4 string Bass tuned to BEAD advice needed, please

[NoiseNoiseNoise]

Does anyone have any experience with this setup? What gauge strings did you use? Which bass out of an '83 USA Fender Jazz Bass and a newish Epiphone Thunderbird IV (bolt on neck) would be better for this tuning?

Thanks in advance.

[jorri]

I used the lower strings of a 5 string set and found them floppy, so i ended up just using the B string for drop D tuning.

Check out Circle K as these are a balanced sets, going right up to ridiculous 200+ guages. You might need to refer to the string tension guide http://docslide.us/documents/circle-k-t ... chart.html That i remember suggested something like 140 strings to match a 105 set in standard tuning.

Tapers are best so they fit the bridge. Nut would need to be filed though...and possibly its going to fit the jazzbass better but if its tapered it might not matter.

[NoiseNoiseNoise]

Thanks. I knew there would be tension and other issues, which was why I asked which bass would be better. I've done some googling and the popular thinking there is that .135's are good for B tuning. Just looking for other opinions/ideas.

[Plumerai]

this has been my setup for a while. I just use the lower four strings of a five set & have never had issues with my jazz bass or peavey t40.

[jorri]

Well i think it just depends what sound you are after.. If the strings fit they fit. But it looks like that jazz bass won't need anything widening at the bridge, whereas the epiphone has deeper grooves.. worked on my jazz bass, but was for piano-like tones and i even hammered it on a recording. Perhaps the epiphone would produce the fundamental tones better though.

[NoiseNoiseNoise]

I think I'm gonna run with the Epi for BEAD. Mainly because it'll be easier to replace if it breaks