Does drop tuning make an amp sound better?

[maddnotez]

I'm with Steve_K on this one..I started playing guitar in Standard E, got into metal and switched to D Standard.

Then I discovers the Drop C.

There is nothing wrong with drop tuning. Its not cheating, in fact try to play some clean 3 string barre chords all around and see how your hand feels. You can do pretty much everything you can in a standard tuning, you just have to apply it differently and forget about a few really high notes ..

Open your mind son

 

[Zachman]

Only if you take the covers off the preamp tubes.

 

[K-mark5]

hmm i think this might be due to the fact that nowadays, most of us, in general, are used to these super hi fi recordings where you'd get this full heavy punchy sound once you glue a bass sound together with multiple guitar tracks and lots of compression and heavy bottom .. the choice is yours..

with downtuning you get that aspect of substituting a bass guitar player (or at least partially by moving closer to the lower fq spectrum as well as achieving some new aliquotes to pop up).. in an open space like a shop, or a bedroom or in an empty practice room you'll notice that you somehow tend to run the presence and treble down cause you do not need to cut through..you're aiming for a fuller sound...even though the amp does not play differently, it is ones perception of sound moving through space that makes us feel these differences..

Over the years I've come to the conclusion that usually sounds that tend to appear at their best in a band mix are somehow not so appealing as those that one uses playing on his own (i did not use the word 'her' cause you know, girls, there's the kitchen) . at least with me.. I've seen so many guys who just prefer to play with scooped mids on their own cause they spend most of the time playing in bedrooms, empty practice rooms and prefer it that way.. once they hit a full band, there are these topics appearing that start as 'i cant cut through.. is my amp broken?'

sometimes I feel like most of the people around me downtune their 6's cause.. if you can't play one normal thing that would make sense, you may still hit just a simple open chord it will shake the walls at least and sound evil.. imagine doing it on a standard E tuning.. NOONE CAAARES BROO! just kddin'

I once had the chance to listen to a multitrack by Lenny Kravitz where in the original song there was this superb guitar sound that just sat there like a mofo.. when I listened to the track itself I could not believe the difference it just.. sucked..

but that's just my theory at the end of the day, it's about fun and doing things that make us happy, whatever suits us all best

 

[Greazygeo]

I don't like tuning down. 7 strings are fun. One of my guitars is tuned a full step down, but it's just for working out tunes that are tuned that way. Everything else is tuned standard.

 

[maddnotez]

I find different tunings will generate different style riffs too. Standard gets me brighter acoustic or thrashy rythym. Dropped for the heavier riffs and more melodic riffs. Acoustic stuff a little darker.

 

[70strathead]

I'm with Steve_K on this one..I started playing guitar in Standard E, got into metal and switched to D Standard.

Then I discovers the Drop C.

There is nothing wrong with drop tuning. Its not cheating, in fact try to play some clean 3 string barre chords all around and see how your hand feels. You can do pretty much everything you can in a standard tuning, you just have to apply it differently and forget about a few really high notes ..

Open your mind son

who is debating drop tuning is bad or wrong or cheating? the post is related to making an amp sound better.

 

[JakeAC5253]

I'm with Steve_K on this one..I started playing guitar in Standard E, got into metal and switched to D Standard.

Then I discovers the Drop C.

There is nothing wrong with drop tuning. Its not cheating, in fact try to play some clean 3 string barre chords all around and see how your hand feels. You can do pretty much everything you can in a standard tuning, you just have to apply it differently and forget about a few really high notes ..

Open your mind son

who is debating drop tuning is bad or wrong or cheating? the post is related to making an amp sound better.

Maybe not in this thread so much, but there are a lot of regulars here who constantly slander anyone who tunes their guitar lower than Eb.

 

[Code001]

All I can tell you is from my experience. Maybe they have magic Les Pauls. Fucking tailpiece damn near falls off.

I never had any issues. I'm not even sure what the tailpiece has to do with downtuning. The biggest issue is intonation, but you should be able to intonate all the way down the A with a 24.75'' scale guitar. Make sure the saddles are reversed so you can get more travel.

 

[70strathead]

I'm with Steve_K on this one..I started playing guitar in Standard E, got into metal and switched to D Standard.

Then I discovers the Drop C.

There is nothing wrong with drop tuning. Its not cheating, in fact try to play some clean 3 string barre chords all around and see how your hand feels. You can do pretty much everything you can in a standard tuning, you just have to apply it differently and forget about a few really high notes ..

Open your mind son

who is debating drop tuning is bad or wrong or cheating? the post is related to making an amp sound better.

Maybe not in this thread so much, but there are a lot of regulars here who constantly slander anyone who tunes their guitar lower than Eb.

I see. what ever works for ya play it. Its interesting, my luthier is kind of stubborn in a old school sense, and he cringes and complains when someone brings in a guitar to set up and intonate at ridiculous low tuning ...sounds like the same ball busting i guess.

 

[steve_k]

All I can tell you is from my experience. Maybe they have magic Les Pauls. Fucking tailpiece damn near falls off.

I never had any issues. I'm not even sure what the tailpiece has to do with downtuning. The biggest issue is intonation, but you should be able to intonate all the way down the A with a 24.75'' scale guitar. Make sure the saddles are reversed so you can get more travel.

Yeah, for just a bar or two. Dig into the GBE strings a time or two and it has shot it's wad. A Tone Pro's locking tailpiece and bridge help a bit. But, intonated or not, I couldn't do it in A# through one song. It is so sloppy the strings fall out of the nut.

Steve

 

[K-mark5]

I used to use a couple of tunings over the years.. and somehow i came to the conclusion that I like the standard E the best. As I wanted an extended range so badly, I decided to go with a 7string guitar and I do not regret it. I remember having this caparison walnut horus 6 stringer tuned down to H which was meant to be the factory setting.. it played great but it was somehow lacking the right vibe/overtones and stuff.. chords sounded massive but there was still something missing.. i set it to e standard and it was back to normal. Since that time i am a 7string player.. Funny enough, I would not move further to an 8 string.. I haven't heard an 8-string sound I'd ever like.. most of the tube amps do not handle these low bassy sounds well..

Drop tunings are great and really inspiring giving us this possibility for non standard chords and intervals, but i just can't stand most of the guys using drop C tunings in metalcore and playing the same riff over and over. it just sounds so.. repeating and generic..

I remember way back several years ago, I would ask this guy about the purpose of using drop tunings and he said - singers who play guitar tend to use drop tunings which makes it easier for them to hit a chord with just one finger

the best example of a well used non standard tuning would be the example of Devin Townsend..

 

[stephen sawall]

My experience is it depends on the guitar. Different tunings sound better on certain guitars....
I also feel it is pretty obvious that some amp and cabs work better for lower tunings or different tunings...

 

[craftm1]

I typically tune the Eb but keep a couple at standard tuning. Never got into any thing lower, not a big fan of the feel when you get below Eb. I do like the Eb and my sound seems more aggressive than standard tuning.