5-string set for a 4-string musicman?

cococontofu · 30th August 2006

hi,

I'm actually no bass player myself, so I'm referring to the pros who know how to nicely treat a musicman stingray in low tunings (mostly dropped C to be exact). will I harm the neck if i use a 5-string set (without the high e-string) or can I get along with heavy set of 4 strings and still have enough tension?

i51423 · 30th August 2006

Take it to a tech and have them set it up for heavier strings.

bassmutant · 14th September 2006

Or you can save yourself the money and do it yourself. It's not hard, you'll need an accurate tuner, as well as trussrod adjustment tools and bridge adjustment tools. Usually some allen key's and a philips head screwdriver are all that you need.

On topic, you have to make sure your neck can support the added stress. Some single piece necks that don't have any steel bar or graphite reinforment, or ones that aren't laminated, i.e., multipiece, are going to bow heavily with this setup, and if it's a cheapo instrument, you may end up ruining the neck. The trussrod, if adjust too far to compensate, may break free, and your basically up shit creek unless you pay to have the thing fixed.

Tim Commerford from audioslave uses this setup with his fender basses, fyi, and I've tried it with a cheap peavey I had a few years ago....and ended up bowing it too far for the trussrod to compensate properly, I couldn't tighten it enough.

http://www.weedhopper.org/Bass_Guitar_Setup.asp

This site has a good setup piece which is easy to follow, and print out. I do all my own setups, and it saves me quite a bit of money, and after I learned how to do it, I can get my action exactly where I want it.

cococontofu · 16th September 2006

thanks for the input guys! we solved the problem by simply using a five string for the low tunings.

i know how to adjust the neck, i just wasn't sure if i could do this to a musicman without damaging it.

30th August 2006	#1
cococontofu Gear interested Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 28 Thread Starter	5-string set for a 4-string musicman? hi, I'm actually no bass player myself, so I'm referring to the pros who know how to nicely treat a musicman stingray in low tunings (mostly dropped C to be exact). will I harm the neck if i use a 5-string set (without the high e-string) or can I get along with heavy set of 4 strings and still have enough tension?

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30th August 2006	#2
i51423 Gear maniac Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Hatfield, PA Posts: 261	Take it to a tech and have them set it up for heavier strings.

14th September 2006	#3
bassmutant Gear Head Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Washington State, USA Posts: 44	Or you can save yourself the money and do it yourself. It's not hard, you'll need an accurate tuner, as well as trussrod adjustment tools and bridge adjustment tools. Usually some allen key's and a philips head screwdriver are all that you need. On topic, you have to make sure your neck can support the added stress. Some single piece necks that don't have any steel bar or graphite reinforment, or ones that aren't laminated, i.e., multipiece, are going to bow heavily with this setup, and if it's a cheapo instrument, you may end up ruining the neck. The trussrod, if adjust too far to compensate, may break free, and your basically up shit creek unless you pay to have the thing fixed. Tim Commerford from audioslave uses this setup with his fender basses, fyi, and I've tried it with a cheap peavey I had a few years ago....and ended up bowing it too far for the trussrod to compensate properly, I couldn't tighten it enough. http://www.weedhopper.org/Bass_Guitar_Setup.asp This site has a good setup piece which is easy to follow, and print out. I do all my own setups, and it saves me quite a bit of money, and after I learned how to do it, I can get my action exactly where I want it.

16th September 2006	#4
cococontofu Gear interested Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Austria Posts: 28 Thread Starter	thanks for the input guys! we solved the problem by simply using a five string for the low tunings. i know how to adjust the neck, i just wasn't sure if i could do this to a musicman without damaging it.