I have a couple of questions that probably fit in different forums, but then again they are also pretty basic, so I'll post them here. I've had my Schecter Omen 7 for a couple of months now (my first seven, and also my first guitar), and some things are starting to bother me about it.
First: the strings.
The ones currently on it are the ones it came with. I'm not sure what gauge they are, but judging from the extra string set that came with it, I'd say 9s. They are definitely pretty light. So light in fact, that the fret buzz on the lowest 2 strings is pretty much unbearable. The tension on the low B is too low so it's really floppy. On top of that, I kinda like to drop it to A, because that allows me to chug away some power chords, which is pretty gratifying for a beginner like me
. This only makes it worse, of course.
So I've been reading up about this, and I think I should probably give 11s a try instead. Even on the higher strings I think I'll like it better, because my playing style seems to be rather violent (although that might change once I actually learn to play properly). I have a couple of questions about this:
- Can I just get a set of 11s somewhere? All these brand names mean nothing to me, and I know that if I ask, I'll get a million different suggestions... how can I tell which brand I want, though? It's not like I can try them all. The guitar has a 25.5" scale, despite what Schecter's website says (I measured it).
- Also, because I want to drop the lowest string to A, maybe I should get an even heavier gauge for that? If I tune it to AEADGBE with a standard set, maybe the tension will be too uneven. I dunno, I'm just speculating here, making sure I've got everything covered.
- When I string it with these heavier gauges, the neck will obviously be under more stress. Will I have to adjust the bridge or the truss rod? This is something I would very much like to avoid. The problem is that I bought this guitar online from a shop in France (because of the ridiculously low price), so I don't really have a shop to go to and have it all taken care of for me (Unless I drive to Paris ). I'm also reluctant to do these things myself, because I don't want to break anything. I guess what I'm asking is: will the increase in string tension require any adjustments, or is the increase actually negligible and can I leave everything as it is?
Second: the pickups.
I was warned repeatedly that this guitar came with shitty, muddy sounding stock pickups. I figured as an absolute beginner, I wouldn't care much because I'd have no idea what "good tone" is, anyway. In many ways, I guess I still don't know, but the muddiness is starting to bother me nevertheless. So I suppose the time has come to replace them.
I've run into the same problem with this: I have no idea what to look for in pickups, and how to compare them. I've read (again) a million different suggestions on here, which makes it all the more confusing. Maybe if I describe what I'm trying to do, that can help narrow it down?
Basically, I am a huge fan of progressive / technical metalcore and djent. This is why my first guitar is a seven
this is also mainly the stuff I would like to (learn to) play, so I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to use this as the selection criterium. Other than that, it might be relevant that I only play through amp sims. The only guitar related hardware I own is a Pod GX, real gear is not an option (not just because of financial reasons). That might change in the future, but probably not anytime soon.
So yeah, these are the things I'm wondering about. Replacing the strings is something I'd like to do soon, the pickups are more of a long term thing (mainly because it's a bigger investment, and also because it'll probably require that I find someone to install them for me).
Thanks for any insights you might be able to give me