String sizing for Drop C

[House74]

Hey peeps!

I figure you all could answer this a lot faster for me. Would a 4 string set with a .110 low string be sufficient for drop C? an Ibanez SR405 I believe it is just for reference

Thanks guys, appreciate any input!

 

[hairychris]

I'm using a 0.130 (maybe a 0.135, can't remember) for the low C and a set of 0.095 - 0.040 for GCFA.

It's fairly high tension. The upper strings are 3 semitones higher in pitch than standard 5-string BEADF tuning.

Using this on an Ibanez SR505 and an EBMM USA Sub 5.

 

[stevexc]

I was using a .135 for Drop C#. It was a little on the heavy side. If I were to do it again I'd probably use a .120 or .125 just to make it a little easier on my fingers. For Drop C, .130 would probably work great.

 

[AliceLG]

I've tuned my low B up occasionally, using a 135. I also had a bass in drop C for a while with a 120 if memory serves, it was pretty sweet play.

 

[Winspear]

If you can't be bothered to get a custom set, a normal .130-.045 5 string set is actually EXCELLENT for drop C if you throw away the .100.
Just goes to show how badly balanced it is for standard B tuning, lol, with tight trebles and a floppy B.

 

[giantchris]

Anything from 120-130 should be fine.

 

[InscissoryMechanisms]

I currently have a bass tuned to c standard with a 120 c string and it has a good feel to it tension wise.

 

[rockskate4x]

There are a lot of good answers to this but ultimately it is up to you what feels good. I could calculate a good set if you tell me what strings and tunings you are currently comfortable with as a reference point

In the meantime these are the simplest (non custom) solutions

1. heavy 4 string set
2. 5 string set with the low E thrown out.

The second option is a little eyebrow raising at first, because you would think that skipping an entire gauge in a string set would result in terrible balance/feel, but bass sets are already really unbalanced to begin with so the change is actually a positive one.

len 34
G2 .045 daxb == 43.68#
D2 .065 daxb == 51.37#
A1 .080 daxb == 42.04#
E1 .100 daxb == 36.54#
B0 .130 daxb == 34.46#

There is about 17 lbs of difference between the low B and the high D in a standard set (wtf?!). In general the bass side feels much lighter feeling than the treble side. Throwing out the E string and tuning to drop C effectively lowers the treble strings a whole step and raises the lowest string a half step, making this setup more balanced.

len 34
F2 .045 daxb == 34.67#
C2 .065 daxb == 40.77#
G1 .080 daxb == 33.37#
C1 .130 daxb == 38.68#

Now as you can see, while not perfectly balanced there is now only about a 7 lb difference between the tightest and loosest strings which is much much better. While this feel is more consistent, it may be lighter over all than what you prefer so you can extend this practice to a slightly higher gauge 5 string set like a 50-135.

len 34
F2 .050 daxb == 43.37#
C2 .070 daxb == 47.77#
G1 .085 daxb == 38.45#
C1 .135 daxb == 40.47#

I hope this helps!

 

[House74]

awesome input guys, thank you so much! Yeah see the .120 is what I was looking into, I was just worried it might be too much tension for the C string