consequences of low tuning?

  • Thread starter Thread starter BrettB
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BrettB

BrettB

Well-known member
Hi all,

suppose I want to lower my guitar with 2 whole tones (tuninh C F Bb Eb G C). What consequences does that have on my guitar?

Do I have to use a heavy gauge to avoid them to become too muddy? aNyone have any experiences with this?
 
My experience with tuning down that far is never a good one. It totally screws the tone.
 
Here's something I tried. I bought a set of strings for a 7 string guitar and threw away the little one. Then I tuned B E A D F# and B low to high. I think it sounds really cool for playing slow stuff.
 
scottboyher said:
My experience with tuning down that far is never a good one. It totally screws the tone.
Click to expand...

true for some cases, but depends on what music you want to make..

I like to experiment in my rockband, that a little stoner minded..
 
What Firebird said.....


Also, I know that on "Good Enough", EVH used bass strings in place of the "E" and "A" on his guitar, and regular strings on the rest. Don't know what gauges though.....I'll ask him and get back to you.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com
 
You do have to be careful playing that way. Big full chords that use all 6 strings sound very muddy. But, double stops and such sound pretty cool.
 
64Firebird said:
You do have to be careful playing that way. Big full chords that use all 6 strings sound very muddy. But, double stops and such sound pretty cool.
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Thats the key. You have to keep it under control.
 
The music is very 'riff based' I'm not intending to play open chords with that.. that would be too mad.

To give you an example, I really like the sound of 'Song For The Dead' from QOTSA.
 
BrettB said:
Hi all,

suppose I want to lower my guitar with 2 whole tones (tuninh C F Bb Eb G C). What consequences does that have on my guitar?

Do I have to use a heavy gauge to avoid them to become too muddy? aNyone have any experiences with this?
Click to expand...


Hi Brett,
If you plan on tuning down your guitar, you should use heavier strings to compensate for the lack of tension.(Ex. if you are using 9's, try a set of 11's).This will also help with tuning stability.
You will also need to adjust your truss rod, as well as set your guitar's intonation for the new tuning.
If you are unable to do this yourself, bring it to a good guitar tech, and explain what you are trying to accomplish.
Good luck!


Take care,
Tony
 
Re: Re: consequences of low tuning?

NoiseFactory said:
Hi Brett,
If you plan on tuning down your guitar, you should use heavier strings to compensate for the lack of tension.(Ex. if you are using 9's, try a set of 11's).This will also help with tuning stability.
You will also need to adjust your truss rod, as well as set your guitar's intonation for the new tuning.
If you are unable to do this yourself, bring it to a good guitar tech, and explain what you are trying to accomplish.
Good luck!


Take care,
Tony
Click to expand...
Noise factory is 100% correct, to change from standard tunning to c , you need a basic setup.
I tune to Bflat on 7 string- strings 12-56
on a 6b string tuned to b- strings 13-56
 
thx for the advice!

I'll get a guitar tehc to help me though, I don't dare to touch the truss rodd myself.
 
Don't be scared to adjust the truss rod yourself - it's not that scary. Do it with the strings tuned-up. Just turn clock-wise to tighten the rod and straighten the neck. Go in 1/8 turn increments, retune, and play for a while. If that's not enough, try 1/8 turn more, until your neck feels right. It generally only takes 1/8 to 3/8 to correct most necks when switching string gauges.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com
 
I snapped a truss rod one time adjusting it myself. I only turned it about 1/4 turn, but it really broke and was then unrepairable. Destroyed my favorite guitar. Now, I don't mess with it, but I agree with everything said above otherwise. I tune my to D or even C occassionally. I prefer open tunings, though. They're easier to tune and don't require any readjustment.
 
i use a lot of tunings where the low e string is tuned down anywhere from a# to d#-i always use a rather heavy string there for that purpose. the others i don't worry so much about-it's the muddy/buzzy bass string that bugs me. then again, i don't tune the whole guitar down-i don't really see the point-i'd rather use different chords or a different tuning all around to get that boomy (usually snarly, since i tend to play in drop-d or DADGAD a lot) effect than just tune the whole damned thing down.
 
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