Tips for low tuned guitars??

[Kazrog]

11-52 here in drop C tuning. One thing I do is tune my low string slightly flat so that when I pick aggressively (which is pretty much 100% of the time) that it bends up into tune, rather than sharp.

 

[Carrier Flux]

On my B tuned 25.5" scale ibanez 6 string I use a set of 9's (leaving off the high E) and adding a .64 for the low B. I was using this setup except a .60 for the low B and my intonation was all fucked up on the B string. Switching to the .64 everything is nice and smooth tuning-wise. With that scale I can't imagine going any lower than a .64 for the low B. If I didn't have a floating tremolo that was a huge pain in the arse to adjust to different gauge strings I'd probably go with 11's and a .68 for the low B, or something along those lines. alas I'm not so dedicated as to spend 5 hours fucking around with the bridge position and intonation just to experiment with different gauges on that guitar. I'd rather be tweaking the gain stages on my amplifier

Having grossly under-tensioned strings gives you a different meatier tone regardless of the original tuning/gauge. For instance if I drop my standard E-tuned guitar down a whole step, I get a more 'evil' sounding tone than my B tuned guitar, since the tension is higher on each string for the B tuned axe. However dropping everything one whole step also makes playing fast more difficult, and the pitch of the strings changes more after striking the string (the pitch decreases during the sustain of the note).

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

When your stringing your guitars, tune lower then you want. Like, if you're tuning to C, go to A. Then tune up to the desired tuning. Raise your action a bit. And don't go too heavy with the strings...you'll lose attack and things will get boomy and mushy. Look at Dino Cazares....light as hell. (His strings, at least)

Don't forget he's using more distortion than most people--I think that is probably a lot more forgiving as far as tuning goes.

 

[Carcass29]

Carcass- Bill Steer "We use pretty heavy gauges--.012 to .056, I can't remember the ones in the middle, but the G string's a plain .022. B isn't the most practical tuning in the world, but it's probably the heaviest, and we're stuck with it whether we like it or not!"

 

[martyfireball]

it's really down to taste I suppose. I've playing tuned to B for around 10 years, and after a year or so settled on 13-56 with my Ibanez Rg550. For the last few years i've ben buying 7 string sets and throwing away the skinny string...for some reason 7 string sets are cheaper than a set of 13's! I always found bends were really strange on that gauge (maybe because of the trem too) and changed to C tuning to add the little more tension and sharpness. I play with 10-46 on my standard tuned guitars BTW.

 

[Ola Englund]

I'm tuned in C and use gauge 012-062. I like when the low strings are tight and you have to use a little muscle to bend the shit... The higher strings are not so tight.

 

[Piecemaker]

I use 013-056 on a baritone (26.25" scale) guitar because I don't like the spongy feel of lighter strings. Also, I feel it makes my tremolo picking more accurate.

With low tunings, your tone tends to lose definition. I found that EMGs help a lot since they're brighter and less bassy than most passive PUs. A tube screamer can also do wonders (search the forum on that, there are a number of posts on that topic). You don't use it for distortion but for its frequency response: it cuts the bass and enhances the mids. That reduces muddiness at high gain settings.

 

[Piecemaker]

Oh, you'd also need a good amp. Personally, I think the 5150 is very good for low tunings. I guess the Kranks and so on work fine as well, but I haven't tried those yet.

 

[vile_ator]

Oh yeah, ditch that trem if you want to tune low and get it right. Block out a Floyd with a piece of wood on either side of the metal stem of the tremolo unit in the cavity in the back. Then re set up. Trems are a nightmare but I do like how the Floyd feels under your hand.

Colin

 

[Carrier Flux]

Oh yeah, ditch that trem if you want to tune low and get it right. Block out a Floyd with a piece of wood on either side of the metal stem of the tremolo unit in the cavity in the back. Then re set up. Trems are a nightmare but I do like how the Floyd feels under your hand.

Colin

this is what I've been thinking about doing for some time, I just never got around to actually doing it. plus I've been trying to find a way to keep the wood stable on both sides of the trem so one piece doesn't slip out or move. I'm thinking of building a small metal brace that connects them or something along those lines.

thanks for the tip.