Help With Recording Down Tuned Guitars

[Keith!]

Hey Guys.

I have found this forum really interesting and quite useful, so cheers.

I'm studying Audio Engineering here in New Zealand at a school called MAINZ an I'm in my 2nd year doing Diploma.

I'm still fairly new to the whole recording of bands thing.

Anyway, tomorrow night I am recording my friends band and the bass player who is pretty much the in charge guy of the band, insists they play in B standard. My friend who is the guitarist doesn't like this very much.

He plays an RG 550 and has put thicker gauge strings on but it does still sound really crapy. I've convinced them to go up a half step to C and I have retuned his guitar and risen the action so as to eliminate alot of the fret buzz. It sounds alot better but still not very nice.

So the guitars will be recorded through a POD Pro and i was wondering if anyone could give me some advice or tips to help get a guitar (that isn't really ment to be tuned so low) sound good. I'm scared come mix time that it's gonna be impossible to get sounding clear.

The obviose thing is to reduce the amount of gain while recording, which i will deffinantly do, but if theres anything else anyone could reccomend.

Oh and also some POD settings would be appreciated.

Thanks heaps guys.

 

[James Murphy]

i would suggest using at least a 70 on the low string... you'll have to buy a bass guitar string for that, and you'll likely have to drill the hole a little larger on the post with a metal bit. i've done that recently with good results.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

I would recommend that you:

1) Use thick strings on the guitars
2) record the guitars before bass
3) Use a stomp pedal in front of the POD instead of the pod stomps, ie tube screamer

 

[KeithRT99]

i would suggest using at least a 70 on the low string... you'll have to buy a bass guitar string for that, and you'll likely have to drill the hole a little larger on the post with a metal bit. i've done that recently with good results.

wow, max i would use is like 60. that seems like overkill, but i would trust the almighty james murphy's opinion.

 

[fabz]

i would suggest using at least a 70 on the low string... you'll have to buy a bass guitar string for that, and you'll likely have to drill the hole a little larger on the post with a metal bit. i've done that recently with good results.

That, or you buy the GHS Boomers Zakk Wylde Set! It's 11 - 70 and it works pretty good on my LTD EC. +you don't have to drill holes .

Ghs Boomers

my 2 cent


fabz

 

[Rez_brp]

Hmm, I tune to B and my low is a .56 which gives me no problems at all. I am also using an Ibanez Rg as well. Maybe its something in the setup.

I agree with Genius Gone Insane and would definately record guitars 1st.

 

[booyah14]

Hey Fabz,

I just bought a few packs of those strings to check them out and I also own a ltd ec model. Now my strings will not fit through, so I'm pretty sure I will have to drill a hole. How is this possible that you could get it to fit and I couldn't?

 

[MilkAndCheese]

One little trick that seems to help a bit is to overshoot your tuning and tune too low, then tune back up to your desired tuning.

 

[fabz]

Hey Fabz,

I just bought a few packs of those strings to check them out and I also own a ltd ec model. Now my strings will not fit through, so I'm pretty sure I will have to drill a hole. How is this possible that you could get it to fit and I couldn't?

mmm

strange that is...
Where do you guys drill that hole? Nut? Bridge? i never did anything like that just put the strings on my guitar... worked perfectly ever since...

 

[martyfireball]

i tuned to B with an RG550 for YEAAAARRRSSS. 13-56 gauges, although I always thought there was just not enough tension for my liking...hence tuning up slightly to C now.

 

[nwright]

mmm

strange that is...
Where do you guys drill that hole? Nut? Bridge? i never did anything like that just put the strings on my guitar... worked perfectly ever since...

Haha, you have to drill the tuning peg hole a tiny bit larger to fit the string through.

 

[Kenneth R.]

interesting. i've got a couple songs in C so i was wondering about this myself.

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

The low string on my 7-string (tuned to Bb) is a 80

 

[pixy]

i would suggest using at least a 70 on the low string... you'll have to buy a bass guitar string for that, and you'll likely have to drill the hole a little larger on the post with a metal bit. i've done that recently with good results.

hahah :hotjump:

 

[Keith!]

Thanks for the reply's guys.

Good news for me though, the guitarist talked to the bassist and explained to him about the problem with the low tuning and hes agreed to tune drop D.

So cheers

 

[James Murphy]

the problem with using anything less than a 70 for B tuning on a regular 6 string non-baritone/HGS guitar is that because of the scale the low "E" string, tuned to B, is just too loose... you need to be able to really strike the string hard to get tone out of it when it's tuned that low... but if it's too loose then the tuning goes crazy.... if you are able to play a regular scaled, 6-string guitar tuned to "B" with only a 56, then you must be playing very lightly... at least you are if it's staying in tune at all and not flopping and buzzing all over the frets. the problem with that is that you have to strike the string so softly that you can't get a good tone from it.... thus my suggestion to go to a 70 or 80 (Loomis for instance records with an 80 and plays live with a 70). i drilled the string hole on the post for the 80. i was unaware of the ZW 11-70 set but i'd prefer an 80 at tunings that low. mind you'll have to really have a strong attack to get a clear, precise tone. you'll also have to do the intonation over again.

 

[::XeS::]

Now I'm D tuned and I use a set of d'addario 10-52.
I'll change to C and I've order a custom set of d'addario: 11-14-18-36-46-60.
I think this set works well for C tuning!

 

[sorceron]

hey james, what gauge/tuning do you use regularly?