[rogue]

anyone got any good tips for tightening the low B, i have mine tuned to an A, im using a .60 which is pretty thick but it still seems to have a slightly different tone to the rest. should i sort this with the amp, eq, effects or what.

any tips would help thanks guys

[Leon]

it might sound funny, but i think my B is tight because it's a .54, and i don't have to hit it like a jackhammer to get it to sound off. if you're running all modelling gear, then you'll have about as tight a sound as you can get gear-wise.

[Durero]

Yeah, like Leon said, I'd try experimenting with thinner string gages to increase clarity. Increasing scale length is extremely effective, but of course that's pretty useless advice unless you're willing to get a new guitar. Changing pickups can also be effective - I've had good experience with active EMG's for this issue.

[Drew]

A heavier string WILL sound darker and more compressed. It'll also intonate better (especially if you have a heavy pick attack), but it's a compromise, and if you're looking for more brightness a lighter string will help.

Alternately, if you just want to keep it even sounding, if the .60 is with 9's, try a set of 10's.

[Vince]

I'm going to agree with Leon a bit here (not that Drew's wrong, he's right too IMO). I've always used .54 and .56 gauge strings for my low B, and I've always been very happy with their tone.

That low string is going to have a different tone than the rest, it's got some balls the other strings don't have. That's why we all play it, right?

[rogue]

haha yeh, i swapped the stok pups out to blaze and air norton, also dnt forget im down tuned to A dont know if that makes a difference to you .54 idea?

i will get a better amp with a better bass end in the future but thats when funds allow. one of the reasons i went for a heavier string was to get better intonation too. i have a .57 somewhere i could try that

[Beelzebloke]

Do you mean a tight sound or tighter low string? The two are linked...

I've been tuning down since the 80s & have learned the hard way about the relationship between tension, scale-length, string-gauge, pitch & intonation playing non-baritone 6strings tuned waaay down.

You can avoid muddyness by tweaking your amp settings, depending on what sound you're after.
For metal try using LOADS less gain than you thing you need, and roll off the bass ( fat bass is inherant in low notes anyway... too much bass in your sound will just be boomy & indistinct )

I tune to A & use a 70 for the lowest string.
This gauge seems to balance out fine, maybe cos there's just more mass there, the low A sounds just as bright as the other strings.

I've found anything skinnier to be "unstable" for tuning as low as A...
( though you'd probably be okay with a longer than standard scale length )

By that I mean that a skinny string is just too slack, when you hit it you get that awful "bwaaam" sound with the actual pitch of the note going from sharp downwards as the note progresses.

Also the slackness means that intonation is a real pain.

The reason for this is that as the slackness of the string increases the sensitivity regarding pitch becomes greater.
( you can see/hear this in action by simply slackening a string by a 1/8th turn at a time... the pitch drops by a progressively greater amount for each equal 1/8th turn. )

The effect that this has is that if you tune down a skinny string too far it's too sensitive to any subsequent changes in tension, like the tension added when you fret a note. ( try fretting a note gently & see how much the note changes when you press harder on the string )
Even the vibration of the string itself "pulls" the note sharp to start with & as the initial energy of the attack dissipates the note falls back to a lower frequency. ( the "bwaaaam" )

This all adds to general "muddyness" as the ear just percieves that something's wrong & the notes become less distinct.

So I'd go with fatter strings if you're tuning down.
You'll not just have strings that are literally tighter, you'll get a tighter sound too.

Finding fat strings can be a pain, I've never liked using cut-down bass strings.
If you can't find 'em GHS do a Zakk Wylde 6string set (Boomers) that go 11/70, these should be easy to find, just add a middle string & you're away!

[zimbloth]

Im going to respectfully disagree with the fellow above. Although thicker strings will intonate better and feel better, I don't agree that they help you get a tight low end or improve muddiness. In my experience it's EXACTLY the opposite. The thicker ones are just as easy to play, but i feel they lose some of the crisp attack, bite and growl. I also feel GHS brand strings are easily the darkest and muddiest strings ever made.

I respect Beelzebloke's opinion, but I've been tuning to B or lower for a long time too, and I just always found very large B strings to be the cause of untight/muddy low end. Sometimes simply swapping it out for a lighter gauge solved everything in terms of tone and definition (unfortunately at the cost of tension, 27" helps..)

[The Dark Wolf]

I won't offer theory. Here's simple solutions. (I tune to F, and my sound is very tight.)

1. Throw out your bridge pickup. Get a Dimarzio D Sonic 7.
2. Get some Elixir strings. Nanoweb. Very bright. You can get a .056 or a.068, both will work for A.
3. Work on your patches. Make them tight as possible. Watch your bass levels. You need less bass with a 7-string, and definitely less lower mids.

[zimbloth]

Even with the D Sonic 7, the D'Addario .060 I tried sounded like mud. When I put an Ernie Ball .056 the sound COMPLETELY changed for the better in every way imaginable. Elixir NanoWebs are my fav too, unfortunately .068 is too much for me and .056 is really pushing it. If they made a .060 or .062 id be in heaven. Hey Rogue, is the .060 you're using a D'Addario by any chance?

Good advice tho