Question for bass players
Posted by: El Guapo on 21 November 2009
What would be the effect of replacing some of the strings on an electric bass with banjo strings? I wonder because the bassist in Lightning Bolt does this
Posted on: 21 November 2009 by BigH47
I guess the reply would be. What does the bass in Lightning Bolt sound like?
Depends a lot on what tuning (s)he uses.
Pretty light and floppy would be my guess, (which strings?). If tuned any where near a standard e-bass.
Depends a lot on what tuning (s)he uses.
Pretty light and floppy would be my guess, (which strings?). If tuned any where near a standard e-bass.
Posted on: 21 November 2009 by El Guapo
Well not much like a bass to be honest. Lightning Bolt are a noise rock duo - bass and drums. Brian Gibson plays a 4 string bass- standard cello tuning and a banjo string on the bottom string and a lot of effects or a 5 string with the bottom 2 as banjo strings. He sounds quite a bit like Stephen O'Malley, the guitartist who admittedly mainly plays a downtuned guitar
Posted on: 21 November 2009 by u5227470736789439
quote:standard cello tuning
..., but standard cello tuning is not even faintly related to the standard tuning of the electric bass, the orchestral bass, or or any other double bass, so you point is?
Posted on: 22 November 2009 by El Guapo
Don't know. He described it as standard cello tiuning. I just wondered what difference a banjo string would make to the sound
Posted on: 22 November 2009 by Mike-B
A banjo string is constructed much like an electric or acoustic steel string. Steel single wire or wound.
4 string banjo (normally) has single wire on 1st 2nd & 3rd and a wound 4th.
5 string has single wire 1st 2nd 3rd & 5th strings & wound 4th.
The unique sound of a banjo is from the sound board/box which is like a drum consisting of a resonant chamber and a tensioned skin made of either pig skin or plastic. Fit a banjo string to an acoustic guitar and it sounds like a guitar. Fit a guitar string to a banjo and it sounds like a banjo.
Going back to any electric string instrument; the sound is a generated by a steel string vibrating within the magnetic field of the pick up inducing a signal in the pick up coil.
So the answer is really that it does not matter if its a banjo or guitar string for this guys bass, and as I guess he is looking for a unique sound that cannot be achieved from the thick standard bass strings, any light guitar or banjo type string will do it.
And not being a Lightning Bolt fan (never heard of 'em) I took the trouble of looking them up on www and see the bassist has a 5 string instrument and it looks like the 1st string is the one in question, the others look like standard bass strings.
4 string banjo (normally) has single wire on 1st 2nd & 3rd and a wound 4th.
5 string has single wire 1st 2nd 3rd & 5th strings & wound 4th.
The unique sound of a banjo is from the sound board/box which is like a drum consisting of a resonant chamber and a tensioned skin made of either pig skin or plastic. Fit a banjo string to an acoustic guitar and it sounds like a guitar. Fit a guitar string to a banjo and it sounds like a banjo.
Going back to any electric string instrument; the sound is a generated by a steel string vibrating within the magnetic field of the pick up inducing a signal in the pick up coil.
So the answer is really that it does not matter if its a banjo or guitar string for this guys bass, and as I guess he is looking for a unique sound that cannot be achieved from the thick standard bass strings, any light guitar or banjo type string will do it.
And not being a Lightning Bolt fan (never heard of 'em) I took the trouble of looking them up on www and see the bassist has a 5 string instrument and it looks like the 1st string is the one in question, the others look like standard bass strings.
Posted on: 22 November 2009 by BigH47
If I was making that noise I'd cover my face too.
I don't think it matters how he tunes or strings his bass really.
I don't think it matters how he tunes or strings his bass really.