string size with drop a tuning?

[broken81]

Ok were about to start tuning to drop a# (a sharp or b flat). We play in drop c right now (cgcfad) and were just droping everything 1 whole step down from that.

That being said what is some size recommendation to get us started in this tuning?? I got 52's on right now and i can get the tuning but it just seems a little to loose sometime.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Get your guitar setup for that. I used to buy a 7 string set throw out the high e string and go from there.

But if you do that have it setup, it will go better for you.

 

[::XeS::]

My schecter is in C and I use d'addario 13-62. Definitelly the best strings (and string gauge) I have ever played...but those are only preferences..
For A# I whould go with something more heavy like 68 or 70...but it depends on your taste

 

[musickey]

D' Addario, 13 / 56

 

[Keessi]

13-56 won't cut it! at least 68 on the A#. I have 68 is drop A and it could be 70 imo...
my set:

68, 46, 36, 26, 16, 11

works great!

 

[broken81]

Probably gonna have to file my nut though huh:Smug:

I usually set up my own guitars i bought some tools to measure the relief and i know how to setup intonation but the only thing I'm not real keen on is filing the nut.

 

[musickey]

Probably gonna have to file my nut though huh:Smug:

I usually set up my own guitars i bought some tools to measure the relief and i know how to setup intonation but the only thing I'm not real keen on is filing the nut.

Yup, i had a guy do it becouse i had never done it before, he just rounded it out, and was careful not to do anything to the depth.

on another note i really didnt like typing i had another guy file my nut.uke:

 

[cobhc]

I put a set on my Jackson to tune it to Bb, think it was 11-70's like Loomis uses, but without the 11. It was really nice and tight, and sounded really thick. I didn't have to do anything to the nut, but that was with a floyd rose.

 

[stringy_]

How do you guys maintain intonation on guitars that low? In my experience the string saddles won't even have enough range to move to properly intonate.

 

[Radd]

I had my Jackson professionally set up in B standard with 11-16-19-36-46-56 a few months ago and realized that this was to loose.
I just got done putting it in G# standard with 12-17-26-42-52-62 and am definitely liking it.
I had to raise the floyd a bit (more so on the low strings side) after getting it level with the body at G# (which I'm really liking) to get it feeling tight enough and get rid of fret buzz. There still is some minor fret buzz on the first 5 frets of the low G# and I might like it a bit more if the lower strings were a bit thicker but I'd rather leave it like it is than to get it set up again since I'm diggin' it right now.

 

[JeffTD]

On 25.5 scales, I play 11-52's (11,15,19,30,42,52) in D, and it's perfect for me. Feels like 10-46 in E.

On Gibson scales, I use 12-56's for D, and 11-50 for E.

I used to run a 10-46 and a low 60 in B on a Schecter 7 string, but that was an extended scale.

I've also had good results with a 13-60 set for B on standard scaled 6 strings.

 

[JBroll]

Fuck, dude, I'm using 14-70 in C... you guys must like them floppy. For D I'd be using a 60 on the low string...

If I were to go down to A, La Bella makes baritone sets from 14-70 and 15-80... I'd hit one of those.

Jeff

 

[Radd]

Fuck, dude, I'm using 14-70 in C... you guys must like them floppy. For D I'd be using a 60 on the low string...

If I were to go down to A, La Bella makes baritone sets from 14-70 and 15-80... I'd hit one of those.

Jeff

I like it thick and tight for the chunka chunka but kinda loose for shredding so I have to find a happy medium. I think I would find it to be a bitch and a half trying to shred on thicker guages with higher/tighter tunings but who knows, that could change someday.
To each his own.

 

[JBroll]

I can't 'shred' on thin strings, my picking is the same across all of the strings so if the thin ones are floppy I can't pick well and they get hit sharp by the pick attack. My hands are strong enough to do just about anything I need, the problem is that whole 'sensitivity' thing - my vibrato sounds like a small child being strangled, my down picks can put a 60 in D up a half step before I even notice I'm hitting them too hard, my soloing is machine gun fire with some notes thrown in if I'm in a silly mood...

Jeff

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I think my lowest string is a 72 or something huge like that.

I play a baritone though. I used to play normal scale, but hated the floppyness of the strings (even when using 7 string packs).