Best string gauges for handling various dropped tunings

Elusive1

Elusive1

Jun 21, 2018
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#1
Was asked by one of my friends to help play bass for his recital. Two of the songs were written with Standard Db tuning in mind; both guitarists will be tuning their instruments that way for those two songs and then going back to Standard E for the rest of the set.

While it is definitely possible for me to get through the entire set on my 5-stringer (which I will be doing for convenience anyway), for quite some time now I've been entertaining the idea of taking my spare 4-stringer and tuning it to Standard D with the option of going Standard Db or Drop C, mostly for when I'm jamming heavier genres that require a lot of open-string riffs.

Been wondering what gauges will allow me to achieve all of those tunings in one bass? If it helps, the bass I'm considering this on is a Japanese Fender Jazz, basic 34" scale
 
#2
I have my Fender Jazz set up for DGCF with GHS Pressurewound M7200 (44-62-84-106), which seem to work surprisingly well despite their relatively "normal" gauges.

I personally don't like the idea of tuning up and down with the same strings on the same bass. Those strings I have are 148.5 lbs. in DGCF, but 187.1 lbs. in EADG in total tension. That's 40 lbs. of difference. It would be even greater between Db and E.

You might want to consider having a bass specifically dedicated for down-tuning.
 
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#3
michael_t said:
You might want to consider having a bass specifically dedicated for down-tuning.
Click to expand...

Clearly didn't read:
Elusive1 said:
... I've been entertaining the idea of taking my spare 4-stringer and tuning it to Standard D with the option of going Standard Db or Drop C...
Click to expand...

If I was tuning to D or Db standard I'd go .010 thicker on the E string than what I usually use to have similar feel.
 
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#5
The old rule of thumb was start with a set of strings you like at regular pitch. Then add 5 thou to the gauge of each string for Eb tuning and 10 thou for D tuning, 15 thou for Db tuning, etc. So, for example, if you like a conventional set of 40-60-80-100 at regular pitch, try a set of 50-70-90-110 or 115 for the D tuning, and adjust from there if a string feels too loose or too tight. I do that on my spare bass dedicated to Eb tuning - D'Addario XL 45-105 for standard; 50-110 for Eb.
 
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#7
Elusive1 said:
Thanks for the replies guys, will keep an eye out for the strings/gauges y'all mentioned
Click to expand...

One thing to keep in mind is "gauges" is only a small part of the whole equation. Certain gauges that work well with certain brand and type of strings may not work with another brand and type.

I mentioned the GHS Pressurewound 44-106 earlier as my choice of strings for DGCF on my Jazz. They seem to work well because they're slightly stiffer and higher in tension than typical rounds of similar sizes to begin with. Also, they happen to work well FOR ME personally because I use the Pressurewound 40-96 on another bass for EADG and they have approximately the same tension/stiffness.

You may have to experiment with different brands/types/gauges to find the ones that work for you.
 
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