I want to play songs that use different tunings using one bass without Hipshot or similar tuners.
How do people handle this?
For some songs that don’t use open strings (Longview) it is easy. But other songs like Feel Good, Inc. I’m retuning my bass or playing the song sharp, even without running to A=430.
Other songs that are in drop D for example, I only need to retune one string.
I was wondering how they people handle having to retune for one sing?
In the end I went with the multi basses tuned differently solution, but before that I would just tend to play songs in groups i.e. try to have a few songs learnt in standard, half step down, drop D etc. so when I retuned I would get some value for time out of having to retune
Yep, or just get really good at tuning on the fly. Fifteen - twenty seconds and off you go. The drummer can fill some space for a few seconds while the bass and guitars retune. I went to show last night and the band was doing that. I also think they were playing songs in groups, as you say.
Pitch shifting in a pedal is also an option. @Barney uses a Line 6 pedal for this when he plays live.
I have the Hipshot Bass Extender on two basses for Drop D. It’s absolutely great. Why retune manually when you can just flip a switch?
Because it takes 10 seconds or less, costs nothing, and adds no additional weight to the headstock?
The first two arguments can also be used against a pitch shifting pedal.
I understand the weight argument if your bass suffers from neck dive, but that can be resolved.
The cost argument is of course a non-argument in a world of GASing and many people having many (expensive) basses.
For me, it’s very convenient when playing my playlist in the park. Just skip to the next track, flip the switch, play, skip, flip…
I’ll have to look into pitch shifting pedals. @Barney Does the Line 6 shift everything? Can it be setup to pitch shift just the E to drop D?
It looks like there are multiple pitch shifters that can tune everything down a semitone or more. I’ve yet to find one that can do something like drop D. Looks like I may have found a project for making a pedal.
I also ended up with multiple basses with different tunings…
…but, I also don’t have any plans on hauling gear to gigs any time soon.
I just love tuning.
I have one main bass and play more tunings than you can shake a stick at.
I just make sure I have good, lively strings, a good, reliable tuner, and some patience.
It’s not ideal, but I don’t have the budget to duplicate the performance-level bass that I need to do all these tunings.
And so, I tune.
Sounds like Josh needs to give you a raise.
lol
I don’t need a raise.
I just need more Modulus Quantum Sweet Spot 5 Strings.
Will work for Modulus Quantum Sweet Spot 5 Strings.
I think it shifts it all down.
TBH I just down tune quickly at the end of the song in our set list. Knock off the song in Drop D and then re-tune at the end. You get pretty quick with practice.
I tried the Hipshot bass extender but what they don’t tell you is that you can’t hang your bass on the wall from the neck i.e String Swing hangers.
So it only works if you use a floor rack.
Plus as @howard said why buy a bit of kit that you can replicate for free with practice.
Why would I write that if it weren’t true?
On a Fender P Bass the mechanism of the Hipshot extender prevents the bass from hanging from the actual neck as it was designed to do. Instead it sits awkwardly on the tuner itself. Putting unnecessary pressure on the neck.
Your picture demonstrates that perfectly.
I’ll make a video tomorrow morning, so you can see it better.
The difference between your solution and mine is that the angle of yours is fixed. Mine can be freely adjusted, so in fact it’s no issue at all…
Don’t care. Hipshot Extender isn’t compatible with a string swing hanger and P Bass.
Happy that whatever you’re using works.
Before I did much downtuning I thought the Xtender would be cool, but when I was actually working on a Drop D song for the first time I realized it’s so fast to just detune and retune anyway that the added expense and weight wasn’t worth it. Haven’t looked back.
Yep, drop D is retuning 1 string. Even dropping to Eb standard takes all of 20 secs.
