[phantom911]

Hi I'm new to this forum and I have a question. I have an Ibanez RG7321 and the low B string that came with it buzzes to much and is very floppy when down tuned to A. I dont know what gauge it is but I was wondering if a .060 size string would not be floppy? Any help would be appreciated.

[HamBungler]

I use a .058 tuned to G and its a bit floppy, not too annoying though. A .060-.062 would do the trick nicely. It also depends between string manufacturers using different tensions, so look around and do your homework and you should find the string that's good for you.

[Leon]

buzzing in a string can also have a lot to do with the way the guitar is setup. i've had setups where the string is floppy and buzzy, and others where it doesn't buzz, but is still pretty loose.

are you pretty experienced with setups?

[TomAwesome]

It's probably got more to do with your guitar needing a proper setup. I have a 7421 tuned down to Ab on a 56, and I have no trouble. Your truss rod and action are probably just out of whack.

Oh yeah, and welcome!

[Haunted Cereal]

i tune to A standard and i use a 65 bass string and i'm pretty happy with it. the intonation was tricky to nail but its good and hard for chording but tremoloing and triplets are harder since its frikkin huge!!! like these guys said, setup can have alot to do with it though. the only thing to do is try options and learn from experience.

[phantom911]

Thanks for the help! I was looking at BLue Steels for 7 strings. TomAwesome I don't if this is posted somewhere or not but what are some good things to do when you get a new guitar.

[TomAwesome]

As far as maintenance, pretty much just new strings and a setup. The setup is basically adjustments to the truss rod, action, intonation, and pickup height, in that order. There's a quick guide on how to do that yourself here, though someone else might have a link to a better one. If you don't feel comfortable doing that yourself (the truss rod adjustment probably being the main concern here), a local guitar shop should be able to set it up for you for a fee.

[HamBungler]

Adding to what TomAwesome said, Truss Rod adjustment shouldn't be too bad if you just take it in small increments, a quarter turn at the most at one time. Usually a truss rod problem can be cured within a half a turn in either direction, depending on your neck bow direction. If the strings are too high, tighten the rod, too low, loosen it. When adjusting it, make sure you have the strings loosened, adjust,then tune and see if the neck relief is where you want it and that it doesn't buzz of course. If it doesn't buzz, you're good to go! Saddle adjustment is also recommended and easy to do. Again, loosen the strings before you make an adjustment. If its a tune-o-matic, use the Phillips-head studs on the bridge to adjust it, if its a hardtail then you can adjust each with an allen hex key of the correct size to adjust each one to your liking. One thing to note when adjusting the saddles, make sure it follows your fingerboard's radius (crescent-shape curve the fingerboard has).
If you find it buzzing too much that its audible through an amp, then you should probably raise the action a bit, but if you can't hear it through an amp, I wouldn't worry about it and try to keep the action as low as you can.
That should do it on adjustments! I won't go in-depth with Floyds because I've never worked on them, but adjusting the action on those is pretty nuts if you're not comfortable tinkering with your axe. If you are, though, you can find adjustment guides everywhere, so tinker away!