Which strings for dropped C tunings?

:D Hi everybody!
I was told then if I used 60 strings like the Zakk Wylde ones on my Ibanez RG 270 which has a pretty thin neck the neck would have to be adjusted and I don't dare doing this cause I have no clue about this stuff. So I won't go any thicker than 46 cause I have already had 46 strings and tuned down to C and it worked. I only had to adjust the tremolo but not the neck which is scary. I dont want to ruin my guitar. :confused:

Originally Posted by: da_beaver:D Hi everybody!
I was told then if I used 60 strings like the Zakk Wylde ones on my Ibanez RG 270 which has a pretty thin neck the neck would have to be adjusted and I don't dare doing this cause I have no clue about this stuff. So I won't go any thicker than 46 cause I have already had 46 strings and tuned down to C and it worked. I only had to adjust the tremolo but not the neck which is scary. I dont want to ruin my guitar. :confused:

46 is kinda small for drop C, but if that works for you... it just won't sound as good, and your neck may have too much relief, causing your intonation to go out of whack, and you may have alot of buzzing.. but yeah, it will work I suppose.

you should never switch back and forth regularly on the same guitar...it just wrecks havoc on the neck

Originally Posted by: Andrew Sayou should never switch back and forth regularly on the same guitar...it just wrecks havoc on the neck

what do you mean? trying different tunings on the same guitar is bad?

Originally Posted by: da_beaverwhat do you mean? trying different tunings on the same guitar is bad?

sort of.. it's just that a guitar has so many checks and balances, everything is balanced out, the truss rod has to pull against the tension of the strings to keep the neck straight, the trem has to counter-act the pull of the strings in order to stay in a "floating" position. etc. etc. so when you loosen the tensions of the strings by detuning it, you send all these balances out of whack. it won't necessarily break your guitar unless you do something extreme (let's say, for example, you decide you want to tune the guitar up two whole steps. that's insane, the tension will probably snap the strings, and if not, it'll pull the bridge right out of the body, or the tuners out of the headstock, or even break the neck. now, obviously, that's an extreme, you wouldn't do something like that)

detuning to C won't break your guitar, but it will throw the balances out of whack, and your guitar won't perform at it's best. if you're really serious about having a guitar in C, permanently, you should have it set-up in C by a tech, who will adjust all the balances of the guitar, so that it does perform at it's best when it's in C. if not, then don't worry about it too much, but switching back and forth between standard and C could throw the balances even more out of whack, and in turn could endanger your truss rod. (just for your reference, because I don't know if you are quite sure what a truss rod is, but even if you did break a truss rod, it's not the end of your guitar forever, you can have a new one put in, but it probably won't be cheap to do so.

Oh. I didn't know that. Does this mean that I have to keep using dropped C from now on cause going back to normal would endanger the guitar? :confused:

Originally Posted by: da_beaverOh. I didn't know that. Does this mean that I have to keep using dropped C from now on cause going back to normal would endanger the guitar? :confused:

if you want to have your guitar stay in C forever more, then take it to a tech, and have it set-up in C. if not, then, as I said, going into drop C won't kill your guitar, but switching back and forth really often between E and C could cause some stress on the truss rod.. I think that as long as you don't switch back and forth 10 times a day, then it should be fine, but it won't perform it's best when in C.

okay :)
i dont switch that often

Originally Posted by: da_beaverokay :)
i dont switch that often

you may want to send a pm to someone such as lordathastrings and ask his opinion, as I may know a thing or two about how a guitar works, but lats is like an encyclepedia of knowledge!

Okay, thanks. :)

I was just asking myself what to do in order to play C-tuned songs/bands and this appears to be a huge coincidence :p
I play an Ibanez RG370dx and I never tune it different then standard tuning, it's waaay to much work and I'd rather keep my intonation perfect ;)

I'm just curious what guitars are good for C/C#/D-tuned playing, with a fixed bridge, because I dislike the headaches of tuning a floyd rose :eek:

Originally Posted by: GuitarPsy
I'm just curious what guitars are good for C/C#/D-tuned playing, with a fixed bridge, because I dislike the headaches of tuning a floyd rose :eek:

Baritone guitars are generally for those tunings. Most of the main brands make them nowadays, some even just variations of the regular models. They even make a baritone Les Paul. And these models are made to have the thick strings too...like .12-.60's come with most.

Originally Posted by: R. ShackleferdBaritone guitars are generally for those tunings. Most of the main brands make them nowadays, some even just variations of the regular models. They even make a baritone Les Paul. And these models are made to have the thick strings too...like .12-.60's come with most.

I didn't think you need a baritone neck just to drop one step. Most bands these days that are playing in C are dropping the low D (after the one step drop) to C - so it really isnt that huge of a difference. If you want to go down 3 steps to B, like a 7 string, thats a different story. But like Shack said, most companies make baritone neck guitars. Warmoth also sells replacement longer scale baritone necks.

it appears Ibanez just made a special RGA Prestige series with a fixed bridge



sometimes they're talking about 3pc or 5pc necks, what exactly do they mean by that? the RGT Prestige series for example got 5pc for "increased strength and sustain with easy playability in all registers"

allthough I love Ibanez I just like to play different styles a lot so I guess I need to find another brand (not too expensive) with a fixed bridge for different tunings and leave my RG370 in standard :rolleyes:

I don't know what your definition of "not too expensive" is, but here's a few to consider.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=516680
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=516662
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=513072
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=518187
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=518183
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=511579
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=519894
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=519983
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Guitar/Electric?sku=519966

there's a variety of brands and price ranges (as well as wood selections, pickups, and the like.) I think almost any of these would work well for what you want it to do