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7K views 35 replies 26 participants last post by  heavy7-665 
#1 ·
What's the lowest you've tuned your guitar (6 or 7-string)?  I think I got it down to drop-D down to a low-B once with a set of Dean Markley Lights.  That was interesting.  I don't go much further than that though.  Right now I'm down a step.
 
#2 ·
How Low Can You Go?

For my live guitar, a Talman electric with a Fishman piezo bridge, I have it tuned down to B using 13's. Been doing it this way for years now, also happens to be great on the voice. And I gig up to six nights a week when I'm in Europe, which is over a third of the year, sometimes even half.
 
#4 ·
How Low Can You Go?

I have an old Yamaha MSG that I've dropped down to B a few times using a set of 0.011s. The strings felt a bit sloppy though as it has a Gibson scale length. I don't think I'd ever detune my Jem more than half a step. This kind of thing works best / easiest on hard tail guitars IMHO although I'm probably just lazy and can't be bothered adjusting floating trems etc.
 
#8 ·
How Low Can You Go?

I use Dean Markley Blue Steel strings, gauges .010 - .046, and I use a .059 gauge string for the low Gb (I've used a .056 gauge succesfully, too.) As far as tweaking, what can I say? The ONLY (slight) buzz I had was on the lowest string, frets 1-5 or so, and only discernable on the acoustic output of the 2027. I adjusted the truss rod MINIMALLY, and buh-bye. The buzz was gone. As far as action, my action is pretty darn low! Serious. I don't like high action (Slightly higher on the bass side, and lower on the treble strings, but overall, low.) And no buzz (Optimal word is NO buzz BTW.) I guess Ibanez just makes a good guitar... but then again, I have a Squier 7 strung identically, and the action is only a tad higher.
The only problem with this tuning I've found is that since the Gb is so low, the 25.5 scale isn't long enough to accomodate the proper intonation. Everything up to the 12th - 15th fret or so is ok, but it gets a little skewy after that. But, this is ONLY on the low Gb, and I never play notes up there on the lowest string anyway. Everything else intonates just fine, and the trem is at the correct angle, plays smoothly, etc. I plan on checking out a baritone scale neck (27") in the future to see how this affects intonation on the low string.
I've said before in other posts, I do play low, heavy riffs with my guitar. I'm an unashamed KoRn, nu-metal fan. But, the nifty thing is these real cool two finger major/minor baritone triads you can get with this tuning. And you can have full 7 string chords that just ring out... very piano-like.
 
#10 ·
Dark Wolf ... i tried a 65 guage bass string on my RG1077XL ... I tried to tune to F ... but it wouldn't intonate ... too sharp and my trem is maxxed out ... pegged all the way back.

how did you get down to Gb?

i have it back to G with a .059 guage d'addario string ... still a hair sharp. thoughts?
 
#13 ·
I used to have a baritone 7 ESP, Stephen carpenter's model. I had it tuned an octave down from standard with 12-70's once. :) I would still have that guitar and it would still be in that tuning if it weren't for the people in my band being to cheap too get instruments that could go that low lol. Also a huge KoRn fan, but anything beyond the first three albums isn't KoRn! Those first three albums though have special meaning for me, if it weren't for my brother I would never have listened to them.
 
#14 ·
back in '91 a band we played with often bought 7s ... that was huge back then. but the sound didn't take off until korn, i only liked their first album actually.

i now face the same problem ... my brother/bass player doesn't want to play a 5 string and my other guitar player plays a flying V ... 24.75 scale ... forget it!

i actually found a cool way to tune though ... but my guitar doesn't cooperate.

tune the first 6 to D, the drop the 6 to C ... then i wanted the 7th to go to F (but it won't intonate).

this will let everyone play in drop C which is heavy and plenty cool and doable on a regular guitar ... but I just get the perks of going down lower.

this should work out.
 
#17 ·
The lowest I've ever tuned a 6 string personally is Drop Bb with 12 guage strings. The guitar sounded like crap tuned that low, though. I also don't really like to tune 7 strings out of standard tuning but I dude try out one that was tuned a step down and had the top string dropped so I believe it was tuned GDGCFAD.
 
#21 ·
brothersnowgone said:
How did you pull that off? Could you heard the strings over the buzzing? Or did you raise the action a mile high? I can barely stand how floppy 9's are in standard tuning!
Hehe, No Buzzing and stuff like that.........It played normal (and really Smooth) and sounded Great with that Tuning !!
And I didnt raise the Action, I had it pretty low !
 
#23 ·
Haha, great thread!

I always use standard tuning on all my guitars, very very occasionally Drop D on my Strat.

Having an Edge Pro on the RG rules out alternative tunings anyway unless you are prepared to spend hours faffing about with the bridge.

If I was into downtuning and low chords I would just buy a 7-string - that way you can still do lead ok as well as doing low chords.
 
#24 ·
When my band are active I tune my RG321BKF down to B (BEADF#B), originally I used a 'Not Even Slinky' Ernie Ball set (12-56) but the D string (G in std tuning) was a non-wound one which had an awful sound to it. Last time I got a 10-46 set and a 56 gauge and just discarded the 10 gauge string, which was a bit better. Don't really love how it plays with that gauge of string, even if I can work out how to get the right tension, the plain thickness of the strings is hard to play fast with.

Will consider getting an RG7321 if I can pull together the moneys.
 
#25 ·
Wow.....old thread.

I have 2 guitars in this tuning- AEADGBE
1 guitar this tuning- BEADGBE
and 1 guitar this tuning- BEADF#BE

occassionally, I will experiment with this tuning- GDADGBE by dropping the low E and the low A down a whole step. That's the lowest i'll go. I use 9s on all my guitars except one where I use 10s. 8)
 
#26 ·
yea, thats not old, this is old...
normally play ADGCFAD, i have gone down to an octave below a norm 6 sting: EADGB?EA its sounds really cool starting with a 90 to like a 15 i think. but thats on a 25.5... it would sound alot better on a longer scale, atleast a 30. i had to drill some holes in my machine tuners... cause the strings wouldn't fit... still looks/sounds the same as b4 the operation though
 
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