Can you put regular bass strings on an acoustic bass?

Answer 1

Yes you can and they will work fine, the tone will be affected. The steel strings for an Electric Guitar (steel so they interact with the magnets on the pickup) will not sound as full and rich as the bronze strings designed for acoustic. In a pinch, they will work just fine! (but not visa-versa because of the magnet thing).

Answer 2

No, regular bass strings are designed for electric bass Guitars and are not suitable for acoustic bass guitars. Acoustic bass guitars require strings that are specifically designed for acoustic instruments to produce the proper tone and volume. Using regular bass strings on an acoustic bass can result in poor sound quality, damage to the instrument, and potential tuning issues. It is recommended to always use strings that are specifically made for acoustic bass guitars.

Answer 3

It wouldn't be advisable to be honest.

Bass guitars have a low sound and if you were to put electric Strings on, the tension wouldn't be match, and the octave wouldn't be matched.

Source: I have friends who decided to do this

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I'd think pitch would be the least of your problems. Electric-guitar strings are so much thinner than bass strings that more likely than not, they won't fit a Bass Guitar. The strings would wiggle like mad at the bridge and nut. I'm not even certain they'd be long enough to reach.

If you want an easier-playing bass, try a short-scale bass (eg. Gibson's SG bass, Danelectros, or the Hofner violin bass). Or a baritone guitar.

the neck of your guitar will snap

Answer 4

Of course you can.

But this will be useless.

Unless you want to produce some special sound.

But to have a bass guitar sound as it usually sounds, special strings for bass guitars must be put on. They are longer and thicker.

Answer 5

Technically you can, but it won't work well, and here's why:

There are three factors that determine what pitch an open string sounds: neck length, string thickness, and string tension. Guitar necks and bass necks are different lengths. Guitar is usually 24-25 inches, and bass is usually 34 inches. You'll notice on a guitar or bass, the strings lower in pitch are thicker. The thicker the string, the lower it will sound. Bass strings are all thicker than guitar strings. But you'll also notice that all strings on either instrument have about the same tension. If the tension is too much, then the strings will be too tight to play and will eventually snap, and if the tension is too low, the strings will be too loose and flabby to sound any good.

If you were to put bass strings on an electric guitar, you would have to match the natural playable tension of the string while dealing with a guitar's 10 inch shorter neck. To make it playable, you would have to tune the strings around a forth higher. Meaning, tune an E string to an A, an A string to a D, a D string to a G and a G string to a C. But you still deal with the fact that the strings are extremely thick, and won't fit in the notches in your nut, making it difficult to play on the first and second frets.

HOWEVER: Adding bass strings to a guitar has been done successfully. The Chapman Stick is an instrument famous for possessing strings from both guitar and bass. Check it out.

Answer 6

If you want to then you can teach yourself on an acoustic guitar using the E,A,D,G strings, but its worth remembering that on an actual bass the notes are an octave lower, the guitar is longer, the fretboard is wider, the strings a heavier gauge and spaced further apart than a regular guitar.

Answer 7

Sure - use the first four strings, and they'll sound one octave high.

Answer 8

technically yes, as they are the same length, thickness etc. However, in order to achieve the best tone i would highly recommend getting specified acoustic strings.

Answer 9

There are strings called Boomers. Like the left4dead Zombies. They are made for really low tuning. If you put those on a regular guitar, it should sound like a bass.

Answer 10

yes