Drop A#-Tuning on a Les Paul?

[2012]

In Flames in 2004:
5150 -> Iso Cabs -> IEM

I got that from an interview with Björn from about that time. Apparently they got into the Iso Cabs because they were recording STYE in a house were the couldn't crank the amps.

Awesome, thanks. Are these the Randall Iso Cabs you're referring to, or custom built cabinets?

STYE is entirely Iso Cab ?

 

[::XeS::]

in 2004 they had the same live setup of 2007: 5150/pod xt for clean + cab (the cab of the backline usually..no only one brand)
You don't see the amps because they usually put them at the side of the stage.

 

[2012]

The Iso Cab makes sense, because the guitar sound was very "focused." Interesting!

 

[Kevin Kitchel]

FYI, my band opened for IF a few times on the Colony and Clayman tours, and they were using 5150s with Marshall cabs then too.

 

[HeadCrusher]

STYE is Iso cabs (dunno which one).
On the R2R tour cabs were behind them, everything from then on was on the sides of the stage.
As I said: Their headlining tour for STYE was definitelly Iso Cabs (Björn said so) but they didn't seem to like the In ear monitoring or something. So they changed back to normal amp use (w/ cabs) after the (Europe) headlining tour.
Oh and for the STYE guitar recording: Iso cabs plus a few tracks of some kind of Fuzz pedal - makes it sound like a tractor (Björn's words)... (go figure )

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

This is really interesting about the iso cabs and STYE. That guitar tone is unique, and while I probably wouldn't want to record my stuff with it, it really worked for that record.

 

[2012]

Thanks for the info, HeadCrusher!

 

[Gnash]

Gnash, can you explain the "big bend nut sauce"?
I use 13-62 d'addario in my schecter, C tuned...but I can't intonate the 6th string properly..at 12th it remains a little increased and unfortunally, the saddle is at the end..

It comes in a little tube, and looks like a syrynge. It costs $15 a tube. It's worth every penny. A little bit on the nut and bridge saddles, under the string is all it takes. I can't get a guitar to go out of tune with it. Intonation is a bitch down low. I don't have in problems with my Schecter in drop C. I use 52-10 on mine.

 

[Gnash]

On In Flames' Live DVD, they're using 5150, podxt, Peavey cabs.

 

[gibbed]

It comes in a little tube, and looks like a syrynge. It costs $15 a tube. It's worth every penny. A little bit on the nut and bridge saddles, under the string is all it takes. I can't get a guitar to go out of tune with it. Intonation is a bitch down low. I don't have in problems with my Schecter in drop C. I use 52-10 on mine.

you could also try using the lead from a pencil on your guitar nut, it will lubricate it in a similiar fashion

 

[JBroll]

I would strongly recommend using custom gauges for any drop tuning. In *all* popular string sets the low E is already going to have about three to five pounds less tension than the rest of the strings, and dropping it further makes it even worse. There are string tension calculators floating around everywhere (for light strings, aim for 16-18 pounds; medium, 18 to 22 pounds; JBroll-approved pickocide, 25-30 pounds) so use them to figure out what gauges to use. Even a light-top-heavy-bottom set will likely have too little tension on the bottom string, so you'll always sound out of tune because the dropped string will be sharp for a while and then slowly flatten as the vibration-induced tension change reduces.

Jeff

 

[Mutant]

I would strongly recommend using custom gauges for any drop tuning. In *all* popular string sets the low E is already going to have about three to five pounds less tension than the rest of the strings, and dropping it further makes it even worse. There are string tension calculators floating around everywhere (for light strings, aim for 16-18 pounds; medium, 18 to 22 pounds; JBroll-approved pickocide, 25-30 pounds) so use them to figure out what gauges to use. Even a light-top-heavy-bottom set will likely have too little tension on the bottom string, so you'll always sound out of tune because the dropped string will be sharp for a while and then slowly flatten as the vibration-induced tension change reduces.

Jeff

To save myself from doing math:
Your scale ?
Your tuning ?
Your custom string gauges ?

 

[JBroll]

Me? 24.75", C# (occasionally Drop-B), GHS 14p-18p-26p-36w-52w-70cw

25-28 pounds of tension, off the top of my head.

Jeff

 

[kaomao]

Gnash, can you explain the "big bend nut sauce"?
I use 13-62 d'addario in my schecter, C tuned...but I can't intonate the 6th string properly..at 12th it remains a little increased and unfortunally, the saddle is at the end..

seriously have you changed the string with a new one?
I bought a brand new dean markley blue steel pack (10-52) and the D string was doing that, I couldn't intonate it because it was at the end, but I clearly rememember the last set of string I used, the guitar was intonated to perfection and I didn't changed the tuning at all.
I changed the brand, used d'addrio instead and it was perfect!

 

[::XeS::]

It's the d'addario set I've bought...no single string change. I don't know if a big string is more hard to intonate....I wanna try a set of d'addario 12-54 or 13-59 (7 string set w/o high E)...I don't know

 

[kaomao]

try buying another set or just a string and change the one that bothers you, maybe it will work

 

[skuller]

Nut Sauce (heh heh):
http://www.musician.com/product/Big-Bends-Nut-Sauce-Tuning-Lubricant?sku=429800

ISO cabs:
http://www.jlhproducts.com/axetrak/


OT: What is IIRC?
edit. figured it out.

Also, how about this Paul. Solves all your problems, eh?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Les-Paul-Studio-Baritone-Electric-Guitar?sku=517675

 

[RipShredmohr]

here is the set I would use

http://www.juststrings.com/dan-bw-h.html

 

[stringy_]

Yikes, the thought of intonating an A# tuned Les Paul is scarrrrryyy!!!

Doesn't GHS offer two sets of Zakk Wylde strings? I think one is .060 on the low and the other is .070. I'd definitely go for the .070 on the A#.

Will that thick of a string fit through the tuning peg? Will the string sit properly on the nut? Will you have enough movement in the bridge saddles to get it intonated properly? There's so many headaches that go along with tuning that low...IMO.

I'd bet that every chord you hit on a guitar that low is going to be sharp as hell, unless you tune a bit flat...but then your open chords are fucked.

I'd say get a baritone. They're made for that crazy stuff.

 

[JBroll]

here is the set I would use

http://www.juststrings.com/dan-bw-h.html

I'd use an electric set myself, given that it's an electric guitar and all that, but whatever floats your boat...

Yikes, the thought of intonating an A# tuned Les Paul is scarrrrryyy!!!

Doesn't GHS offer two sets of Zakk Wylde strings? I think one is .060 on the low and the other is .070. I'd definitely go for the .070 on the A#.

Will that thick of a string fit through the tuning peg? Will the string sit properly on the nut? Will you have enough movement in the bridge saddles to get it intonated properly? There's so many headaches that go along with tuning that low...IMO.

I'd bet that every chord you hit on a guitar that low is going to be sharp as hell, unless you tune a bit flat...but then your open chords are fucked.

I'd say get a baritone. They're made for that crazy stuff.

Yes, they offer the standard (10-60) and low-tune (11-70) ZW sets. My setups can all accommodate that 70 without intonation or nut problems. Baritones are in practice only adding on one or two frets of length, if you look at it from that perspective, so that's not always going to be the fixer. Don't get me wrong, I love higher tension and long scales, but that string set is not going to get him properly tuned and reasonably tense playing until you hit the far end of baritones.

Jeff