Bass Tuning for playing with guitar tuned to A

You'd tune it ADGC, below the guitar. The strings would be extremely floppy though; it would probably be better (and easier) to buy the thickest 5-string set and use just the four bottom strings. And if you did that, you'd also probably have to have the nut slots widened to accept the wider strings.

I don't see why it can't be done though. People have done it already I believe.

The lowest bass string I think I read about was a C#, which I would assume was below the A you're thinking about. It was on an 8 or 9 string bass.

You could probably do it with yours though. You could just loosen the E string you have now (the fourth, thickest string), and see how that sounds and plays -- whether it's too loose to play. And when you do that you could find out if your bass amp/speaker will produce something that low. Then if all is well, you could go ahead and get some thicker heavy gauge strings to put on there.

I don't know what tuning you would want to do. What I can't figure out is the guitar player tuning to A. They should tune up and let you as the bass player provide the low end. That is what the bass is for. I'd suggest a compromise of D. Good luck with that though.

I'd stay in standard tuning, or maybe drop D. The thickest string you'll be able to find easily will be a .130" string. This is on the heavy side for a low B. A lot of people find the B string on 34" basses a little floppy, but that has a lot to do with the string they're using and with their technique. I think it would get a little floppy If you tuned it down to A. So you can try restringing to ADGC if you like, but the lowest string might not work out right. Anyway, I'd go with standard tuning or drop D because you'd have your A string tuned like his, which is convenient, and then an additional three or four notes below. It'll be a bit like playing in a band with two basses, and it should be workable. I don't see any real advantage to going lower just because the guitar is lower. You might go lower just because you want to, though. In that case ADGC is a good option.

From: http://www.jauqoiii-xreality.com/pictures.html

This one's got a C# string on it. Looks like a telephone pole!

The advise was very helpful.
I also play electric guitar and play in C tuning like Josh Homme for Queens of the Stone Age.
When I jammed with a friend who played bass, he would play in standard E which was OK but needless to say something was missing a bit and it couldn't quite keep up with the heaviness of the guitar riffs.
If it helps, anyone who knows the song 'You Can't Quit me Baby' or 'Mexicola' from the first Queens of the Stone Age will know what kind of a sound and tuning I am going for, however, I myself don't know what it is.
If all else fails, I can get my mate to play his guitar in C instead of A, so long as we can get that fat bass sound those above mentioned songs have.
Thanks again.

Actually I found out what tuning Qotsa use.
It's C F Bb Eb.
I think that should be an OK tuning.
But what thickness strings would be adviseable?

Hey, that's pretty cool. I had a Rick that I turned to BEAD once. I didn't actually change the string gauges and just used the D'Addario .045-.100 (EXL 170s) like I already had. You'll be going a half step higher than did so maybe the ones you have will work.

If not you could maybe try a set that went from .050 to .105 or maybe thicker, like the D'Addario EXL 160s.

Something like .120", .100", .085", .065" sounds about right to me for C F Bb Eb. You probably won't find those exact gauges, but using the lower four strings from a light 5 string set should work well.