[bulb]

Hey guys, as some of you may know, im getting a custom 8 string with a 30 inch scale. Now my only concern, since im too chicken to try fanned frets out on this one, is the tension. I like tension on the wound strings, but im usually a light gauge guy for the unwounds. I like the feel of 10's on the wounds (usually a 56 low B 46 E) and 9's on the unwounds (on a 25.5 scale guitar). So if i wanted to preserve that feel on a 30 incher, what gauge strings would i need to put on the unwounds?

Thanks for the help guys!

[Metal Ken]

what you tuning to?

A 9 guage on 25.5" scale gives you bout 13lbs tension - in standard..
A 9 on a 30" in standard gives you about 18 -- so its a significant increase.

[urklvt]

I'm sure Garry will pipe in soon He's been testing strings for the 30" scale this week and will have plenty of insight to offer.

[bostjan]

You like the same strings I do.

I think most standard production .008"s are shitty. I've never had good luck with them.

Why no fanned frets? Fanned frets are the be-all and end-all to extended range design.

Oh well, You know, the longer a string is, the flexier it will feel, but the tension is higher. Like, you know how it's hard to bend at the first fret, but a sinch to bend at the twelth?

I say go ahead and just try the same strings. Then if any of them feel too tight, go down a notch. But beware of crumby .008"s. As has been said, you should probably talk to Garry Goodman about this.

[bulb]

someone make that man post in this thread with the answer now!! ..please?

[bostjan]

Well, you could alway PM him. I'm not even clear myself as to what the question is, exactly.

You want to know which string gauges to use to get the same feel as Hybrid Lights on a 25.5" scale on a 30" eight string? With the same tuning as your seven string plus a lower sting?

The difference in length is just under three frets. Tuning down a whole step would result in the same feel with the same gauges. Think of what gauge string you would use to tune up a whole step. You could stay the same, and this would give you a tighter feel, or you could go down a gauge, to .008"s on the unwounds and .009" on the wounds. The only problem with this is that .008"s are usually shitty, so you're going to snap them a lot more often than you would .009"s.

It's totally up to you as to what you want to do, but apart from what I had said, and the possibility of finding higher quality .008"s, I don't see what else this forum can do for you.

[bulb]

Hey man i didnt mean to discredit your info. I guess i just wouldnt want to rely on shitty strings haha! Oh well i guess i will have to try out the 8's and hope for the best, do you remember which companies' 8's you tried so i could avoid those haha?

[bostjan]

Ernie Ball .008"s get a from me. I tried the RPS .008"s once, too, and didn't really notice a difference in the high E.

D'addarios seem a little better.

To be honest, I never bought them online. .008"s are not very popular, so God only knows how long the strings I bought were hanging on the shelf. That might have had a lot to do with my bad luck.

[Garry Goodman]

Oh man...... show me a guy with a string tester with an adjustable scale length from 37" to 22" and I'll show you a guy who changes strings 5 times a day.

30".....I only know 30" from E1 and higher at this point in time. My .005 tuned to Aflat4 and was reasonable,but A4 popped it at the bridge saddle after playing on it. If I stretch the string by taking longer to tune it up,I get A4.

Right now,I have a b flat 4 at 28" with the .006 and I can push it at least
1/8th of an inch to either side.If I am patient(not!) and let it sit overnight,it could stretch to b-4.That is only a half step below the C5 I tuned the .003 to @22". I also tried my .004 at 31" and got a real loose bendable G4 @ 31". I think it will at least tune to A flat 4 @ 30". At 29" the .005 tunes to an A4.

The flexibility or tension doesn't change that much between 28" and 31".So it seems to be up to the qualities in the string to work the way you want it to.

A4 with the .006 at 28" has the same rich tone as it does at 26". So fanning from 31" to 26" wouldn't seem to help the higher strings that much with reaching a certain pitch or improving tone.

This will all become clearer after testing more wire.I can see there is something to knowing when to fan,and how much.

P.S. the new .008 wire feels more like a .010. it is very dense wire.

p.p.s-I tried b-4 and the .006 broke @ 28".So i switched to the 24" scale,and with the same .006 wire,just tuned to a4.It can be pushed up to 1/4" on either side.So 4" shorter is like half as much tension.It also tunes to bflat4 easily. It looks like longer scale is good for bass and touch instruments,and shorter scales for bending.
I haven't tried.007 or .008 yet.

[Garry Goodman]

I have the .008 ,which btw feels like an .011,strung up at 30".It is currently tuned to E4.It easily bends a 1/4" in either direction.As far as durability,I'd put this string up against any .011.As an E4 string @26",I would be surprized if it ever broke.
I am realizing I need to pre-stretch the wire for about a week,then put it on the tester.