Low B conversion to high C question

[David Sutkin]

Hey all,

I have a few 5 string basses in the arsenal, both fretted and fretless and they are all strung B,E,A,D,G

I've been considering buying a 6 string to get that high C for more melodic, upper register notes / tonality when playing melody lines..... just recently I thought to myself "Why not just take one of the existing 5'ers and string it E,A,D,G,C"

Plus, my favorite pedals, an Eventide H9 Max & a Strymon El Cap SOUND SO MUCH BETTER when playing in the upper registers that I'm thinking the high C string would really allow those effects to shine through similar to when I play my Strat using them.

QUESTION: I know I may have to change / alter the nut to do this conversion but are there any other concerns / necessary adjustments I should know about before attempting this?

Any and all advice would be appreciated from those truly "in the know" .... Thanks!

 

[LeonD]

I have done this many times. In the vast majority of the time, all I've had to do is set the bass up after changing the strings.

The issue with the nut is you may get some rattle with the smaller stings. One time I had to replace the nut. All the other times it worked fine.

 

[nostatic]

As with LeonD, I've done it with a few basses, never changed a nut. If you have enough of a break angle over the nut you likely won't have a rattle. When you replace the strings make sure you cut them long enough so that the windings to to the bottom of the tuner post.

 

[David Sutkin]

Here's a GREAT reason to go EADGC drool