String Tension on 7 string Vs 6 string

[slyym]

I'm trying to figure out why the strings on my 7 string feel so much looser and slinkier then on my 6 string. On the 6 string 25.5" scale tuned to drop B I have Dr DDT-11-54 and it feels tight and the tone is awesome. On the 7 String 26.5" scale tuned standard but drop the 7th string to A I have EB cobalt 10-62 and it feels quite a bit looser even though its tuned higher with bigger strings and longer scale. To me that doesn't make sense. I've always heard that longer scales will give you more string tension but in my case it seems like its the opposite. I've been playing my 7 sting exclusively for the last couple of months but last night I picked up the 6 string and could not believe how much better it played and sounded. What do you guys think?

 

[cardinal]

Calculate your string tension here.

http://stringtensionpro.com

But different set ups will feel different, too

 

[SpiderWars]

I'm trying to figure out why the strings on my 7 string feel so much looser and slinkier then on my 6 string. On the 6 string 25.5" scale tuned to drop B I have Dr DDT-11-54 and it feels tight and the tone is awesome. On the 7 String 26.5" scale tuned standard but drop the 7th string to A I have EB cobalt 10-62 and it feels quite a bit looser even though its tuned higher with bigger strings and longer scale. To me that doesn't make sense. I've always heard that longer scales will give you more string tension but in my case it seems like its the opposite. I've been playing my 7 sting exclusively for the last couple of months but last night I picked up the 6 string and could not believe how much better it played and sounded. What do you guys think?

I bolded where you said "tuned higher...bigger strings...longer scale". But you said you had 11s on the 6string and 10-62 on the 7. Do all the strings feel more loose on the 7 or just the lower ones? It looks like the 7 actually has thinner strings.

 

[slyym]

I'm trying to figure out why the strings on my 7 string feel so much looser and slinkier then on my 6 string. On the 6 string 25.5" scale tuned to drop B I have Dr DDT-11-54 and it feels tight and the tone is awesome. On the 7 String 26.5" scale tuned standard but drop the 7th string to A I have EB cobalt 10-62 and it feels quite a bit looser even though its tuned higher with bigger strings and longer scale. To me that doesn't make sense. I've always heard that longer scales will give you more string tension but in my case it seems like its the opposite. I've been playing my 7 sting exclusively for the last couple of months but last night I picked up the 6 string and could not believe how much better it played and sounded. What do you guys think?

I bolded where you said "tuned higher...bigger strings...longer scale". But you said you had 11s on the 6string and 10-62 on the 7. Do all the strings feel more loose on the 7 or just the lower ones? It looks like the 7 actually has thinner strings.

I guess it depends on how you look at it lol. If you leave off the 7th string then that statement is true. Its only that 7th string that makes the tuning lower on the 7 string. I wonder if its the strings. The ErnieBall Cobalts are definitly different feeling.

 

[slyym]

Calculate your string tension here.

http://stringtensionpro.com

But different set ups will feel different, too

I couldn't figure that out. I wonder if more tension makes a string stiffer feeling.

 

[Shask]

What bridge does each guitar have?

 

[Apex1Rg7X]

Nothing wrong with his string gauges. Its basically how my 6 and 7 are set up besides a .64 on the low B instead of the .62 and mine are anything but sloppy. Like the guy above said, the bridge could play into this and just the overall setup.

 

[slyym]

What bridge does each guitar have?

The 6 is a Schecter blackjack atx c-1 with a fixed bridge
The 7 is an Ibanez Rgd 3127 with a floyd

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

It’s physics. Take a workout band. More slack/wider grip is easier. The more ya choke up the more tension.

Same point. If I play comfortably a 6 string standard 42-9, I can do 46-9 on 7.

 

[slyym]

I guess the conclusion I've come to is that tension doesn't equal stiffness. The floyd on the 7 is also most likely contributing to its looser feel.

 

[Shask]

What bridge does each guitar have?

The 6 is a Schecter blackjack atx c-1 with a fixed bridge
The 7 is an Ibanez Rgd 3127 with a floyd

I guess the conclusion I've come to is that tension doesn't equal stiffness. The floyd on the 7 is also most likely contributing to its looser feel.

Typically a Floyd (specifically the locking nut) will make a guitar feel stiffer. I find that identical guitars, where one has a locking nut, and the other doesn't, the one with the locking nut will feel much stiffer.

It might have more to do with the Schecter having a thicker neck, that is at a larger neck angle due to the TOM bridge, that makes it not feel as slinky, although it is the angle and thickness, not the actual bendiness.