Low tunings : specific gauge choices, alternative brands of manufacturers etc

[LeSedna]

Hello,

I need to tune my dropped guitar from D dropped C to C Standard. It has a floyd rose, so I need to be precise about the strings I'll put on it.

I would like to know if you have recommandations, in order to :

- have heavy low strings
- have the 3 high strings "not wounded" (do you say "plated"?) because I just cannot accept to have 4 wounded strings to solo. And I don't like my 3 high strings to be too heavy.

I'm a bit lost right now because I have always been a D'Addario fan, but I cannot think of a perfect set of strings that would need this requirement in their list.

I think the Ernie Ball "not even slinky" could be okay http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/erbanihynote.html but I'm afraid the high strings could be a little heavy. Also, I remember back in the days I tried them I disliked the feel compared to D'Addario...

I have also started to think of other manufacturers, like DR : http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/drddtelgust.html

but still not so sure of a good balanced set. Maybe the DR : DDT-11 Extra Heavy: 11-15-19-32-42-54 ? Seems like the idea, but I don't know that brand so I'm not sure of their quality and feel.

EDIT : oh and, what about Elixir 12-52 Heavy set ? EDIT2 : Sucks, it seems the "G" string is wounded...

EDIT 3 : maybe thinking I can have a G string not wounded is an utopia ?

Also, beyong my particular problem, I'm interested to know if you have recommandation of not-so-known manufacturer that may be interesting for low tuned instruments because buying strings piece by piece is too expensive.

 

[ScootBaloo]

D'Addario EXL117 tuned to C standard looks close to what you want.
--------------------------------------------
PL011 D 0.011 0.28 15.6 7.07
PL014 A 0.014 0.36 14.2 6.43
PL019 F 0.019 0.48 16.4 7.46
NW032 C 0.032 0.81 23.9 10.85
NW044 G 0.044 1.12 24.3 11.07
NW056 D 0.056 1.42 22.3 10.15

 

[korpse pop]

.11 is way too light for the high C, try to find a set that is something like 13-56 and buy a single string like .22 or something for the 3rd string

 

[jval]

In my experience, I'd say minimum 52 for anything below standard tuning, and minimum 56 for drop C. If the band was going lower it might take some trial and error... but for A tunings I've found a 68 just barely works... probably better off with 72s.
And wound G strings are the way to go, too bad they're such a hassle to get.

 

[Harry Hughes]

In my experience, I'd say minimum 52 for anything below standard tuning, and minimum 56 for drop C. If the band was going lower it might take some trial and error... but for A tunings I've found a 68 just barely works... probably better off with 72s.
And wound G strings are the way to go, too bad they're such a hassle to get.

56 on a low B string for me and it works fine dude.
It's just about having the finesse to be able not to push the thing out of tune each time you pick.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Meshuggah rocked a 52 gauge for their low Bb back in their Ibanez Universe days (25.5 inch scale).
I'd say that Meshuggah were far more in tune than most wankers trying to play huge strings at that kinda tuning, simply because just having good technique will trump whatever gear you use each time, so really it's bullshit that ALL players need huge strings for low tunings.
And I used to use 11-52 for C standard back in the day when I used to own 6 string guitars.
It worked fine without the wound G.
In fact it sounded BETTER because I was able to get my bending and vibrato technique into it better, whereas I would have sounded much worse had I used a wound G because my bends and vibrato would just have always been flat.

 

[korpse pop]

If you used 11-52 in C, what would you have used in standard tuning? 7-36 ? And Meshuggah playing .52 in Bb..holy fuck, they must have picked light as a feather

 

[jval]

56 on a low B string for me and it works fine dude.
It's just about having the finesse to be able not to push the thing out of tune each time you pick.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Meshuggah rocked a 52 gauge for their low Bb back in their Ibanez Universe days (25.5 inch scale).
I'd say that Meshuggah were far more in tune than most wankers trying to play huge strings at that kinda tuning, simply because just having good technique will trump whatever gear you use each time, so really it's bullshit that ALL players need huge strings for low tunings.
And I used to use 11-52 for C standard back in the day when I used to own 6 string guitars.
It worked fine without the wound G.
In fact it sounded BETTER because I was able to get my bending and vibrato technique into it better, whereas I would have sounded much worse had I used a wound G because my bends and vibrato would just have always been flat.

yes all very fair.
I should clarify that when i talk about strings and tunings, or anything for that matter, i'm referring to my approach as a producer and not as a guitar player. Only one out of 500 guys that come into my studio can play as good as Meshuggah can, so I use heavy gauges to combat the overwhelming prominence of piss poor technique.

 

[beyond dead]

yes all very fair.
I should clarify that when i talk about strings and tunings, or anything for that matter, i'm referring to my approach as a producer and not as a guitar player. Only one out of 500 guys that come into my studio can play as good as Meshuggah can, so I use heavy gauges to combat the overwhelming prominence of piss poor technique.

and considering that more than half of the worlds guitarists sport horrible vibrato and have more brawn than brains, it is a good approach most of the time.

 

[Harry Hughes]

If you used 11-52 in C, what would you have used in standard tuning? 7-36 ? And Meshuggah playing .52 in Bb..holy fuck, they must have picked light as a feather

My 7 string guitar is strung with 9-42+56 in the normal B standard tuning.
Works perfectly fine.

 

[LeSedna]

I am considering seriously EXL145 12-54 with a 22w replacing the 20p. That was Marcus choice a little time ago when he was asking the same question, and I'm not so much interested in strings as thick as 60.

Oh and, EXL117 seem interesting too. I'm a bit concerned that the light strings could be a bit too small though, for C ? I'll certainly give them a try too.

 

[Josh Burgess]

Yeah, honestly I prefer thinner strings, but I'm stepping up the gauge a little bit now to try to improve my alternate picking (more tension so the strings bounce around less).

I think some of the guys on here use wayyy too thick of strings though. I would definitely prefer to have less tension and play with a little finesse, helps out with vibrato and legato riffs... You definitely DON'T need a 68 or 72 for A.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

.11 is way too light for the high C, try to find a set that is something like 13-56 and buy a single string like .22 or something for the 3rd string

Totally disagree, I've been using a 10.5 for a high-C and loving it because of the ease of bending and vibrato, but a .60 for the low-C cuz tension is addictive for rhythm playing (current C-standard set is 60-46-32-21w-15-10.5) Considering how differently I play the bottom three strings compared to the top, having matched tensions always seemed strange to me...

This will probably come in handy btw (I like ~20-21 pounds of tension for the bottom three strings, and then descending from 16-11 pounds for the top 3)

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

However, I gotta be honest Mat, when you're tuning that low I think you're gonna have to accept using a thin wound string for the G (or Eb) in this case, cuz I always find thick plain strings to sound really twangy and annoying - try out a 21w, it's really not bad!

 

[beyond dead]

However, I gotta be honest Mat, when you're tuning that low I think you're gonna have to accept using a thin wound string for the G (or Eb) in this case, cuz I always find thick plain strings to sound really twangy and annoying - try out a 21w, it's really not bad!

+1 especially at that low of a tuning. I was surprised at how easy it was to bend a .21w. and .21p kept slipping out of tune for some reason.
I would just spend a bunch on strings and try a few different gauges. I went through about 60 bucks worth of strings finding the right gauge for my viper baritone.

 

[sprack]

Bigger problem will be re-intonating and balancing the floyd than finding the right strings.

 

[ParsonsMatt]

I was reluctant to try a wound G string for my new tuning (drop A) but in the end it feels fine. Just get used to it!

 

[mburton21]

Bigger problem will be re-intonating and balancing the floyd than finding the right strings.

If you have an extra spring or two lying around just in case, it shouldnt take more than half an hour tops.

Floyd Roses really arent the pain in the ass that many people think they are.

EDIT: 4 am grammerz

 

[korpse pop]

Totally disagree, I've been using a 10.5 for a high-C and loving it because of the ease of bending and vibrato, but a .60 for the low-C cuz tension is addictive for rhythm playing (current C-standard set is 60-46-32-21w-15-10.5) Considering how differently I play the bottom three strings compared to the top, having matched tensions always seemed strange to me...

This will probably come in handy btw (I like ~20-21 pounds of tension for the bottom three strings, and then descending from 16-11 pounds for the top 3)

I tried 11 - 60 custom set once for C, it was horrible. Weak tone on top strings and too easy to overdo bends and vibrato. Works for some players I guess. I'm just used to 10-46 or 11-52 in e standard so too much left hand strenght for lighter strings I guess

 

[John_C]

I tried 11 - 60 custom set once for C, it was horrible. Weak tone on top strings and too easy to overdo bends and vibrato. Works for some players I guess. I'm just used to 10-46 or 11-52 in e standard so not enough left hand control for lighter strings I guess

Fixed

 

[muckypup1]

If you used 11-52 in C, what would you have used in standard tuning? 7-36 ? And Meshuggah playing .52 in Bb..holy fuck, they must have picked light as a feather

I'm a heavy player, I like a 60 for the low B on my 7 string, and even that doesn't feel heavy enough haha