low Gb

[neatobassman]

What would be the size of a low Gb? I want to get a 6 string and tune GbBEADG, but before I do, I want to tune my 5 string like that and see how I like it

[AlmightyPancake]

What would be the size of a low Gb? I want to get a 6 string and tune GbBEADG, but before I do, I want to tune my 5 string like that and see how I like it
Just for reference, it's an F#.


:thumb:


I'm not sure of the sizes though.

[Jamie]

^^^ Same thing! Unless you mean thats what the industry call it :p


I think you'd have to have a pretty large scale (more than 35") to get it better than slack

[AlmightyPancake]

^^^ Same thing! Unless you mean thats what the industry call it :p


I think you'd have to have a pretty large scale (more than 35") to get it better than slack
He means the string gauge.

http://tinypic.com/i1b2ao.jpg

[Jamie]

I know, I'm just simply pointing out I think it'd be very slack on a normal 5 string bass :thumb:

[AlmightyPancake]

I know, I'm just simply pointing out I think it'd be very slack on a normal 5 string bass :thumb:
Liar.


:amaze:

[Jody LeCompte]

The question is, why?`

[rh15951]

The question is, why?`

Why not?

[sixner]

The question is, why?`
the same reason you'd want a B... or High C....

:thumb:

i think it'd be around... .160? not posative though...
-sixner

[BenJammin]

the same reason you'd want a B... or High C....

:thumb:

i think it'd be around... .160? not posative though...
-sixner

.165, according to the Conklin website.

http://www.conklinguitars.com/accessories.html

[sixner]

.165, according to the Conklin website.

http://www.conklinguitars.com/accessories.html
Ah, i was close... im sure someone has used a .160 for it :lol:

-Sixner

[BenJammin]

Ah, i was close... im sure someone has used a .160 for it :lol:

-Sixner

I'm sure it's possible. I was just pulling up the website because it's the only place I could think of. :p

[neatobassman]

The question is, why?`

What is bass meant for? To hold down the low end. I would love to get one of those sub-basses also(wanted one for like a year)

[BenJammin]

What is bass meant for? To hold down the low end. I would love to get one of those sub-basses also(wanted one for like a year)

One of the ones tuned C#-F#-B-E?

[neatobassman]

One of the ones tuned C#-F#-B-E?

That's a sub contra. Some guy is working on making guitars tuned EADG, but an octave lower than a normal bass. The information is somewhere in the forum

[BenJammin]

That's a sub contra. Some guy is working on making guitars tuned EADG, but an octave lower than a normal bass. The information is somewhere in the forum

Whoops, my bad. I just saw "sub" and stopped reading.

[Clock906]

Low Gb = less than 30Hz
You will barely get any musical tone from it (it will sound like a bass drum)
Most bass speaker start to dip in freq response below 50Hz... at 30 Hz, it will be barely audible (at least when compare to the normal bass freq. range., so if you try to turn the amp up really loud to make the Gb sound normal, the rest of the strings will sound excessively loud)
You might need a special pickup that is built for low F#/Gb string.
35" scale is way to short for a bass with Low F#/Gb.

If you make a BEADGC bass guitar with a low Gb, you will need to adjust the truss rod (tension on the neck will be a lot greater)

So my suggestion...dont' bother. If you really want the low F#/Gb, go buy one that comes out of the factory with a low Gb already. (but then you still need some special amp system around $3000+ to get decent sound out of it)

[HaVIC5]

^^^ Same thing! Unless you mean thats what the industry call it :p


I think you'd have to have a pretty large scale (more than 35") to get it better than slack
NO, its not the same thing. I've explained this more times than I can count, but it must be F#. Yes, it is a question of semantics, but they become extremely important in upper level theory, and you need to know that it's an F# and not a Gb (same thing with a high Bb as opposed to an A#, despite what's on Conklin's website). The basic gist of it is, is that bass is tuned in 4ths, not augmented thirds. B is a 4th away from F#. If it were Gb, the 4th would be a Cb, not a B.

[Clock906]

NO, its not the same thing. I've explained this more times than I can count, but it must be F#. Yes, it is a question of semantics, but they become extremely important in upper level theory, and you need to know that it's an F# and not a Gb (same thing with a high Bb as opposed to an A#, despite what's on Conklin's website). The basic gist of it is, is that bass is tuned in 4ths, not augmented thirds. B is a 4th away from F#. If it were Gb, the 4th would be a Cb, not a B.

#/b is important in the sound engineering perspective... the difference is 1/9th step of a half note...
maybe one person out of one million people can tell the difference... who cares

(i know those super pro strings player need to be able to play & tell the difference tho) Not for us fretted players...:wave:

[muthafunkabass]

.150 i believe. i want to go total sub-contra like Jaco X-III (i think thats his name) and get a 4-string tuned C# (.190), F# (.150), B (.130) E (.105)




sry if any of this was already said, i didnt bother to read.

[knuckle_head]

Depends on the maker of the strings - .165s are made by SIT and are either tapered or bare core. They use a thick core to give you a sense of tightness but it robs you of overtones.

The Conklin Snake Skins are a Dean Markley string I think and are a taperd core of .175. The .175 is a better choice IMO.

La Bella is working on sets that may be available soon and they have a .175 F# as well.

I might suggest if you want to avoid really sloppy strings you might want to consider getting the .195 they suggest for the C#. It will come to about the same tension as a standard A string and sounds pretty good. You will want to consider upping the gauges on your B and E strings so they all feel similar - a .140 or .145 B and a .110 E would be close.

My F# is a .175 and my octave down E is a .195, but my scale lengths are longer. I am experimenting with an octave down B beneath the octave down E that I expect will land in the .270 range, but I doubt the thing is going to work the way I hope it does.

[Liebensaft]

That's a sub contra. Some guy is working on making guitars tuned EADG, but an octave lower than a normal bass. The information is somewhere in the forum
Knuckle basses? There was a link posted somewhere.

[knuckle_head]

Basstasters Knuckle 6 (http://basstasters.com/aug04/knuckle_four2.mp3)

Here is what an F# sounds like on one of my basses.

[muthafunkabass]

Depends on the maker of the strings - .165s are made by SIT and are either tapered or bare core. They use a thick core to give you a sense of tightness but it robs you of overtones.

The Conklin Snake Skins are a Dean Markley string I think and are a taperd core of .175. The .175 is a better choice IMO.

La Bella is working on sets that may be available soon and they have a .175 F# as well.

I might suggest if you want to avoid really sloppy strings you might want to consider getting the .195 they suggest for the C#. It will come to about the same tension as a standard A string and sounds pretty good. You will want to consider upping the gauges on your B and E strings so they all feel similar - a .140 or .145 B and a .110 E would be close.

My F# is a .175 and my octave down E is a .195, but my scale lengths are longer. I am experimenting with an octave down B beneath the octave down E that I expect will land in the .270 range, but I doubt the thing is going to work the way I hope it does.
.270? :eek:

[Liebensaft]

That's like a suspension cable for a bridge. Jesus.

[HaVIC5]

#/b is important in the sound engineering perspective... the difference is 1/9th step of a half note...
maybe one person out of one million people can tell the difference... who cares

(i know those super pro strings player need to be able to play & tell the difference tho) Not for us fretted players...:wave:
There shouldn't be a difference in sound - perhaps you're talking about idiomatic differences where notes are played slightly sharp or flat, as Gb and F# are completely enharmonic.

[EADG]

Won't you need a 21 inch cab to hear it well enough?

[EADG]

NO, its not the same thing. I've explained this more times than I can count, but it must be F#. Yes, it is a question of semantics, but they become extremely important in upper level theory, and you need to know that it's an F# and not a Gb (same thing with a high Bb as opposed to an A#, despite what's on Conklin's website). The basic gist of it is, is that bass is tuned in 4ths, not augmented thirds. B is a 4th away from F#. If it were Gb, the 4th would be a Cb, not a B.


Don't argue with him, he's completely right.

[knuckle_head]

Won't you need a 21 inch cab to hear it well enough?
If you want to have your fundamental as loud as your overtones it wouldn't hurt, but you don't have to have one.

Jauqo III-X uses a 4x10 with his C# (17 Hz) and he is a mighty happy camper. I use a 1x12/1x10 over a single 15 sub for my octave down E stuff.

As many options as there are tastes...

[neatobassman]

If you want to have your fundamental as loud as your overtones it wouldn't hurt, but you don't have to have one.

Jauqo III-X uses a 4x10 with his C# (17 Hz) and he is a mighty happy camper. I use a 1x12/1x10 over a single 15 sub for my octave down E stuff.

As many options as there are tastes...

thank you for all the help. I was asuming I would need the thicker gauge because of the smaller scale. What's the average scale length for sub-contra basses?

[knuckle_head]

thank you for all the help. I was asuming I would need the thicker gauge because of the smaller scale. What's the average scale length for sub-contra basses?
Most sub-contra guys are traditionalists - they usually play a 34" scale. The physics screams for something bigger but they aren't swayed it seems (not yet anyway ;) )

[The_Red_Death]

That's like a suspension cable for a bridge. Jesus.

:lol: That's exactly what I was thinking.

[Alma]

Low Gb = less than 30Hz
You will barely get any musical tone from it (it will sound like a bass drum)
Most bass speaker start to dip in freq response below 50Hz... at 30 Hz, it will be barely audible (at least when compare to the normal bass freq. range., so if you try to turn the amp up really loud to make the Gb sound normal, the rest of the strings will sound excessively loud)
You might need a special pickup that is built for low F#/Gb string.
35" scale is way to short for a bass with Low F#/Gb.

If you make a BEADGC bass guitar with a low Gb, you will need to adjust the truss rod (tension on the neck will be a lot greater)

So my suggestion...dont' bother. If you really want the low F#/Gb, go buy one that comes out of the factory with a low Gb already. (but then you still need some special amp system around $3000+ to get decent sound out of it)

Bass drums sound awesome dude.

Why can't he at least try it? Theres only one way to find out whether it will work or not.

I say go for it.

[neatobassman]

Most sub-contra guys are traditionalists - they usually play a 34" scale. The physics screams for something bigger but they aren't swayed it seems (not yet anyway ;) )

cool cool, so I wont be too bad off with a 35" as long as I get a thicker gauge. Now I just have to get over the thought of paying $24 for 1 string.....

[neatobassman]

Most sub-contra guys are traditionalists - they usually play a 34" scale.

I just noticed the irony of that sentence

another questions, where should I buy the strings from?

[knuckle_head]

I just noticed the irony of that sentence

another questions, where should I buy the strings from?
I would pop off an email to Conklin just to check before you buy - odds are the strings they have are appropriate for a 35" scale, particularly if you have a top loading bridge.

[neatobassman]

I would pop off an email to Conklin just to check before you buy - odds are the strings they have are appropriate for a 35" scale, particularly if you have a top loading bridge.

I've got one, so that wont be a problem. Thanks again for the help.