcomplicating myself or being a GAS victim by way of ¿convenience?

  • 1 bass in EADG and for D# Standard, Drop D and D Standard.

  • Another on C#F#BE that algo used for CFA#D#

  • Another in BEAD.

    My reasoning is that downtuning more than 1 whole step is bad for your trust rod or so I’ve heard. Is this overkill?
    The gauges and materials in all of them are also different tell me if you want me to be more specific. Thank you :smiley:

PD: Is reusing string a thing? Sometimes they are relatively new but i just want to have a specific bass in another tuning but don’t do it because i don’t to waste the strings.

2

Downtuning is not a problem at all. If you tune up, this will be a problem.

If you downtune more than a full step, the problem is more that your strings get really floppy.

I deal with different tunings with my Bass Whammy, and set that to whatever I need. Sounds decent enough. For Drop D, I tune the E string down.

For something like Paradise Lost, with something like tuning in C, it works quite well with the Bass Whammy, as the bass gets some distortion anyway, it sounds quite decent.

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3

Heard great things about the whammy, hope to get one one day. Does it also work for going up? e.g My P-Bass is in C# and sometimes i wish i could have it in EADG for some songs.

4

I have a Hipshot D-Tuner on one of my basses. Flip a lever and go from E standard to Drop-D. Really easy.

I don’t do a whole lot in D# or Drop C#. On those rare occasions - my multi-fx pedal has a detuner pitch shifter, and I have it just adjust everything down one semi-tone. Works fine. My latest pedal can also pitch shift.

For home practice this is a lot easier and works well.

If i were playing in a band where I regularly used lower tuning, then I’d set up another bass to do that.

5

Unless you’re a rock star, having multiple basses just to keep them in different tunings seems excessive.

Downtuning your bass to play a specific song takes seconds and isn’t a problem at all for the bass.

But everyone has their own needs, desires and - most importantly - budgets. So I would never begrudge someone who wanted to do that.

6

I’m excessive. Lol.

I have a couple tuned down a half step for KISS tunes and one D drop C for some other stuff I’m working on.

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7

Yes, you can also shift up, up to two octaves.

I only used this though with the 1 octave setting, for the bass “solo” on Tool’s Schism and the solo on Invincible.

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8

I have one set up BEAD which covers A to C# without becoming too floppy tuned in A and the rest in EADG which can move up or down a step.

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9

It makes sense for BEAD. I’ve done it :rofl:

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