Tuning Question

[danny-79]

Hellos all.
does anyone tune there five string (Bongo) to ADGCF ?

I’ve tuned all my fours DGCF for that long that that’s my standard, being a noob to the joys of a five string that I said I’d never do , four is plenty, etc ….. BEADG is really not working for me so I’ve really just answered my own question on what I need to do to make it work ADGCF.
what problems am I about to encounter with the low A ? In my logical mind thats too low (why did I buy a fiver, mild regrets)

 

[tbonesullivan]

Why isn't BEADG working? Personally I wouldn't attempt A unless it was a 35" scale bass. The B can get floppy enough at it is on a 34.

 

[danny-79]

Why isn't BEADG working? Personally I wouldn't attempt A unless it was a 35" scale bass. The B can get floppy enough at it is on a 34.

It just doesn’t sound right to me after playing DGCF for so long, logic says stick with it on the fiver

 

[Michael Murphy]

You're not going to hurt the bass by trying, so try it. Maybe you'll like the feel of the low A, maybe you won't. It may need a slight truss rod tweak, or not.

 

[five7]

I had a 34" Carvin with a drop tuner for B to A. Ever so slightly floppy but manageable. The sterling 5H I just bought was setup ADGCF with cobalts on it. Sounded and played fine. I had to tighten the truss rod when I went to BEADG. Give it a go.

 

[danny-79]

thanks for the positive input, ill give it a go. I’ve still got a 135 kicking about from when I first got it and decided to stick with factory gauge so what I will do is put that with a four string set that I know handle DGCF nicely (same brand and material) and hopefully not look back. I’ve got a high pass filter that I never play with out so amping it shouldn’t/hopefully won’t give me any or too much trouble.

I don’t know why I’ve not thought of it sooner. I’ve only used it a handful of times in a band setting and they were recording sessions that I’d purposely wanted the low low notes only to re work it later for four string for playing live.

im not going to be reunited with Bongo until the middle of the month but I shall let you know how I get on

cheers

 

[Michael Murphy]

I had a 34" Carvin with a drop tuner for B to A. Ever so slightly floppy but manageable. The sterling 5H I just bought was setup ADGCF with cobalts on it. Sounded and played fine. I had to tighten the truss rod when I went to BEADG. Give it a go.

I had forgotten for a while that i did the same thing on my Stingray 5 -- a Hipshot d-tuner on my B string. I used that for several years with no issues.
(I still have it, but tend to play other basses more often now.)

 

[danny-79]

Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Set it up ADGCF heavier Strings with relevant tweaks, played in for a bit and really didn’t like it. There is enough tension in the 135 for the A but the whole thing just felt dead and lifeless. Not what I expected even ignoring the A string the DGCF with 105-85-70-50 that I use and tune to on all of my Fours just felt and sounded horrible.
I have much to learn regarding the dynamics of a five string bass.

 

[danny-79]

Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Set it up ADGCF heavier Strings with relevant tweaks, played in for a bit and really didn’t like it. There is enough tension in the 135 for the A but the whole thing just felt dead and lifeless. Not what I expected even ignoring the A string the DGCF with 105-85-70-50 that I use and tune to on all of my Fours just felt and sounded horrible.
I have much to learn regarding the dynamics of a five string bass.

replying to myself but it’s all good now, so scratch that !
all set up nicely ADGCF and we are getting along just fine