any 7 string metal guys out there?

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metalj

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If so...

What amps are you finding work good for you?

Also, what gauge strings are you finding works best for you. I am tuning a 1/2 step down, then on some songs am drop tuned on the 7th sting. I am having some issues with the strings being a little too loose. i cant find a gauge that works just right. Most of the gauges on the 7th sting packs are no larger than some/most 6 string packs.

Just curious as Im fairly new to this type of playing. It has opened some doors that I would not have previously walked through, so Im into it and would like to remedy this.

Thanks
Metal j
 
Actually, yeah. I used to mod over at sevenstring.org and co-founded metalguitarist.org after we sold the site, and have played seven strings for about a solid decade now. I'm more in the shred/prog world than pure metal, but I'm pretty familiar with how people use them in a modern metal context.

Myself, I play an Ibanez Universe in B standard, strung with an Elixir 10-48 set with a .68 for the low B. I hit pretty hard, a relic of my blues-rock roots, and these gauges hold up to a heavy picking hand pretty well. I plug into a Mesa Roadster, generally straight on in.

On the string gauge thing, opinion is split. A lot of guys like really light strings for low tunings - they tend to be brighter and less compressed than heavier strings, which for rigs with a more compressed response tends to work pretty well. Dino from Fear Factory is a name who gets tossed around here, tuning to Bb or A with something I'd personally find almost laughably light.

The other side of the coin is guys who play through rigs that reward you for hitting pretty hard and not relying on a ton of preamp saturation - Mesa Rectos are pretty lightly dampened in terms of response, and sound their best if you don't jack the preamp gain all the way up. Guys getting really good sound out of Rectos tend to run heavier strings and lower preamp gains, while the lighter string group tend to prefer more saturated preamps. It's a matter of taste, but the real thing is making sure that the amount of compression in your amp compliments how compressed your guitar sounds acoustically (heavy strings have a more compressed attack due to the added mass, which gives the illusion of more "sustain," while lighter strings are less massive and a lot snappier). As long as the pieces work together, you should be able to get something to work.

Sounds like you tend to see eye to eye with me on string tension, in that I've always felt that most "standard" sets are too light. GHS Boomers' 9-59 set is about the best-balanced stock one I've found, but I'd recommend just buying a six-string set you like and then ordering an extra 7th. If you're in the states, I've had good luck with Juststrings.com.

Another thing you'll see a lot is guys running a Tube Screamer in front of their amps. This is less for the gain boost it could provide than it is as sort of a "pre-EQ" - a seven string has a lot of low end, so using a Tube Screamer both changes up the balance of even and odd harmonics (which can be nice - again, taste) and tightens up the low end a bit, and has the effect of focusing the "range" in which the preamp tubes are driven a bit more. For really tight, saturated, focused guitar sounds, this is the way to go. For slightly lower gain, bigger, more growly sounds, a boost might not be the answer. I tend to prefer my Recto unboosted, but your mileage may vary. One way or the other, this is something that's kind of become associated with Andy Sneap, so if you like his work this is the way to go.

After that, really, it's just common sense, and it's not much different from getting good metal tone from a six string. A guitar is a midrange instrument, so don't scoop your amp to death. Especially with a seven, you probably want to be extra-careful with your bass knob to not stomp all over the bassist and drummer. Ditto with the gain knob - there's of course more than one way to get a great sound, but I tend to think you get "bigger" sounding guitars by focusing on getting a good attack from your tone, which means being careful with the gain and low end and letting the guitar really punch through the mix.
 
I have an 8 string. I'm using .068 (planned on using a .070 but it was to short) .058 .048 .038 .028 .018 .014 and .011

If I had a seven and I was tuning down I might re consider the string gauges. The .068 actually holds the F# fine.

I also have a baritone (tuned B F# B E G# C#) with gauges .068 ..056 .044 .026 .018 .014

The baritone definitely feels more manlier and you can dig in harder with it, but the 8 feels like a 6 with 2 extra strings on it (which is what I was after).

As for amps, I prefer to use my mesa with a tubscreamer in front. I don't dial up the drive, just the gain and the tone to taste. Tightens up the sound (when I say tighten I mean the decay of notes is shortened so notes end up sounding clearer and the lows are more in control so it keeps out some of the mud). I have a discontinued crate cab that came stock with vintage 30s. I like vintage 30s for metal because they seems to have more bark in the lower mids than say a T-75 does (again IMO).

Pickups are also VERY important. My baritone came with Ibanez stock junk, the lows were just muddy. On a guitar that is supposed to be tuned low that's just not good. So I dropped in some Gibsons and it was night and day how much better it was.

The 8 string is really new (like last month new) so I have not decided on what to put in for aftermarket (there are not a lot of choices for 8 string guitar pickups).

What were you playing before the 7?
 
As for amps, I prefer to use my mesa with a tubscreamer in front. I don't dial up the drive, just the gain and the tone to taste. Tightens up the sound (when I say tighten I mean the decay of notes is shortened so notes end up sounding clearer and the lows are more in control so it keeps out some of the mud).

That REALLY doesn't sound right. It'll cut out some of the low end, sure, but even adding a slight additional gain stage out front should have the effect of compressing your guitar somewhat, which would actually have the referse effect - leveling the peaks a hair and giving it the impression of sustaining more since there wasn't a sharp dropoff between the peak and the decay.

As a guy who's spent his share of time screwing around with a TS in front of a Recto and who knows hordes of guys who swear by the way it "tightens up" their sound, I haven't heard a single other person ever claim it shortens the decay or that it does anything other then cut out some of the low end rumble and refocus the guitar a little more strongly into the mids. If you're actually decaying faster when you click your TS on, then something's wrong with your pedal (or you have the gain below unity, so it's actually cutting the volume hitting the preamp).
 
[I]Sounds like you tend to see eye to eye with me on string tension, in that I've always felt that most "standard" sets are too light. GHS Boomers' 9-59 set is about the best-balanced stock one I've found, but I'd recommend just buying a six-string set you like and then ordering an extra 7th. If you're in the states, I've had good luck with Juststrings.com. [/I]

Hey thanks for all the details. I like this idea of just buying an extra string. im going to try that. Here is a youtube video of a amp sound Im messing around with for a live rythm tone. Ive still yet to figured out a lead tone or sound. The gain is cranked on these, but not enought compression/sustain to play some quick passages and make it sing like i want. Its a start. Rythm wise i'd put this sound up against alot of tones Ive hear recently and I JUST saw Nevermore live a few days ago and they were using $4k ENGL's.
The camera is one of those Zoom Q3's which produces and extremly accurate audio which can be very directional. the camera is about 10 feet in front of the amp combo

-H&K Tube addition 20 watt amps
-Schecter Jeff Loomis Model with EMG 81's(which Im not to crazy about, a little too cold sounding to me). I just got this so it has the factory strings on it which I think are .10's. I may replace the pups with a passive Pup, the guitar is VERY light and resonant which suprised me.
-cable straight in the front of the amp.

What do you think of this tone for Metal? Music starts at :40 if you want to skip me talking to my lead singer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzT94WSy9Ow

Thanks for looking.
 
I have an 8 string. I'm using .068 (planned on using a .070 but it was to short) .058 .048 .038 .028 .018 .014 and .011

If I had a seven and I was tuning down I might re consider the string gauges. The .068 actually holds the F# fine.

I also have a baritone (tuned B F# B E G# C#) with gauges .068 ..056 .044 .026 .018 .014

The baritone definitely feels more manlier and you can dig in harder with it, but the 8 feels like a 6 with 2 extra strings on it (which is what I was after).

As for amps, I prefer to use my mesa with a tubscreamer in front. I don't dial up the drive, just the gain and the tone to taste. Tightens up the sound (when I say tighten I mean the decay of notes is shortened so notes end up sounding clearer and the lows are more in control so it keeps out some of the mud). I have a discontinued crate cab that came stock with vintage 30s. I like vintage 30s for metal because they seems to have more bark in the lower mids than say a T-75 does (again IMO).

Pickups are also VERY important. My baritone came with Ibanez stock junk, the lows were just muddy. On a guitar that is supposed to be tuned low that's just not good. So I dropped in some Gibsons and it was night and day how much better it was.

The 8 string is really new (like last month new) so I have not decided on what to put in for aftermarket (there are not a lot of choices for 8 string guitar pickups).

What were you playing before the 7?

What kind of Gibson pickups did you put in your guitar? That is interested because it seems to be the craze for metal guys nowadays to use the EMG or Duncan actives which so far to me those are pretty cold sounding. Id like a warmer sound. i was thinking using duncans or one pickup that really made my Hughes and Kettners roar were those Gibson Burstbuckers, but that was on a Les Paul and I never in a million years thought Gibson made a 7 string Pup.

I was playing your typical Jackson Soloist, Schecter 6 strings.
 
Gibson currently doesn't, but a PAF-style pickup can be found readily enough in seven string form - Dimarzio's PAF7 and Duncan '59's both spring to mind, but their are more botique options out there - Bareknuckle will wind you any of their 6-string pickups as a 7, and Wolfetone made a name for spectacular PAF-type 'buckers, and ought to be producing 7-string pickups in the very near future (for now, they can rewind an existing pickup to their specs).

I'll watch your video tonight - Youtube's blocked at work.
 
my set up

neckthrough bc rich 7 string stealth, dr extra 9 guage strings,tune a whole step down
emg's, floyd rose, furman power conditioner,sennheiser wireless,korg dtr 2000 tuner,rocktron prophecy 2 pre amp,bbe sonic maximizer,mesa 290 power amp,2 mesa 4x12 rectofier slanted cabs
 
neckthrough bc rich 7 string stealth, dr extra 9 guage strings,tune a whole step down
emg's, floyd rose, furman power conditioner,sennheiser wireless,korg dtr 2000 tuner,rocktron prophecy 2 pre amp,bbe sonic maximizer,mesa 290 power amp,2 mesa 4x12 rectofier slanted cabs

Hows that Rocktron Prophecy2 working for you? Enough gain, and tone for metal? Not too digital sounding?
 
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