[maglor]

I play a 24.75" scale ESP standard series Viper. I use 13-56 guage strings and it plays comfortably at C standard tuning and Drop Bb. It has great intonation with this setup and perfect string tension. (It gets a little bit loose at B standard and Drop A--But I can almost pul it off.)

Anyway, my question is: If I were to by a 28" scale Agile Baritone, would I be able to apply the same principles as above?

In other words, could I get some big ass strings and tune it to A standard or Drop G (or maybe even lower)?

Would it still have good intonation and tension with the right strings.

What are the right strings?

[djpharoah]

Baritones are made for lower tunings - so if your planning on dropping way down - the extended scale length will help with string tension and clarity.

[maglor]

Right. But what about the specifics of my example.

Drop G?

F even?

What strings?

[TomAwesome]

Drop G should be cake. I tune to drop Ab on a 25.5" scale guitar (.010 - .056), and it works great. You could probably get down to F all right on that baritone, too. As for strings, it really depends on your own preferences. I'd probably start with a set that went to somewhere between .056 and .060, see how well it works, and go from there.

[maglor]

Thanks for the feedback!

This is the guitar I've been refering to:



God I can already hear that chuging G.

[Variant]

Originally Posted by maglor

Right. But what about the specifics of my example.

Drop G?

F even?

What strings?

I was in dropped G on my 25.5" RG7620 with a .70 on the lowest string and the tension was pretty much fine, so a 28" should be fine down to F I'm fairly sure. Pickups are going to be your biggest hurdle as the lowest string tends to loose clarity, yet is boomy enough to overpower the others.

[maglor]

OK, I have what may be a stupid question.


If it's so easy to reach an F with a 28" scale baritone, why do bands like Meshuggah need an 8 string? If I remember right their 8 strings are 27" scale and they play at an F. Obviously they have 2 higher strings to play with, but is this the only real advantage?

I’m looking for a rhythm instrument so I don’t need the higher notes.

When Meshuggah recorded “Nothing” the first time around they were playing 7 strings. I read that they re-recorded “Nothing” with their 8 strings because of intonation and tuning problems. But in terms of holding a low tune well and having accurate intonation, isn’t the main issue scale length rather than how many strings you have?

[TomAwesome]

I'm fairly sure their Ibbies have 30" scales, so the advantage isn't the extra strings so much as the extra tension and better intonation.

[maglor]

I stand corrected.

Heres the quote I should have lookes for:

SS:: Ok Marten, we're all gear nuts here - Can you give us a quick rundown on your custom 7 & 8 string Ibanez guitars?

MH: Oh man, lets see. I've got an old black 'n green Ibanez Universe (got it 92/93) that I don't use anymore. It hangs in the studio more like a curiosity. Great guitar though. I got one standard scale black Ibanez Custom 7-string bolt-on neck called "MH" because its got my initials as a fretboard inlay. Another black Ibanez Custom but with Extended scale bolt-on(27 inch if I'm not mistaken) and one Ibanez Custom 27" scale neck-through. Its grey and the lid is Flame-maple I think. I have one Black/worn Nevborn Custom which is standard scale, neck-through. I also got a 7-string acoustic Ibanez. That’s it for the 7's.

Now for the 8's. I've got 2 Black Ibanez custom 8's 30" Neck-through. One Ibanez Custom 8 with piezo, black bolt-on neck 30 ". And finally I have a Nevborn custom 8. Black (big surprise) 29" neck-through. Now I'm unsure of the respective wood selections but all guitars except for the Universe are fitted with Lundgren pick-ups.

Just to reiterate. The issue is scale length not number of strings...


in terms of how low you can go....

[OzzyC]

Originally Posted by maglor

I stand corrected.

Heres the quote I should have lookes for:




Just to reiterate. The issue is scale length not number of strings...


in terms of how low you can go....

It depends on the string guage, Gary Goodman goes down to C00 (17 hz) on a fanned fret (32-34") bass, but he uses a string near 3 tenths of an inch thick.

It relies on a number of factors, really.