Standard tuning vs low tunings

[MadAsAHatter]

As I generally play in standard tuning, I though this was an interesting take on the subject.

 

[DrewJD82]

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.

 

[FourT6and2]

This is why I raise the string gauge when I tune lower than 1/2 step. I usually play 10s in standard. If I tune down to C-standard, I'll go up to 11s.

 

[Floyd Eye]

Probably why the dude from Chevelle plays Baritone guitars.

 

[RaceU4her]

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

 

[squealie]

I've been tuning down a whole step for 25 years.

It kills guitars. Dead fucking guitars.

Whatever.

 

[nightlight]

I actually stopped tuning to low notes on my regular guitar. Drop D is pretty much maximum, because the fundamental of the note becomes progressively weaker and the guitar stops having that zing and punch in the attack.

 

[rsm]

I play standard tuning or down a half-step.

I think the extreme downtuned guitars sound muddy, and bass tuned down to match....no thanks, You're getting below 60 Hz on some of these, to where you lose articulation and should feel it more than hear it; and getting cabs to provide any clarity? Good luck.

 

[D-Rock]

I play standard tuning or down a half-step.

I think the extreme downtuned guitars sound muddy, and bass tuned down to match....no thanks, You're getting below 60 Hz on some of these, to where you lose articulation and should feel it more than hear it; and getting cabs to provide any clarity? Good luck.

Same. Standard drop D and 1/2 step down drop D only.
That drop Z stuff never impressed me. I prefer my semitones to be audible...

 

[FourT6and2]

I play standard tuning or down a half-step.

I think the extreme downtuned guitars sound muddy, and bass tuned down to match....no thanks, You're getting below 60 Hz on some of these, to where you lose articulation and should feel it more than hear it; and getting cabs to provide any clarity? Good luck.

I guess something like Hiwatt's Super-Hi cab with 15" speaker would do well for down tuned and 8-string guitars would work ok because the larger speaker can reproduce lower frequencies?

 

[DanTravis62]

The tone isn't the problem with downtuning, the problem is that people use it as a crutch for their lack of creativity.

They don't spend enough time on the heaviness of the riffs themselves, and rely on the impact, low end, and novelty of the lower tuning.

This has been a huge problem for like 20 years and it's only gotten worse with time - the first wave of guys who tuned down super low in death metal were doing it after playing in standard or halfstep most of their lives, so there was a proportional increase in heaviness when Death, Deicide, At the Gates and In Flames and Entombed tuned down.

All of the people who learned how to play on easy to find 7 strings didn't develop their riff writing skills in standard, and it shows. Most of the "totally kickass riffs" by extended range guitar bands are complete trash.

 

[BrutalRob]

The tone isn't the problem with downtuning, the problem is that people use it as a crutch for their lack of creativity.

They don't spend enough time on the heaviness of the riffs themselves, and rely on the impact, low end, and novelty of the lower tuning.

This has been a huge problem for like 20 years and it's only gotten worse with time - the first wave of guys who tuned down super low in death metal were doing it after playing in standard or halfstep most of their lives, so there was a proportional increase in heaviness when Death, Deicide, At the Gates and In Flames and Entombed tuned down.

All of the people who learned how to play on easy to find 7 strings didn't develop their riff writing skills in standard, and it shows. Most of the "totally kickass riffs" by extended range guitar bands are complete trash.

Makes me instantly think of all those death core bands that think it is heavy to chug on the open low tuned string for most part of the song. Boring as hell.

The point of this thread is in line with my experience. The lowest i ever went was A# back in the days, but these days i tune do D and don´t look back. Much more musical tone.

 

[DanTravis62]

Makes me instantly think of all those death core bands that think it is heavy to chug on the open low tuned string for most part of the song. Boring as hell.

The point of this thread is in line with my experience. The lowest i ever went was A# back in the days, but these days i tune do D and don´t look back. Much more musical tone.

Yep. I used to use 7 strings or tune B to B a decade or so ago, but these days i'm always in standard or drop D, and it works for me.

Honestly its kind of a protest

It's really fucking obnoxious how bad most of those bands are, and in a way, I want to separate myself from all that lame sounding drop Z bullshit that sounds like 0--0--0---0--1--0---0

I loved downtuning guitars back in the day, but it kind of lost its "coolness" or novelty as soon as people started making lame ass music with it. Now I associate extended range guitars with bad music, and higher tunings with better music.

 

[FourT6and2]

The tone isn't the problem with downtuning, the problem is that people use it as a crutch for their lack of creativity.

They don't spend enough time on the heaviness of the riffs themselves, and rely on the impact, low end, and novelty of the lower tuning.

This has been a huge problem for like 20 years and it's only gotten worse with time - the first wave of guys who tuned down super low in death metal were doing it after playing in standard or halfstep most of their lives, so there was a proportional increase in heaviness when Death, Deicide, At the Gates and In Flames and Entombed tuned down.

All of the people who learned how to play on easy to find 7 strings didn't develop their riff writing skills in standard, and it shows. Most of the "totally kickass riffs" by extended range guitar bands are complete trash.

lol dude... Black Sabbath has been tunning down a step-and-a-half to C# Standard since 1971

 

[BrutalRob]

lol dude... Black Sabbath has been tunning down a step-and-a-half to C# Standard since 1971

I don´t think C# is that low or what we mean in this thread as really low to a point where it muddies up the tone. I think C# can be achieved with relatively regular gauges that don´t have a core too thick.

 

[DanTravis62]

lol dude... Black Sabbath has been tunning down a step-and-a-half to C# Standard since 1971

yes, and they influenced like 4 other doom bands like candlemass and solitude aeturnus who followed in their footsteps tuning that way for like 20 years - that was it.

until all the deathcore bands started copying the florida, stockholm, and gothenburg bands, it was almost exclusively doom metal bands (and even then, most of the classic doom bands didn't tune down)

The reason everyone tunes down to drop gay in modern metal is because of those bands, not black sabbath except by proxy

 

[DanTravis62]

I don´t think C# is that low or what we mean in this thread as really low to a point where it muddies up the tone. I think C# can be achieved with relatively regular gauges that don´t have a core too thick.

Me either, and even then barely anyone followed in iommi's footsteps except a very small number of bands until the mid 80s when death metal (i.e., celtic frost) came around

 

[MadAsAHatter]

The tone isn't the problem with downtuning, the problem is that people use it as a crutch for their lack of creativity.

They don't spend enough time on the heaviness of the riffs themselves, and rely on the impact, low end, and novelty of the lower tuning.

This has been a huge problem for like 20 years and it's only gotten worse with time - the first wave of guys who tuned down super low in death metal were doing it after playing in standard or halfstep most of their lives, so there was a proportional increase in heaviness when Death, Deicide, At the Gates and In Flames and Entombed tuned down.

All of the people who learned how to play on easy to find 7 strings didn't develop their riff writing skills in standard, and it shows. Most of the "totally kickass riffs" by extended range guitar bands are complete trash.

I can get behind this sentiment. E-standard can sound only so heavy just by its nature so you have to work at it relying on the riff itself being heavy rather than leaning on the tuning for the heaviness. Since Black Sabbath playing in C# was mentioned; it's a perfect example of this. Play almost any Sabbath riff in E standard and it still sounds heavy as fuck. They wrote actual heavy riffs not just used heavy tuning. Modern players just go drop tune, open string chug that sounds like boring mud then bitch about the amp not being tight enough. Good luck with that playing in drop triple W.

As mentioned I play mostly E standard, some Eb and drop D. In my mind those 3 tunings should be able to cover almost everything on guitar. You can push it to C# standard as well. But once you get past that I feel you start moving too much into the bass territory. That said I do have this oddball hybrid guitar/bass that I built. 34" scale, 6 strings with guitar string spacing (like a Bass VI) and tuned to B1 standard. Can't play a bar chord for shit on the first couple of frets; the spacing is too wide, but somehow it works tone wise. It sounds brutal, but still has a good bit of bite. Playing thrash metal on it sounds interesting for sure.

 

[RaceU4her]

As mentioned I play mostly E standard, some Eb and drop D. In my mind those 3 tunings should be able to cover almost everything on guitar.

i play mostly in standard/drop D these days as well, but im not gonna cut myself off from playing some drop A Crowbar or Acid Bath in B as a few of many examples where tuning low works great and is tons of fun to play. if anything i feel like i havent been playing enough in lower tunings lately

 

[MadAsAHatter]

i play mostly in standard/drop D these days as well, but im not gonna cut myself off from playing some drop A Crowbar or Acid Bath in B as a few of many examples where tuning low works great and is tons of fun to play. if anything i feel like i havent been playing enough in lower tunings lately

What I was getting at is you shouldn't NEED to play in all the drop tunings, but that doesn't mean cut yourself off from them. If you have a solid riff it should sound brutal in any tuning. So drop tunings become a choice instead of a crutch for sounding heavy. The more classic bands like Acid Bath had heavy riffs so it was a style choice. Modern players/bands have a tendency to play mediocre riffs that rely on the drop tuning to sound heavy.