BEAD on a 4 String Bass? 

"I love Low 4 bass, BEAD is all you need.G strings are for strippers"

I've been using this since 1990. Always wondered why no one was doing it. Glad to see it catching on.

I think all 5ths tuning on bass is really killer! A, E, B, F#. That way you don't lose the higher register but you still get that low register. Fuzz comes in handy for that low A

I always thought BEAD should be the new standard tuning. How often do you use the G string ? The best tone on a bass isn't on the G string. You can still play above the 12th fret for some higher notes to add tension to a song. But adding a Low B string that's ultra useful and has a great tone on a bass. Many times a gig might call for you to have a Low B. Not many gigs revolve around you needing that G string. 5 strings have a thick neck that isn't as comfy at least for me and usually is a heavier bass to play 2 hours straight. I play much better on a 4 string neck. To me BEAD just makes perfect sense as my standard bass tuning that best prepares me to play multiple genres.

Flatwound strings can be removed and reinstalled, but they can get twisted if you’re not careful. Make sure to line up the break angle with the bridge saddle.

Yes. yes. BEAD tuning. You should show another cunning trick, that I use when playing 4 string BEAD basses. Use a capo on 5th fret. Then, at 5th fret it turns out a regular tuned bass EADG. Now, if the next tune at a gig, is an old Hendrix tune, SRV tune, or you want to play with horns, just clamp the capo one fret down and get a "dropped" Eb tuning. Drop D? Set it on 3rd fret. Play "Born under a bad sign"? Yes, put it at 2nd fret, and let the low C sharp ring, and play open strings. No need for re-tuning at all. Clip it to the headstock if you want that low B... I got this idea, whenever I played a regular bass and had to drop D (even with a hipshot tuner) or drob Eb. Afterwards, when you start the tune, after 30 seconds the downtuned string wants to creep slowly back into it's former pitch, and it's out of tune halfway through the song. And you change tension. With the capo on different frets, the strings doesn't alter tension and the relief remains the same, and no increased fret buzzing due to too slack strings. Works a charm! Now, do you sell dedicated BEAD sets or one has to buy a 5 string set and scrap the high G string?

I love BEAD. That's kind of my go-to tuning on my basses

Great video!! You did it so well Sir!!! 😊🥁🇵🇭

I do AEAD, and have another one with B as well as the low on the 4 string. I would suggest going a heavier gauged on the low A or B, I was doing 145 for low A and 135 for the B, but with your string tension chart gauged to your strings to get a balance 40lb avg string tension it would be 165 for A and 135 For the B

It's a little late but I've done the opposite E-C on a 5 and E-F on a 6 it works great if you do chords/tapping

I've used this tuning for a long time. I use a regular set of flat wounds. Flats have a higher string tension to compensate a bit for the tuning. To me, fives always felt weird and asymmetrical. Plus, the string spacing is way tighter. I like them big and loose. If you're after high tuning and tight string spacing, you might be interested in a standard guitar.

been doing that for years. used to have bigger gauge but I scaled down in case I want to tune in standard.

I just did the same thing .. worked well .. so far no other futher adjustments needed ... Thaks for the video

I used to play BEAD when I started playing bass and then during 20 years, just because I was listening to "The Robots" by Kraftwerk on "The Mix" album and the bass synth was very low. Loved it, the main interest was for me, beside the lower notes on B string, the fact that playing higher notes on the D string instead of a G string gets some fat sound, very interesting. I swapped for a 5 strings bass 14 years ago, but this year I found a great 4 strings PB-like I love... and I will probably get another one to be tuned in BEAD for some songs.

I have a J-bass in BEAD with a 145 (I think) . I call it my Fourve string.

Thanks bro, appreciate it!!!! \m/

Ross Valory (Journey) switched to BEAD a long time ago. I tried it and I love it.

Would be any problem if you set the bass with this strings to drop A for playing heavy distortion stuff?

Sounds perfect from where I'm sitting!

cant wait to do that on my jazz bass. it's arriving nest Tuesday

I am getting my first bass next month and *this video* is what convinced me to go with a 4-string and use BEAD tuning 😁

I like tuning down my e string down to the low b for a BADG alternate tuning.

Started learning/playing bass around 91/92 and hated the G string sound. When I came up with the idea to string my Samick BEAD, the other players around me thought it was weird/stupid. I didn’t care, I loved it.

Cool idea! and you can capo on the 5th fret if you want to play it like a standard 4 string

I’m getting a bass for this tubing next I want that schecter ex-4 schecter spocalypse

Your hair is on point my homie!

me on the other hand tuned my 5 string to EADGB , dont really care about g and b string but i love my e string got extra low end

I've been using BEAD 4-string tuning for about 15 years:: Rotosound Monel Heavy Gauge Flatwound Bass Strings (50 75 95 110). These are seriously stiff strings when tuned to EADG, but when tuned down to BEAD their tension is much softer and actually perfect for me. The only modification needed was enlarging the nut grooves a little to accomodate the thicker strings (otherwise they sit too high).

Hi there from the Philippines... I have a cheap bass and it's action is aweful... I'm planning on getting a 6 string bass and will be using the A-D-G-B string on it... Can you make a video on if it's possible to do it and what will happen if it is turned with E-A-D-G...

I needed two hours to acomodiate from four to five string bass. Dont be feared. Five string is so much fun and limiteless. And sound... different world❤️

Hey question because I’m recently doing this to my bass but my 130 gauge is very floppy tuned to b

I'm thinking about doing this. I'm always wanting to hit that C or D for fills or whatever. Not only that, but I realized you can keep your hand higher up on the neck and still get those low notes which is great for a couple of reasons (I bet Phil Lynott would've loved that). Plus it sort of reinforces the bass's role. I disagree with the notion that the higher notes are strictly the domain of the guitar, because for one thing the bass plays those same notes with a fatter, distinct tone, and you can play with the textures and dynamics of the interplay between instruments. However, the bulk of our duty is to do low end stuff, and most of those higher notes will still be available, just not as conveniently. It just makes way more sense to me to have more low notes than more high notes.

I'm tuned to A# F A# D# for a doom metal band. When me and the guitarist both hit an open A# together it sounds like pure evil. I did have a 5 string with a longer 35" scale and it did have more clarity than the 34" 4 string

I run a 4 string jazz with a Daddario EXL60BT in AEAD and it works for me. 120, 90, 67, 50. But I’ve recently become a huge fan of Stringjoy strings so I’m going to start doing a custom set in this. Might wanna beef up my 120 to 125 for A. The 120 in BEAD feels great but the A gets a bit flubby at 120. Only had to slightly sand down my nut

Any issues with tension? I ve thought of doing this but going to ADGC, but no more!

Nice video. I'm a guitarist who recently got a couple of basses and I've got a couple of questions. I'm planning on tuning one of them to ADAD, to match a 7-string guitar that's in "Drop D" and then the low A to match. 1: What gauge would you recommend? I have 100/80/65/45 on the bass that's staying in standard and I like the feel of those. 34" scale. 2: Would you expect any issues with the bridge saddles with the thicker strings? (I'm expecting to need nut work and I'm OK with that) Thanks!

when will stringjoy make flats?

Same bass setup here with my Ibanez Gio 4 String Bass BEAD string setup.

I think I'm switching mine to ADGC after seeing this. Thanks!

I'm a guitar player, yet I really find this interesting.

I picked up a slammer hammer jazz bass I’m gonna drop Tune it it sounded preety good

I prefer 5’s and have a d-tuner to drop the low B to A to go from B standard to drop A when/if needed. I started on a 4 but have been playing 5’s for majority of my bass playing career. Super comfy for me, I actually prefer the string spacing of a 5. I’ve developed my technique to the point where when I hop on a 4 on occasion I have to switch it to accommodate for the different spacing and just feels off at first. I know if I just wanted to play 4’s I’d get used to it again but if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. I’d also miss having that low B for the lower register as well. To each their own of course, if you like 4’s then hell yeah, go for it. But 5’s are definitely my comfort for playing.

I also use a 5 string set on my 4 string. My low string is dropped to G to match my 7 string guitar. Sounds pretty good without too much flubbage

Plus if you really need regular tuning for a song you can throw a capo on the fifth fret.

I prefer J to P bass just for versatility, but that does have a really cool tone.

But you should rework the nut for the fatter strings in each slot

Ive been in country bands all over for over 30 years and NO it's not popular. What is common is regular 4 string tuning BUT many also add a mechanism for drop D

I have had my Warwick RockBass setup like this for years.

Completely unrelated question: What Bad Cat amp is that!?

the guy from Jimmy Eat World uses the same gauge on a P Bass for standard E tuning. wonder how that feels.

You ever messed with any alternate tunings for bass? How'd it go?

when i get 130-60 bass strings for my ibanez sr300eb i use ADAD

Do you have to get new strings for tuning the bass to b e a d? I don't know much about bass tunings, right now I have standard tuning but i've been thinking lately that i'd like to try b e a d or c# tuning

A large number of cool bass lines use the G string. I would never ditch it unless playing certain metal styles exclusively. You're giving up part of what makes a bass sound beautiful and special. I'd rather use a 5-string when truly needed or just tune a 4 down when necessary (Eb, drop D, D standard, drop C, whatever) and then back up to standard.

Low B never sounds good to me at 34".

Standard 4 string Flatwound is great for downtuning to BEAD

Why did you go with the lighter guage? Are you tuning higher or lower to get the BEAD?

question is, shall I use this on my insane 58 style american original p bass or my partcaster jazz.... my 2 main basses or shall I use it on my cheap old cort bass bc obe doesnt need it that much?

Is the best way to convert an EADG tune to a BEAD tune, to add a LOW B string at the top or to tune standard EADG strings to BEAD?

Is it possible to play Drop A (AEAD) like that? I'm planning to do that with my Dean bass in a couple of years.

I would SO love BEAD FlatWound Strings but who sells ‘em? 🤷‍♂️

in alot of metal/deathcore use this in idea and play in d standard and FAR

Since a lot of bassists only use the E and A strings, why not shift 2 strings down, going for GBEA? Yes, I know "bassists go by 4ths," but I find staying on the GDAEB pattern easier.

Ross Valory from Journey strung his bases this way

I've never fully understood the whole B string craze. It ALWAYS sounds muddy and all the notes on the B string sound different than all the others - almost like its muffled in comparison. Oh well, diff strokes. Thx for the vid - subb'd

.........im going to the music store tomorrow

ive thought of doing this once.

Can I use the bottom 4 strings from a 5 string set to get a B F# B E (drop B) tuning on my 4 string bass without messing up the intonation and truss rod? Or do I absolutely have to tamper with the truss rod in order to maintain proper intonation and not have fretted notes sound out of tune?

Peter Steele from Type O Negative used BEAD in most songs.

Billy Joel uses alternate tuning as well 🥔

I prefer .130 on a 34" four string for B

i got spoiled by stringjoy's customization. i tend to like VERY heavy low strings and more bendy highs so i do like a 5-string 140-40 so the B is fat as shit, and the G is very slinky. But i have a 6 and i decided to go low as possible, and found that the Stringjoy 165 on a 34 inch, get's a fairly comfortable low G. i cant seem to get to F# on anything for F#BEadg but whatever. i really need a longer bass for that but cant justify the money just for an extra bass that get's whale-fart range. it;s not like a play in a band that tunes F# for 8-strings or anything. My band plays in drop C, and i got a 5-string uptuned to Drop C...which BTW is damn near impossible without custom string ordering, so yet again Stringjoy solves an age-old problem. try using a regular brand-X 5-string pack and tuning up to CGCfa# and tell me those high strings arent literally cheese-cutter wire on your fingers. your bass neck turns into a banana and light aircraft can make a landing pass between your strings and 12th fret.

I tried stringing my MM Stingray one time with a BEAD and my neck looked like a half pipe. Instantly cut them off and bought a Zon Sonus 5 string instead.

The hell does Jaco have to do with me playing the bass? We arent even the same species in any way.

What about fret buzz?

i tuned my 4 string to aead

You hear the B string at 04:51 .

Exactly similar to Ryan Martinie or any other nu metal bassist

Honestly you can put on a standard heavy set 55 - 110 and you can get the BEAD tuning . You truly don't need a 130 gauge low string .

A lot of words...

I hate 5 string basses I always preferred the 4 string because they’re funny to play and they aren’t too big for my hands

Ha! he said doodoo......

bro stop bobbing your head like that

I go down to drop D an octave down on my 4 string,,had to order custom Newtone strings for it haha, gauges 0.067 0.094 0.130 0.200 D0 A0 D1 G1, BEAD is sick but I normally use my 5 string for stuff in that register :), sick video!!!!! Love the low tuned P bass tone :)

Type o Negative