Standard tuning vs low tunings

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

I don't necessarily write in specific tunings. I may come up with something in C std or even A std that there is something I really like about, but it just isn't popping out. Then I go and play it in E or Eb and bam, there it is. Otoh, I may play something in E std first, but never really completely gel with it, then I play it in C or A standard and I'm like yeah, there it is. It could be in the way a clean passage rings out, or the way a certain riff or chord progression hits.

 

[Dale B]

I am a standard player, or drop D. I will admit, I think it is fun as hell to play a 7 string. But I will find my RG7620VK someday.

I had one of those. I wish I still had it.

 

[Dale B]

I like playing 1/2 step down, but all of my guitars are in Standard.

 

[Smash]

I like playing 1/2 step down, but all of my guitars are in Standard.

Eb is sexy

 

[RaceU4her]

i guess im doing a lot of things wrong when it comes to down tuning according to the internet

 

[bubbastain]

I use 10-52 Cobalt’s on my drop B 25.5”. Plus I use low output pickups. I also don’t use a shit ton of gain on the amp. I’ll use a little more if I tune higher though.

 

[godgrinder]

My personal issue with a lot of the bands tuned below A is that their tones are getting cleaner to compensate the inherent muddiness of the tuning, which in turn made it less heavy sounding overall.

 

[DrewJD82]

My personal issue with a lot of the bands tuned below A is that their tones are getting cleaner to compensate the inherent muddiness of the tuning, which in turn made it less heavy sounding overall.

I got a Fortin 33 pedal a couple years ago, thinking it was going to do what I wanted it to for the lower tuned shit, it actually did the complete opposite and removed any and all balls, only to replace said balls with a scratchy AF, thin tone that made the low A go plink plink plink.

While I’m glad people are letting bass play the role of being a bass, the complete removal of all low end from guitars is a bit of pussification. That said, I saw Fear Factory last week and Dino’s live tone sounded like everything under 120Hz was chopped off, practically sounded like tuned white noise when he played by himself.

 

[rstites]

Eb is sexy

I don't know about sexy, but the extent to which Eb opens up things up for a lot of male singers can't be overstated. It's only a 1/2 step, but it seems to make a much bigger difference than that.

 

[rstites]

My personal issue with a lot of the bands tuned below A is that their tones are getting cleaner to compensate the inherent muddiness of the tuning, which in turn made it less heavy sounding overall.

I'd think an answer would be to bi-amp, running low frequencies clean and layering the distortion on higher frequencies. We do that with bass at times. I'll grant it has a huge downside of more equipment!