Low B String on an Acoustic Fretted Bass Guitar

[tylerferris1213]

I'm not sure if this thread should be here or in "off topic," but I'll put it here for now. Does anyone know of this being done with success? Intonation can't be easily adjusted on an acoustic, but that shouldn't be a real issue. I always opt to put a lower octave G string on my ukuleles, and the intonation on them is just as good as the original octave. What I want is an acoustic bass with BEA and D strings. Essentially, it will be a 5 string without the G. Thoughts?

[tylerferris1213]

Joe, sorry for not being very specific. I edited the post to make it a little clearer. I love the low B string, and I can count the amount of times I've used the G on one hand. I would very much like to do away with the G and get the facility of a 4 string bass.

[tylerferris1213]

I do use first fret C roughly 75% more than I use the open B. That is definitely something to be considered.

[Donn]

This photo is an Ibanez 5 string version with low B, which suggests that someone thought enough of the basic idea to put it on the market for a while. All you need is to throw away the G string from the package, and bring the strings up to tune kind of gradually on your bass that wasn't designed for it, though I guess when the bridge comes apart it will probably go all at once.
Personally, it combines two things I can't see much use for - acoustic bass guitars, and B strings - but I'm absolutely sure we don't play the same kind of music. I assume you're 100% electric, because the comment above about B strings probably goes double for bass guitar strings, they aren't going to have any acoustic potential whatever.

[tylerferris1213]

I currently own a 5 string Kala ubass, and it projects fairly well. My main concern is finding a low B string that stays in tune as I work up the frets. Like you said, what I'm looking for is not at all common. It just happens to be what I'm looking for. A G string is unnecessary and I love the depth of the low B, so a 4 string bass tuned to BEAD seems to be my only option. I thought of simply removing the G from my 5 string, but it wouldn't feel right and the strings would be wildly off center.

[GC]

Why would the bridge come apart? Except for special balanced-tension string sets, the tension would be lower than on a regular 4-string set.

[Donn]

My main concern is finding a low B string that stays in tune as I work up the frets.

I don't know anything about B strings, is that a problem, at normal (long) scale? (You're kind of throwing another curve in there with that ubass, but I assume that's a tangential curve and the bass in question is long scale like I think most acoustic basses are.*) I've run into pitch problems on the low string, but not really so much that the frets are off, rather the string just seems to be very sensitive the tension added by playing it ... so it will play pretty much in tune, you just have to be real careful not to put a side load on it or anything like that. When a string is real tight, its intonation is very stable, but if the low string has to be pretty loose to hit its pitch - as is the case even with E, on a short scale - it's going to be all over the place.

(* I use a hollow body electric - really not an acoustic, although the MC introducing us today called it that. It's medium scale, but takes long scale strings - an archtop hollow body bass can use a couple inches of extra string between the tailpiece and the bridge. Tension is still somewhat reduced, but with Labella 760FM strings, rather on the heavy side, the intonation is pretty stable. The set they make with a low B, that string is .128 most of its length, except where it goes over the bridge, and it should nail down the pitch pretty well. Flat wound, though.)

Re tension and possible damage to the bass - I guess you're right, the tension probably would be lower, depending on string gauge though.

[RobC]

This is a very common thing to do with solid body electric bass so I can't imagine it being a problem with an acoustic. Just buy a matching B string and try it.
If you like it, best to make the nut slots a little bigger, but this is a permanent change so you need to be sure.
The only issue I can think of is that without amplification the B is likely to be fairly soft but that is no reason not to try it.
In my opinion the best bass strings are Kaliums- beautifully made and a huge range of sizes-

http://kaliumstrings.com/" target="_blank

Rob.

[swillafew]

Five string basses are useful to a point; if you play with a keyboard player sometimes the music is in Eb and you gain an octave on the root. In D, the D is rather growly and the upper one probably sounds better. Lower, all the more so. If you play with guitars, you almost never touch the B string at all. Going lower than E sounds like a wrong note on a lot of popular music. I have a 5 string and a 4 string. It's nice to have a backup, and it's nice to have the Eb, but after that the majority of the work all gets done on the E and A strings within 5 frets of the nut.

[LCTuba89]

Honestly, I played with a bass strung BEAD and it works fine. You need to make sure the low B string has a matching tension to the other strings otherwise it will sound like meh. I play a 5 string ESP these days and my poor 4 string Rickenbacker doesn't get much love these days but that's just how it is.

[tylerferris1213]

Thanks for the input everyone! I have found a nice acoustic Ibanez, and now I'm looking into those strings.

[iiipopes]

My advice about the particular string (brand AND model of low B string) still goes, assuming your plan is to do a bunch of pizzicato work...

...and tuning such a string to C (instead of B) makes them (from best-to-worst, as far as pizzicato/sustain is concerned) slightly more resonant, and just about as useful...in my experience (limited though it may be)

I tune the low B string on my conventional 5-string electric bass to C as well, for all the same reasons.

5-string acoustic guitar-shaped bass cheap:
https://www.ebay.com/i/263326277742?chn=ps" target="_blank

[tylerferris1213]

The warped neck seems to be more than I want to deal with. Also, I'm more inclined to buy a 4 string and restring it as BEAD. Thanks for the suggestion, though! I may actually have a nice acoustic coming my way from a friend of a friend, so send good vibes!

[michael_glenn]

I have a four string bass that I have set up in 5ths like a cello (CGDA). It works well if you can relearn positions and scales since you basically get your range of a 5 string on a 4 string bass.

[tylerferris1213]

Could I try that sometime?... It sounds very interesting.

[Steve Marcus]

If you're willing to cross over to the dark side (electric):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49BGBrrZkDw

At 2:00 is a demonstration of the low B and the F# below that.

[tylerferris1213]

I play electric too, but not that good! Holy $***!

[iiipopes]

Last thought: The intonation on a 4-string acoustic bass guitar will be off if you re-cut the nut to tune it DAEB. Whether the string is in its original slot or a slot or two over, it will still need the same compensation at the bridge as in its original location. So unless you can deal with sharp intonation up the neck, or unglue and move the bridge, or have another bridge made with a different slot cut @ the width of the saddle back from where the original is, then you are probably going to be out of luck.

[tylerferris1213]

Good to know. As of right now, I can't find any 5 string set that has a 32" scale. The best I can find is 34" sets.

[iiipopes]

Good to know. As of right now, I can't find any 5 string set that has a 32" scale. The best I can find is 34" sets.

Here is where I purchase strings for my 32-inch scale acoustic bass guitar:
http://www.bassstringsonline.com/32--33 ... c_761.html" target="_blank