Standard tuning vs low tunings

[Metalhex]

I have many guitars tuned to drop B with 25.5 scale length. 10 years ago I thought I needed .013 - .065 strings. I found that they were muddy and i didnt need strings that bigm Then I started going lighter and lighter.

Now I use strings .010 - .052 and I love it. I can do high bends and also just tense enough for low riffs. It's not too muddy or loose.

Sometimes it's a combo of the right pickups/pickups height, speakers/cabs.

 

[DanTravis62]

To be fair there was a gluttony of very late 80's/early 90's second and third rate thrash bands that abused the hell out of E standard open string Disposable Heroes types of riffs. There's only so many ways to rearrange basic open string triplets mixed with eighth notes.

Yes, but it never became the "mainstream" like "mainstream guitar" is now polyphia and periphery - it was just 2nd wave thrash bands diluting the pool on their small independent labels and club tours for a few years.

That's a massive difference in scale

 

[WizardAmpIphoneClip]

I would be bored playing in E or a half step down all the time. Gotta have the 7 string, C#, and D standard up in the cut

 

[tjnx]

I have many guitars tuned to drop B with 25.5 scale length. 10 years ago I thought I needed .013 - .065 strings. I found that they were muddy and i didnt need strings that bigm Then I started going lighter and lighter.

Now I use strings .010 - .052 and I love it. I can do high bends and also just tense enough for low riffs. It's not too muddy or loose.

Sometimes it's a combo of the right pickups/pickups height, speakers/cabs.

This is the way. I've got 9s on in G std and its fine. If you go coated strings you can get a bit more tension. Playing big thick strings is of course going to change your low end tone. Different rules apply but its fine if you adjust

Here's a tension calculator to compare
https://rodrigocfd.github.io/string-tension-calc/

 

[angelspade]

you guys will probably think I'm nuts...But I tune my 24.75" and 25.5" in guitars to E and Drop D (not the nuts part). But for D standard and Drop C, I use 26.5" and 27" scale guitars with 10 - 46 or 11 - 48 Slinky strings. I find the tension to be similar to E standard on a 25.5" scale with heavier strings....I get the tonality and character of lower tunings combined with the attack, tightness and precision of a standard tuned instrument. A producer showed me this trick about 15 years ago...Never went back.

 

[cobrahead1030]

I agree with most of what he said, though most of it is pretty common knowledge these days.

Years ago I really fought with lower tunings, to the point that I just came to avoid them. You really have to treat them like a different animal & shift your expectations.

It also helps that there are a lot more good options for extended scale guitars now.

 

[Techdeth]

i use i think .70's in drop A with my warlock and EC256, i have no issues

I do too at times . I think nothing really matters . You either make a good tone with what you got or not .

 

[angelspade]

...There are guys who make good tones happen in very low tuning. I would put Whitehapel in that category....And certainly Fear Factory.

 

[DrewJD82]

This was posted at TGF and I found it appropriate for this thread-

 

[DrewJD82]

...There are guys who make good tones happen in very low tuning. I would put Whitehapel in that category....And certainly Fear Factory.

Going to see Fear Factory tonight! I haven’t seen them since ‘98 on the Obsolete tour.

 

[angelspade]

Going to see Fear Factory tonight! I haven’t seen them since ‘98 on the Obsolete tour.

Right on...Theres no replacing BCB...But that new kid is doing a great job

 

[DrewJD82]

Right on...Theres no replacing BCB...But that new kid is doing a great job

I’m anxious to hear the new shit with him. One thing is for sure, he’s already got more shows sang in key than Burton does!

 

[DrewJD82]

I do want to fuck around with my 7620 more than I currently am for some low tuned stuff. There’s aspects of that low string that I really dig, I love the bwowowowowoow thing it does when whackin it’ by itself and I enjoy, I just never think to pick it up all that often as there’s a ton of 6-string work-in-progress I have to catch up on.

This is in drop A and is probably the last time I even touched that guitar.

and for shits and giggles, the weedly wee I improv’d over the lead section-

 

[Techdeth]

...There are guys who make good tones happen in very low tuning. I would put Whitehapel in that category....And certainly Fear Factory.

And in the old days Dino used a 50 gauge on his 7th string . No one else dared lol

 

[JohnnyGtar]

Much agreed.

This is a big reason I want to get a longer scale for anything lower than C, the string tension alone won’t allow for that same initial attack/spank you can get in E standard that’s something I try to keep across all my guitars/tunings. I hadn’t even realized it until recently, but I put way more focus on the tone of the initial attack than I do anything sustained. The more I’m refining my picking hand the more immediacy I want from both the guitar and amp.

You can hear the effect of tuning down from a tone standpoint even more so on bass with a good, clean tone. Things get messy really fuckin’ quick tuning down on 34” basses and I won’t even bother with anything lower than C unless it’s on a 35” or more. Might work great for some people but I can’t get the lowest string to balance with the rest of the bass.

Yep!