[daidilus]

i got my RG7620 for christmas....well a self gift...a buddy gave me some Ernie Ball Skinny Top Heavy Bottoms which is a 6 sting set, 10-13-17-30-42-52, I left the oringal B whichis too heavy....i looked at the seven string ernie ball sets.....i dont like any of the combinations of strings..... 10-13-17-26-36-46-56, 9-11-16-24w-32-42-52, 11-14-18p-28-38-48-58, what are you using for your last string? i dont know what gauge the last one is? i would like to order that is a little bit thinner, but i have no idea whichone.....all the guitar shops in my town on sell GHs singles....I have only been playing les than a year, but i play for 2+ hours everyday, so i am a lot better than i should be......i just need some help....my guitar also came with the dimarzios...but they are kind of muddy when playing with distortion on the low strings...there is a huge picture so you can see the difference in strings.....i mean is that one good? i play alot of solos, arpeggios, and also like to go into a break down on the low strings....i am doing melodic death metal

[OzzyC]

Dude, it's not exactly the easiest thing to look at a picture and guess with much accuracy what the gauge would be.

I use a daddario 9-46 set, plus a 59 (soon to be 60)
JustStrings.com - Strings for guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and other musical instruments sells singles in a few different brands, you could order a few different ones and experiment untill you find what feels right for you.

If the PUps are stock, yes, they will almosy always be muddy. I'm saving for an AN7-DS7 in my RG1527

And there's no such thing as "being better then you should be".

[daidilus]

that is probably true, but when i play for people, they get wide eyes and ask me what band i am in or ask me to join theirs......i sit on the front porch with the Roland microcube and play and usually get an audience....it might also be because i work in a metal bar here in topeka....sometimes i go to music shops just to get a shred session in unbothered, and it is kinda of funny when people say "bullshit" or " i hate you" when i play for them and tell them i only really started playing hard when i got this guitar......i just do not like living in kansas....because people give me the cross eye when i tell them i am a metal guitarist....and they all treat me like shit at the music shops...they make rude comments to me...kick me out, when i am truely trying an amp out or looking for a pickup or looking for a cord or strings....the only place that was nice was when i got that guitar....all the guitars where on clearance....they originally wanted 600 for it.....i got it for 300, but had no money...so i gave em the humbuckers outta my SG...and my les paul jr as the down payment...they let me sit in the store and play it for 3 hours....they offered me a chair and let me hook up to the tube amp.....it was funny when the manager asked me to turn it down and the customers where like "let the motherfucker jam" that was the best time i ever had buying a guitar....after that i sold me peavy predator, my RG340, took the rest of the SG apart and got the body signed by chidren of bodom, and gave my LTD fb-200 away...i only have the RG7620 and my Venturi 1534

[ohio_eric]

So what was the gauge for the original B string? What are you using for the top six strings?

[JBroll]

I'm certainly not the conventional type myself (I play an 11-70 set) but I'd guess that they're using 10-46+56 or 58. For consistency I'd definitely just use a string tension calculator lined up against the string gauge you're comfortable playing with on a six-string guitar.

Keep in mind that the low E is usually not matched up well, and the low B is usually even worse, if you're trying to go for even and consistent tension. Try ordering customized sets from JustStrings.com, where you can get any gauge your favorite company makes and mix-and-match until something feels right.

Jeff

[daidilus]

i really dont know what gauge the last string is.....i got it with strings and retrung the last 6 with 10-13-17-30-42-52 from an erniball skinny top heavy bottom set...i want to know what strings they come factory with......i mean the bottom 6 were beat when i got it, the action was crazy high.....i wish i could have you all play it....i have never felt a guitar with this low of action....and still not buzz, i set it up myself....one string at time...it took about 2 hours......i know everything about string tension and intonation, but it is about the feel of the guitar...i let everyone that is good with guitar play it....the top 6 are perfect.....it is great for fast playing...arpeggions..hammer ons and pull offs, that last string is just too thick...when i power or even bar chord on the last 2 something is just off with the tone....that last string is a G and then the rest are a drop c tuning....yes the bridge is slightly sunken.....withthat drop tuning the strings are kind of loose....but it plays like a dream.....the frets are worn in perfectly....i only have to complaints.....the low string and the dimarzio pickups....i was gonna go with a 707 bridge, and a 81-5 neck...but i dont want to router my shit, and my sure wireless takes up enough batteries....i want pickups that bring out the pinch harmonics...they only really come out in selector position 5...i have noticed a lot about peoples playing...first they get my guitar and try to retune it...so i locked the nuts....and 2 they beat the crap out of the strings....and i dontlet a lot of people play it anymore....if you have heard of Origin, or Unmerciful...i take lessons from Clint...and he taught me how to pick with the finger wiggle and how to touch the strings instead of pick them....and press on the strings....instead of hammer the shit out of them....delicate playing brings the guitar to life soo much i take my guitar everywhere with me and take the battery powered microcube.....have you heard Shawn Castonguay's music, i call it epic music....that is what i am gonna start composing....just more deathy riffs for the rhythm.....i just need some pickups that are more clear on the bottom end

[JBroll]

If the bridge is slightly sunken (as in 'back of trem lower than front), either you're using strings that are too thin (which I'm guessing) or the claw is set too far in. Learn to set up your trem if that's an issue.

As for the pickups, I'd try DiMarzio D Activators first - they have clarity out the ass and back again, and tons of balls if you know how to play. They sound great at any gain level. Plus, their resale value will be pretty high if you don't like them (off chance, really), you can switch them with DiMarzio to try new ones (try DS7-AN7 after that, if you still have problems ask again), and no routing is needed.

I've heard of Origin, but his tone is not I would be going for myself. Watch the thrash gods, they're not being delicate at all - I prefer the guys who can use low gain on their amps and pound them into submission with strong attacks (so they still have some dynamic content, which can't be said for all extreme metal) over the guys who twist the gain high. To each his own, but I honestly wouldn't expect the Micro Cube to be the best way to gauge what you should be going for, as fun a toy as it is (I learned on a Cube 30 myself, and moving to a 'real' amp changed a lot - including my thoughts on gain) and I'd be using something else for reference on my playing.

I tend to notice that more tension will typically yield more bite and clarity with the way I play, so I prefer to have between 23 and 28 pounds of tension on each string - between that and a setup optimized for clarity before everything else I can start pulling altered dominants and all of the notes are still audible.

One more thing... paragraphs are your friend. Please, just hit enter a few times to make it easier on everyone - not everyone has the patience, and too much of the solid-block can make people's head hurt.

Jeff

[Pablo]

I use a set of Hybrid Slinkies (9-46) with my current project B-string. Having tried everything from 52-60 (there's a 59 on there now) I think I might settle for a 56 - whilst I like the tightness of the 60 the tone just gets too dark for my liking.

I am actually contemplating getting a stainless steel 60 to see what that does, but until I settle completely, I'm not buying a batch (as I usually do).

Quick edit: I decided to give the Hybrid Slinkies + 56 Stainless Steel combo a go - strings on their way from juststrings.com as we speak.

Cheers

Eske

[OzzyC]

Originally Posted by daidilus

i really dont know what gauge the last string is.....i got it with strings and retrung the last 6 with 10-13-17-30-42-52 from an erniball skinny top heavy bottom set...i want to know what strings they come factory with......i mean the bottom 6 were beat when i got it, the action was crazy high.....i wish i could have you all play it....i have never felt a guitar with this low of action....and still not buzz, i set it up myself....one string at time...it took about 2 hours......i know everything about string tension and intonation, but it is about the feel of the guitar...i let everyone that is good with guitar play it....the top 6 are perfect.....it is great for fast playing...arpeggions..hammer ons and pull offs, that last string is just too thick...when i power or even bar chord on the last 2 something is just off with the tone....that last string is a G and then the rest are a drop c tuning....yes the bridge is slightly sunken.....withthat drop tuning the strings are kind of loose....but it plays like a dream.....the frets are worn in perfectly....i only have to complaints.....the low string and the dimarzio pickups....i was gonna go with a 707 bridge, and a 81-5 neck...but i dont want to router my shit, and my sure wireless takes up enough batteries....i want pickups that bring out the pinch harmonics...they only really come out in selector position 5...i have noticed a lot about peoples playing...first they get my guitar and try to retune it...so i locked the nuts....and 2 they beat the crap out of the strings....and i dontlet a lot of people play it anymore....if you have heard of Origin, or Unmerciful...i take lessons from Clint...and he taught me how to pick with the finger wiggle and how to touch the strings instead of pick them....and press on the strings....instead of hammer the shit out of them....delicate playing brings the guitar to life soo much i take my guitar everywhere with me and take the battery powered microcube.....have you heard Shawn Castonguay's music, i call it epic music....that is what i am gonna start composing....just more deathy riffs for the rhythm.....i just need some pickups that are more clear on the bottom end

Unless you bought this new 5 years ago and never changed the low B since, it's probably not the same. Most Ibanez come with a set of 9's tuned standard.

Wait...did you say it was in drop G before and at a good tension? If so, your probably looking at something close to a 70 on that string. The only thing you can really do about it is quite obvious, I would imagine. Buy a string for it, and setup the guitar again for the change in tension

[HamBungler]

Hmm, that sucker looks pretty thick. Possibly a .062, but I can't be sure. Best thing I can tell you is to try out a set of STHB strings with a calibrated 7, or look up on here or google to find the correct balanced string size and tension. Or go with what others have said and find one that feels right strings aren't too expensive, and if you're having troubles in music stores try some online string providers, I'm sure they'll happily do business with you.