4 string bass, 5 string configuration

[fretbuzz]

yo, recently, i found the idea of a 5 string bass very cool......but couldnt bear to spend cash on one......
so i decided to just get a 5 string bass string set, use the 4 heavy strings, and tune to b.e.a.d.

now i thought this would be a cool idea......its great though, heavy songs get heavier....and the tension in the neck would remain virtually the same, as the lower tension due to lower tuning would compensate for the thicker strings.
been havin a great time, only problem is...the fretted notes are totally whack....out of tune
the open B is tuned perfectly, but when i fret the 1st note, instead of being a C, its almost close to a C#...the problem gets lets apparent on the third fret....its still out though, then starting from the 5th fret onwards, all notes are out of tune a litte.theyre always a little sharp

anybody can help me with this problem?
it was never an issue when it was standard tuning.
also, i gotta mention that this problem happens to a great extent on the B string, a little on the others, but still noticeable with a tuner

[Newc]

Re: 4 string bass, 5 string configuration

Intonation's whacked. Once you go that low, it really becomes noticeable. You would need either a 5-string or a baritone bass.

Newc

[peabuddy]

Re: 4 string bass, 5 string configuration

I've got a 3b charvel that i did the same thing with. i used a light set of 5 strings, using the lower 4 of course and set the intonation and it works good. i did have to adjust the truss rod a little though.

[taxistationary]

Re: 4 string bass, 5 string configuration

Well, i don't know much about the topic but...You can buy a 5-string conversion bridge that will make most 4 strings into 5 strings. I don't know that much about it. Lost Camel would know...He's got one.

[peabuddy]

Re: 4 string bass, 5 string configuration

fretbuzz, yea mine is a standard 3b charvel neckthru.i've seen those conversionbridges back in the 80's but the string spacing is narrow cause it's still a 4 string width. on a pbass width neck it's not so close, but a jazz neck, it's really narrow. jazz necks are 1 1/2 inches at the nut as p bass is 1 11/16 inches.btw, my 3b does have a badass bridge with made it intonate easier( saddles are more of a knife edge than the jackson/charvel bridge.)

[little0x]

Re: 4 string bass, 5 string configuration

Hey, The 4 to 5 string convertor thing is made but they go for pretty cheap on ebay. I grabbed mine for 20 or so dollars. They usually run for about 50-70. There pretty cool if you are doing chord progressions or something along that lines. But with the strings being so close you pretty much cant tap. You can still slap/pop some but not as fast on a regular 4 string. There really cool just to mess around with. But beware is makes your tension on the strings feel a lot stiffer for some reason. They where made for Fender precision basses. But you can use them on pretty much any bass as long as it has the Fender headstock where the strings go under the metal peice (sorry forgot the name of it) But if its setup like that you should really look into. Then you can have all your 5 strings instead of your bottom 4. By the way I don't have a low B but instead a high b. Pretty cool. I hope this helps you.

Ox

[fretbuzz]

Re: 4 string bass, 5 string configuration

hmm...since a 5 string or baritone bass is out of the question, maybe goin with pea buddy's suggestion of a lighter gauge of 5 string set would be better.
pea, is your neck length of standard length? cos i heard of some special made 4 basses with a longer scale neck to compensate the 5 string tuning.
hmm....conversion bridge.....anymore info about it? it dosent sound like it could solve the problem of intonation...oh well, maybe