E0. But it's not "usable" in the normal sense. A0 or so for normally usable.
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How low would you go?
- Thread starter HuxLux
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- #downtuning heavy livesound tone
I will use the low D on the B string of a 5er or tune a 4 DGCF (but not DADG).
That’s as far as I’ll go with one exception. If a song is in B, C or C# I may play those notes on the B string as the final note. Otherwise, I don’t use them because they just sound too low to my ear.
That’s as far as I’ll go with one exception. If a song is in B, C or C# I may play those notes on the B string as the final note. Otherwise, I don’t use them because they just sound too low to my ear.
It depends, but a competent bass tone typically starts gently rolling off after 100Hz or so as there's only really rumble below (and you can expect the sound engineer to heavily filter low end at 60Hz or so). I recall someone mention on a live audio board that people generally err on the low side by about an octave when thinking how low frequencies they need to hear, and that sounds about right to me. It's all about the mids.
I regularly use a bass tuned FBbEbAbDb with my band. No major complaints on tone once I figured out my setup.
Previously, I owned an 11 string with a low C#. Definitely pushing the boundaries of “audible” but a great time nonetheless.
I would say if you’re talking about in a band setting I would be comfortable going to E below E1. It would certainly simplify some things to just be an octave below standard.
But it’s very contextual and dependent.
Previously, I owned an 11 string with a low C#. Definitely pushing the boundaries of “audible” but a great time nonetheless.
I would say if you’re talking about in a band setting I would be comfortable going to E below E1. It would certainly simplify some things to just be an octave below standard.
But it’s very contextual and dependent.
I voted A0 (a step below B0) based on practical experience. I know that there are folks on TB have gone down C#0 (the string below F#0 and 2 below B0), but I'd be curious as to how they were reproducing those sounds successfully (vs. the harmonics). Anyway, I have had a 6-string tuned (F#0 to G) and a 4-string that was tuned (E0-G - one octave below standard). With a 4x10 and 1200W, I could get useful notes down to somewhere around A0 (on the 6-string) or G#0 (on the 4-string).
Anything below that sounded bad (and slightly delayed) no matter how much I EQed things. In theory, you can keep going lower and lower as long as you have big enough drivers and enough wattage to push them (low frequencies need much more energy). Anyway, if you dig into many of the old threads here, you'll see lots of debate around what you're actually hearing (the fundamental vs. the harmonics, whether your brain is filling in the missing frequencies on the lower notes, how well humans are adapted to hear lower frequencies, etc.). In the end you'll get what you'll get when you try for yourself.
Anything below that sounded bad (and slightly delayed) no matter how much I EQed things. In theory, you can keep going lower and lower as long as you have big enough drivers and enough wattage to push them (low frequencies need much more energy). Anyway, if you dig into many of the old threads here, you'll see lots of debate around what you're actually hearing (the fundamental vs. the harmonics, whether your brain is filling in the missing frequencies on the lower notes, how well humans are adapted to hear lower frequencies, etc.). In the end you'll get what you'll get when you try for yourself.
Youtube just showed me a video of a guy playing a F#BEAD...
And a few times in the song he either did F#, G, A or G A B and the definition between the notes was....not there.
And it wasn't because of the tone. It was a bass with only a very middy bridge pickup, and mostly what you were hearing was the 2nd, 3rd, 4th harmonics. But the differences between 23.12hz, 24.5hz, and 25.96hz were difficult to discern.
I suspect G0 is about as low as anybody should go. And pick one note you're going to down there as a bomb drop, but not doing anything chromatic-ish, because that sounds like shades of mumph.
And a few times in the song he either did F#, G, A or G A B and the definition between the notes was....not there.
And it wasn't because of the tone. It was a bass with only a very middy bridge pickup, and mostly what you were hearing was the 2nd, 3rd, 4th harmonics. But the differences between 23.12hz, 24.5hz, and 25.96hz were difficult to discern.
I suspect G0 is about as low as anybody should go. And pick one note you're going to down there as a bomb drop, but not doing anything chromatic-ish, because that sounds like shades of mumph.
Totally right. I recall someone mentioning the venerable ampeg 8x10 starts rolling off around 100hz. I usually highpass around 60hz direct from my Helix to keep the low end clean and clear, and to relieve pressure on the speakers - sometimes on the desk as well for a steeper cut.
In my book, if the playback system can reproduce the second order harmonic at volume, then it should be adequate. Hence my comment that I'm happy with low B at volume which is 62hz second order harmonic, well above fhe -3db point of my frfr and our PA, but wouldn't want to go lower than that, and bottoming out at F#0 at the very extreme.
I mean, I would go as low as the song needs me to. But for most of the music that I play, the low E is enough. That E is high enough to where it's not all to muddy, but low enough to give a lot of weight to a riff. Even D seems a bit too low for a lot of stuff I'm playing.
I used to learn a bunch of metal songs in drop A tuning on my fiver. But I haven't played such music in a while.
I used to learn a bunch of metal songs in drop A tuning on my fiver. But I haven't played such music in a while.
Years ago I remember using drop D on my Ric 4001 for a few tunes.
Since the early 90s my primary bass guitars have had Low B strings, so B0 is how low I will go. In my experience few songs have required B0.
I think it can be entirely okay to play lower, but I don't ever remember playing a song that required it. To do F#0 to my satisfaction would likely require a muli-scale bass with special strings and cabs that are flat down to the mids 40hz range. While I do think it would be cool, I am not really interested in going down this particular rabbit hole.
Since the early 90s my primary bass guitars have had Low B strings, so B0 is how low I will go. In my experience few songs have required B0.
I think it can be entirely okay to play lower, but I don't ever remember playing a song that required it. To do F#0 to my satisfaction would likely require a muli-scale bass with special strings and cabs that are flat down to the mids 40hz range. While I do think it would be cool, I am not really interested in going down this particular rabbit hole.
The thing I really like about my E0 tuned Quake (EADGC) isn't the sound of the lowest notes,. it's more that it puts what is normally the lowest octave and change, say B0-E2,. halfway up the neck into "mwah" territory - experiencing mwah that low was a new thing to my ear, definitely cool.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Ditto.
I play a lot at our church...my P Bass is tuned BEAD, but I can't get much clarity from the low B. I'm playing the low C repeatly in a song in our Christmas program next week but it was murky in our sound system during rehearsal.
In reality, the low D is the lowest note I use regularly with any confidence.
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8vb? What does that mean? 1 octave below standard bass tuning is E0. I play in E0 regularly, but it requires special setup and strings.