Super low 8 string tunings... What amp/cab/speakers?

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nightlight

nightlight

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Curious to hear how other Rig-Talkers handle the dreaded Flubz Tonz.

In my mind, I get the best possible sound in my home studio when going through my Kemper and studio monitors.

Or do I? I think with a lot of those low end tones, you need sheer volume to actually even discern the notes.

I'm too chicken to really run a 100-watt amp at full tilt through a 4x12 in my house to find out.
 
I go down "only" to F# and it's been a bit of struggle. Something like the VFE Focus/Standout (high pass filter) and the Fortin Grind/33 (essentially a high-pass filter, I think) has solved the issue for me. So far I've used them only with an old Marshall Super Lead half stack, using a Power Station to keep the volume reasonable.

The G12T-75 speakers also seem to work well.
 
I don't go below drop A. Big transformers, big bottle tubes, and Celestion K85's is how I get the best out of it. Then add the right pedal.

I have not tried any of the trendy pedals 333, standout, etc. My fulltone fulldrive 2 mosfet works great for me for keeping the low end in check.
 
Gonk Gonk Gonk Gonk Gonk Gonk GGGGGGGGGGGonk Gonk Gonk Gonk Gonk Gonk Gonk GGGGGGGGGGGonk....
 
maddnotez (member here) has been pretty high on using subwoofers. I don't know anything about them but just another option.

Otherwise, I'm with swamptrash. Big trannies. Tight cabs. EL34s. Thick gauge strings with callouses to show it. EQ pedal. Passive pickups. EQ with your ears not your eyes. 5751 in PI.
 
Actually to me the thinner strings sound better for low tunings. The catch is that they can be too floppy if you go too thin or don't have a long enough scale length. But the big fat strings just don't have the snap and brightness that I want to hear.

Really for me the Fortin 33 or VFE Standout is the solution. I've struggled and struggled but stick one of those in front of a Marshall: done, there's that nice, crisp and clear tone.
 
311splawndude":2mraaqes said:
maddnotez (member here) has been pretty high on using subwoofers. I don't know anything about them but just another option.

Otherwise, I'm with swamptrash. Big trannies. Tight cabs. EL34s. Thick gauge strings with callouses to show it. EQ pedal. Passive pickups. EQ with your ears not your eyes. 5751 in PI.
Click to expand...

Good call on the 5751" in PI.
 
I used a Marshall 8100 for years with eight stringers tuned as low as the C below the typical F# 8 string tuning without issue. Granted, that amp is known for its tightness to begin with, and with a bit of a mid boost like Tubescreamer or an SD-1, it's pretty solid.

However, I haven't had huge problems with a DSL boosted either. Just keep the gain under control and accept you're not going to be pulling massive power chords that low without a little flub. Stacked up against a solid bass tone, the flub tends to go away in the mix, or at least become much less noticeable.
 
To you guys who play that low...do your bass players hate you? Do you even use bass players?
 
nightflameauto":rxtkrfmk said:
I used a Marshall 8100 for years with eight stringers tuned as low as the C below the typical F# 8 string tuning without issue. Granted, that amp is known for its tightness to begin with, and with a bit of a mid boost like Tubescreamer or an SD-1, it's pretty solid.

However, I haven't had huge problems with a DSL boosted either. Just keep the gain under control and accept you're not going to be pulling massive power chords that low without a little flub. Stacked up against a solid bass tone, the flub tends to go away in the mix, or at least become much less noticeable.
Click to expand...

This is good advice too: in a mix with a drummer and bass that lock in with the guitar, it really helps the low notes come through with more authority. Particularly because the bass often is in unison (the same octave as the guitar), which for the bass can mean tuning it UP rather than trying to use a ridiculously low F# string, and so the bass comes through very punchy, adding articulation to what the guitar is doing.
 
sutepaj":3iz1budl said:
To you guys who play that low...do your bass players hate you? Do you even use bass players?
Click to expand...

F# on a bass is pretty tricky, even with something like the 37" scale of a Dingwall. Often, the bassist plays in the same octave as the guitar, which happens to essentially (second fret of the typical low E string is F#: so you can tune up or use a capo). Even though it's the same octave as the guitar, it of course sounds way different and actually helps add punch when the guitar is maybe struggling there.
 
I actually played for a while with the bass tuning an octave below the guitar at F. Though it had special strings that were wound to be especially bright, it still sounded huge.

At C though? Definitely unison tuning. That's right above the low B on a typical five or six string bass.
 
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