I just stumbled across a really interesting article on tuning a bass to EADGBE (basically just guitar tuning down an octave). This seems really handy if you have guitar chops and are used to the tuning for scales and chords, and also if the lower 5 string B range isn't a necessity for you. Curious to hear everyone's thoughts on this. You'd most likely need to do a little tweaking with a new nut, and maybe even neck adjustments, but it brings up some interesting range and chordal possibilities that I'm intrigued with.
The article:
https://www.bassox.com/tuning-a-6-string-bass-like-a-guitar/
BTW, check out the embedded YouTube link "Guitar Strings On A BASS sound UNREAL" - that player is fire...
Tyson Farmer
www.lessonface.com/TysonFarmer
Hey Tyson.
If you tuned a 6-string bass to EADGBE, would that then be 1 octave lower than the Bass VI? https://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier/Classic-Vibe-Bass-VI-3-Color-Sunburst-1500000264260.gc
Or would it be the same octave, but with the full-length bass guitar as opposed to the shortened Bass VI?
Emily Z.
Hey Emily!
Same tuning/ octave range as the Bass VI with longer scale like you said - in fact, the article even mentions the Bass VI with a link to an article on it:
https://eastwoodguitars.com/blogs/news/bass-vi-guide-what-you-need-to-know
While the Bass VI is basically a bass guitar already in that tuning, I took the general tone of the article to be about how to switch up your existing bass to accommodate this tuning yourself, with the full length like you said. I'm thinking a longer scale would make a big difference in the throatiness you'd get with such a tuning. And although I started on bass, my main axe is guitar, and the ability to transfer all my scales and chord shapes whole cloth to a bass is intriguing to me... ;-)
Tyson