4 String Bass Drop A?

[koalamo]

Is this possible, I did a sneap search and could only find info on five strings in a. Can you even do it with a 4-string or are the strings going to be too big. I have a fender jazz and a squire jazz

 

[Leon--]

Yes you can do it by adding fatter strings (.130tw) but a 5-string bass will work better

 

[BLUElightCory]

Most speakers won't even reproduce the fundamental frequencies of a bass in drop A tuning.

You might be better off doing the Deftones thing - the guitar parts on the low A string are played in the same octave by the bass (on the 3rd of the 4 strings) and then the bass player plays the low string when it's appropriate (usually when the guitar is playing higher chords). This makes things nice and balanced, and the bass can actually have some tone instead of sounding low and flubby.

 

[Jordon]

I have a Geddy Lee jazz that is routinely set up in A and A#. Works for me.

 

[::XeS::]

Most speakers won't even reproduce the fundamental frequencies of a bass in drop A tuning.

You might be better off doing the Deftones thing - the guitar parts on the low A string are played in the same octave by the bass (on the 3rd of the 4 strings) and then the bass player plays the low string when it's appropriate (usually when the guitar is playing higher chords). This makes things nice and balanced, and the bass can actually have some tone instead of sounding low and flubby.

Or like Meshuggah

 

[FischmungaXTR]

Most speakers won't even reproduce the fundamental frequencies of a bass in drop A tuning.

You might be better off doing the Deftones thing - the guitar parts on the low A string are played in the same octave by the bass (on the 3rd of the 4 strings) and then the bass player plays the low string when it's appropriate (usually when the guitar is playing higher chords). This makes things nice and balanced, and the bass can actually have some tone instead of sounding low and flubby.

Drop A isnt really too low - its only 1 step down from B standard!

OP: just buy a set of 5-string strings (preff. 135 on the thickest) and discard the highest string. you will almost certainly have to re-intonate your bass but it will work

 

[Wrecknine]

As long as the bridge and possibly nut are set up correctly, I don't see any problems. Do YOU play on the high string enough to miss it?