Members X the Dead Pawn Posted August 3, 2009 Members Share Posted August 3, 2009 Well for my next bass I'm thinking of getting either a set neck epiphone EB3 or a bolt on Squier VM P bass or Squier VM TB p bass or epi EB0 or Epi Thunderbird But, I'm wondering if I strung it BEAD (a set or bolt on neck bass) what are the effects on the long term life of the bass? Mainly will it warp/bow the neck (If a bolt on or if set)? Will the nut need replacing? Will the bridge need replacing? Will the pickups need raising (To get the most from the B string)? Any help is needed, wanted, and appreciated. :poke:(^ that's what it's like inside my head when I think this hard) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DevilRaysFan Posted August 3, 2009 Members Share Posted August 3, 2009 Paging T-Broom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dedpool1052 Posted August 3, 2009 Members Share Posted August 3, 2009 dont go for the eb3 as it is a short-scale bass and the low strings will be floppy and muddy. the squier vm p-bass or epi thunderbird would be your best bet. of course going to a heavier guage of strings you will need to make some adjustments. you will need to either filer the nut, replace it to accomodate the heavier strings. as far as long term effects, i dont really see any issues that might occure with the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GRANKOR Posted August 3, 2009 Members Share Posted August 3, 2009 The VM Telebass strung BEAD will sound like mud, tuned EADG I had trouble cutting through. I sold mine but it was a very nice bass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted August 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 3, 2009 Thanks for the help dedpool. Grankor when you say mud do you mean Cream style mud or you know mud mud. Basically is the TB p bass a one trick pony? P.S. Who the Hell is TBroom? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xbassman Posted August 3, 2009 Members Share Posted August 3, 2009 Hey X, I would say just go with a bass you like the sound of.I am not a fan of Tele Basses or EB0/EB3's either because of the mudbucker pickup. I have a P/J bass that I setup BEAD and I love it.Actually the only thing I really had to do IIRC was to run the strings back and forth through the nut slots so they seated properly. (graphtek nut)The neck didn't even need a truss tweak. Of course your mileage may vary depending on string choice, but in my case tensions were similar to the EADG set I pulled off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted August 12, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 12, 2009 The thing is though I too have a P/J bass. And while I love her and she is very versatile I sorta want to keep her strung in DADG with the E string tuned D. I just like her too much too do anything except swap the P pickup for a QPd'er. I still haven't even done that yet. Part of me is really a fan of that Mudbucker Sidewinder pickup sound I don't know what it is I just sorta am drawn to that. But, since its a Set neck droptuning will be a pain and could damage it from what I read in the forums. What do you guys suggest I try doing? Get a 5'er or just add a string to one of the basses I plan on getting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted August 12, 2009 Members Share Posted August 12, 2009 P.S. Who the Hell is TBroom? Me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted August 15, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 15, 2009 Oh crap sorry dude. I'm wondering if you could answer me if the G string is really needed in basslines for Metal and punk and {censored} cause I feel I RARELY need them.I've got my RBX170 tuned DADG and I thought I could get another bass string it up BEAD and use it for my metal stuff. Do you do any metal and know if this works? (Slipknots bassist uses a BEAD tuned bass that's where the idea came from btw) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrcrow Posted August 15, 2009 Members Share Posted August 15, 2009 the bass has some facility to carry different gaugeswhat notes you play can be accommodated by changing gaugei see nothing wrong with stringing up whatever you need so long as you dont compromise the mechanics and sonics of the instrument and dont overstress the neck..which i dont think we can really do with a bit of steel there holding it all togetherthe bolt shear is assisted by friction in the neck pocketnext comes your gear..how low will it go...that is your bass-ment noteclick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted August 15, 2009 Members Share Posted August 15, 2009 My '79 Franken-P/J is tuned BEAD with the bottom four strings from a Fender round wound set. There are a couple set-up issues. You'll need to re-cut the nut to accommodate the heavier gauge strings---they won't seat properly in the nut and cause intonation problems if you don't. You'll also have to adjust the truss rod to compensate for the higher string tension. I had to shim the neck pocket on my bass, as it has a Gotoh 201 bridge and the thicker base plate made a shim necessary to get the action where I wanted it. As for your choice of bass, stick with a long scale 34" bass. Medium or short scale will sound and play like crap. Go with the T-bird. Having said al that, it's a pretty easy conversion. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted August 17, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 17, 2009 Cool guys thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted August 17, 2009 Members Share Posted August 17, 2009 I just did this a few weeks ago. I was told at the store to use a lighter 5 string set, 125-40, instead of the more "normal" 135-45 because of tension issues. My bass, an SX P, is still settling into the strings, but it plays pretty well and sounds good. I did have to perform a complete setup and also mess with the pickup heights. I just used the strings to widen the nut and it seems to be fine. So, no replacements of anything should be required. Just a complete set up and a widening of the string slots in the nut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted August 19, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2009 MMMmmm sounds like I proably shouldn't string it 65-85-105-130 then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knuckle_head Posted August 19, 2009 Members Share Posted August 19, 2009 I just did this a few weeks ago. I was told at the store to use a lighter 5 string set, 125-40, instead of the more "normal" 135-45 because of tension issues. My bass, an SX P, is still settling into the strings, but it plays pretty well and sounds good. I did have to perform a complete setup and also mess with the pickup heights. I just used the strings to widen the nut and it seems to be fine. So, no replacements of anything should be required. Just a complete set up and a widening of the string slots in the nut. They offered up misinformation. I know of very few sets beyond mine that give balanced tension - and if they were balanced tension then it wouldn't matter ultimately as a B string would pull the same as a G string. A .135 will have less tension at B than a .045 at G. Edit - this might help; www.daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted August 19, 2009 Members Share Posted August 19, 2009 They offered up misinformation. I know of very few sets beyond mine that give balanced tension - and if they were balanced tension then it wouldn't matter ultimately as a B string would pull the same as a G string. A .135 will have less tension at B than a .045 at G. Edit - this might help; www.daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf Huh... So, what string set would you recommend from your site? It's a 34" scale. I'll probably keep it BEAD because I like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knuckle_head Posted August 19, 2009 Members Share Posted August 19, 2009 For BEAD there are 4 string sets that go .135 .100 .075 .055 I'm revamping sets as I have more gauges to choose from now, but the .100 E feels pretty good and it does balance well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GRANKOR Posted August 19, 2009 Members Share Posted August 19, 2009 Thanks for the help dedpool.Grankor when you say mud do you mean Cream style mud or you know mud mud. Basically is the TB p bass a one trick pony?P.S. Who the Hell is TBroom? Cream mud with the tone up full or sludgy complete lack of definition with the tone rolled off. I still don't think it would be good for BEAD, the B string would sound terrible I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted August 19, 2009 Members Share Posted August 19, 2009 For BEAD there are 4 string sets that go .135 .100 .075 .055I'm revamping sets as I have more gauges to choose from now, but the .100 E feels pretty good and it does balance well. Gotcha... I'll check out your site for sure... I'll have to get a .125 set though. I agree with the 100 E being best, but the .125 B string barely fit through the hole in my bridge and I don't want to do any metal drilling... I had to get pliers and yank it through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knuckle_head Posted August 19, 2009 Members Share Posted August 19, 2009 I get that - if you use a file it's safer, but nudging down is certainly easier. Report back whichever way you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted August 26, 2009 Author Members Share Posted August 26, 2009 Well, I went to GC and my local shop but, so far the vintage modified p sucked, IMO so did the Epibird. But the Laguna MM24's pickup sounded incredibly good for the $199 price tag turns out it was a alinco and it was the loudest Pickup I ever heard and it's passive. But the front runner turns out to be a 5'er the ibanez gsr105ex had really straight forward rock tones just a master vol. and pickup vol. it was a dualcoil cremaic and, it had alot of punch. I used my Fender rumble 15 setup on all basses I named. So it's down between (I think) the Ibanez GSR105ex/GSR100ex or the Laguna MM24. The problem is I can't find {censored} about them online. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted August 26, 2009 Moderators Share Posted August 26, 2009 They offered up misinformation. I know of very few sets beyond mine that give balanced tension - and if they were balanced tension then it wouldn't matter ultimately as a B string would pull the same as a G string. A .135 will have less tension at B than a .045 at G. Edit - this might help; www.daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf I even read on some company site that they tried a set with balanced tension, but it sounded like crap. Made no sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted August 26, 2009 Moderators Share Posted August 26, 2009 Made no sense to me. That's because you are smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members X the Dead Pawn Posted September 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted September 4, 2009 BUMP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poltergeist Posted September 4, 2009 Members Share Posted September 4, 2009 http://www.thomann.de/pt/ghs_3045_h_boomers.htm those are great for low-tuning, i use them on my Squier P, tuned to C# and B. Work fine. totally nevermind the EB-3 for low tunings... the P would be a way better choice, and, as it is a clearer sounding bass, i'd ever recommend a Jazz bass. Except if you're gonna use alot to record. Then i'd recommend the P, 'cose they're just awesome in that department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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