Tuning For 7 Strings

I recently bought a cheap 7 string just to experiment around with and i know the tuning for it is B bla bla bla and I can tune it a step up or Down to A or C or what not. I wanted to know if i could make the tuning so it be a low D-GCFADG without the strings being all loose or tight - I want the strings to feel close to or around standard just DGCFADG instead of BEADGBE or ADGCFAD

Originally Posted by: XChris557I recently bought a cheap 7 string just to experiment around with and i know the tuning for it is B bla bla bla and I can tune it a step up or Down to A or C or what not. I wanted to know if i could make the tuning so it be a low D-GCFADG without the strings being all loose or tight - I want the strings to feel close to or around standard just DGCFADG instead of BEADGBE or ADGCFAD

If you tune that B down to a D it's gonna be WAY too low...if you tune it up to D there's little point as you could have easily just tuned into drop D...

Originally Posted by: Jolly McJollysonIf you tune that B down to a D it's gonna be WAY too low...if you tune it up to D there's little point as you could have easily just tuned into drop D...

I know that but is ther like a way with different strings or sumthing that i could have a Low D But not Extreemly lower or higher in sound but have it around the same "Lowness" as the B is already or around it

Well the closest D is the D above it...but that's tuning the string one and a half steps up which is pretty hard on the string in the first place... And that pitch can be reached much more easily by tuning down the E...but that said, it's doable.

Maybe i'm missing something, but why would u buy a 7 string to have the lowest string be D?

Originally Posted by: Homebrew1709Maybe i'm missing something, but why would u buy a 7 string to have the lowest string be D?

I bought the 7 string to have more varity of sounds of course - But i wanted an even Lower D than what i'd get with a a six string tuned down and with that extra tiny g string at the end :cool: i just wanted to know if i could get different sized string or sumthing to get a low low D (ALONG WITH THE OTHER LOW TUNING) without the strings being all loose and crap

Maybe a D string from a bass guitar? Don't know if the nut on the guitar could accomodate a string that thick....And i dont know if typical guitar amplifiers could handle a frequency that low....i could be wrong though

Originally Posted by: XChris557i just wanted to know if i could get different sized string or sumthing to get a low low D (ALONG WITH THE OTHER LOW TUNING) without the strings being all loose and crap

Short answer: Not unless you buy a bass guitar.

Why does it have to be a D? Do you absolutely have to have an incredibly low D? Like Jolly said, not unless you buy a bass. You tune that low B string down and it's going to be drooping like a broken string dangling from the machine head. Furthermore, if it's a cheaper 7-stringer like you said, then what's the probability that it's going to hold that tuning very well let alone sound good. And don't tune the B string up either, that's just damaging a string forcing it to do something the next string over can do without the problem. By all means though, try downtuning it and see how you like it, but what you see is what you get. They don't make strings that avoid being tuned up so in answer to your question, no there isn't a string that can help you. Even the heavier guages have their limits.

Just get some really heavy gauge GUITAR strings and you should be fine.

You could have a go mixing in baritone strings

http://www.music123.com/GHS-Custom-Shop-Baritone-Guitar-Strings-i153551.music

Originally Posted by: Dr_simonJust get some really heavy gauge GUITAR strings and you should be fine.

You could have a go mixing in baritone strings

http://www.music123.com/GHS-Custom-Shop-Baritone-Guitar-Strings-i153551.music

Are those thick enough to tune to a D below B? That's four and a half steps down! :eek:

Don't know mate but it is worth a try.

I think the rule of thumb is that you go up a gauge with every half step you tune down.

So... for the 7th
9s = 52
10s = 58
11s = 65
and the bottom end of the baritones is:
.014 .018 .028 .038 .050 .070
which should be OK though you'd have to mix and match them with another pack of regulars.

Originally Posted by: Dr_simonI think the rule of thumb is that you go up a gauge with every half step you tune down.

That means he's going up NINE gauges!

I think the baritone is gona sound better than a bass string !!

I still can't see how a low B isnt low enough! Maybe he should switch to playing bass! :p

Originally Posted by: Dr_simonI think the baritone is gona sound better than a bass string !!

Agreed! *raises shot glass in a toast*

Originally Posted by: Homebrew1709I still can't see how a low B isnt low enough! Maybe he should switch to playing bass! :p

First off i'm only experimenting around cuz i'm new a guitar - and a Low B is low enough - I'm planning on getting a cheap bass after a get good at guitar but i wasn't looking for sumthing that deep anyways i just wanted a D around the deepness that the B was and i think i'll just get some baritone strings or sumthing

I assume you want to tune this way for playing like, really heavy death metal?? and you want the heaviest sound you can get? well, you should just get a distortion, compression, and octave pedal instead... it can give a pretty heavy sound...