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Tuning a guitar waaaaaay down - considerations?

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  • Tuning a guitar waaaaaay down - considerations?

    So I'm ditching my 7 string for now, putting my SG silverburst on D standard duty and I want to tune my SLSMG down to B standard/drop A.

    What kind of things should I be considering here? I always hear all these teenagers telling me about how putting really fat strings on their guitar messed up the neck and all this shit. Do I even have to worry about that, or can I slap a set of baritone guitar strings (13-68) on it without having to do anything aside from file out the nut and saddles for the fatter strings?

    I will probably need to redo my intonation and all that too right? I am not quite sure what all will need to be done because the lowest I've ever tuned a guitar is drop C, unless it was my 7, in which case it was G

  • #2
    you dont even need those large strings...i tune to B Standard with 11-50's on my RR3! takes a little getting used to, but its not that bad.

    i could see strings that large being a strain on some guitar necks in standard (Ibanez), but tuned down it shouldnt be that bad. those are some huge wires though!
    My metal band Lucian Scott
    Debut Album Defiance on the Steps of Heaven
    Available Now!
    New Album Coming Soon!

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    • #3
      You'll probably need a new nut if you later decide to change it back to standard, but that's the only concern that I can think of right now. I put a set of 13's on my strat copy once and tried tuning it up to standard... didn't hurt anything at all so tuning down to B/A would not be a problem

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      • #4
        Originally posted by soc_monki View Post
        you dont even need those large strings...i tune to B Standard with 11-50's on my RR3! takes a little getting used to, but its not that bad.

        i could see strings that large being a strain on some guitar necks in standard (Ibanez), but tuned down it shouldnt be that bad. those are some huge wires though!
        I'm used to really fat strings I usually play in drop C with 13-56s I think, they might be skinnier then that on the top end.

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        • #5
          10-52 in standard, no problems
          "slappy, slappy" bill sings, happily, as he dick slaps random people on the streets of Cleveland.

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          • #6
            13-68 strings tuned very low won't fuck up the neck. 13-68 tuned to standard perhaps would, but I seriously doubt you can even tune them that high.

            If you decide to try, don't forget to videotape it and show us what happened.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Thoraby View Post
              13-68 strings tuned very low won't fuck up the neck. 13-68 tuned to standard perhaps would, but I seriously doubt you can even tune them that high.

              If you decide to try, don't forget to videotape it and show us what happened.
              Yeah I'll do that

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              • #8
                An "SG" is probably the worst guitar to use for this application IMO.

                I've owned several (and love them!), but IMO, they just don't offer enough support in the neck joint/heel area which cause them to go out of tune often. At least that's been my experience when using just standard tuning.

                Let us know how it works out.

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                • #9
                  On a SL1 w/ floyd, I use a set of 13's set to B's I play a lot of fast muted sequences and it was better then using 10's for me.

                  -Nate
                  Insert annoying equipment list here....

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Model1VH2 View Post
                    An "SG" is probably the worst guitar to use for this application IMO.

                    I've owned several (and love them!), but IMO, they just don't offer enough support in the neck joint/heel area which cause them to go out of tune often. At least that's been my experience when using just standard tuning.

                    Let us know how it works out.
                    The SG's short scale makes it a pretty bad guitar for mega low tunings on, so I'm only tuning it to D standard. The Jackson SLSMG is the one I am tuning to B standard, because it plays nice and also the EMGs will help get a good sound with such a low tuning...

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by sakeido View Post
                      I'm used to really fat strings I usually play in drop C with 13-56s I think, they might be skinnier then that on the top end.
                      i used to play in E to D with 10-54 or 10-56...then i got hooked up with my buddy in Lucian Scott and he used 11-49 for B Standard, so i tried 11-54, then went down on my standard gauges to 9-48, and now am using 11-50 in B standard. i used to love fat strings, but developing Carpel Tunnel sucks, so i went down because its more comfortable LOL
                      My metal band Lucian Scott
                      Debut Album Defiance on the Steps of Heaven
                      Available Now!
                      New Album Coming Soon!

                      Lucian Scott Soundclick

                      Soundclick page : clips and jams

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                      • #12
                        13-60 in Bflat here on a dr3. Slsmg's sound fucking beefy down low too. Those teens with the f'd up necks obviously dont know what they're doing or have poor quality guitars. My orig dr3 is going on 9+ years in C# 10-52's, necks straight as a die.

                        p.s. 666th post

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by bibz View Post
                          13-60 in Bflat here on a dr3. Slsmg's sound fucking beefy down low too. Those teens with the f'd up necks obviously dont know what they're doing or have poor quality guitars. My orig dr3 is going on 9+ years in C# 10-52's, necks straight as a die.

                          p.s. 666th post

                          I really want that beefy sound... my COW7 sounds great, but my SLSMG is orgasmic. The sound I get out of it is way "bigger" then what I can get from my COW.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by soc_monki View Post
                            now am using 11-50 in B standard.
                            Damn! That low B must be a little floppy, no? I couldn't use anything lower than a 56 when I had my 7-strings.
                            I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

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                            • #15
                              No kidding... I just tuned my SLS way down and even with a 54 it is all over the place.

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