[Shannon]

So, here's the deal. I got asked to be in a well-established local Seattle metal band. Yeah, this would make 3 bands for me.

Anyway, they tune in Drop C.
I experimented with a few ways to do this on a 7 string & I really like the following. I'm tuning the bottom 6 to Drop C w/ a high G.

Low to high: C G C F A# D G

I currently have my guitar strung up with 9-54, but they are way too tight. I'm thinking of going w/ a set of 8-38+52. Any suggestions? Anyone tuned this way or tried it? What gauges works for you? I'm use to tuning down....not up. Any help would be much appreciated.

[urklvt]

Hey bro, I think your 8-38+52 idea is perfect. I tune to C on my Steinie with a 10-52 set and it feels great. The 0.008 will do G just fine.

[xwmucradiox]

The 8-38 set gets really heavy on your higher strings pretty quick so I would go with a set of 10-52 with a .008 for the G.

[urklvt]

Originally Posted by xwmucradiox

The 8-38 set gets really heavy on your higher strings pretty quick so I would go with a set of 10-52 with a .008 for the G.

Bear in mind hat would be 4 plain steel strings, not 3 as on a "standard" 7 string set.

[Thomas]

When you say 'too tight, do you mean all the strings? Personally, I'd use a 10 - 46 set with the 46 replaced with a 50 for the low C. As for the high G, I'm not sure as I've never used anything lighter than a 9, but I think an 8 should do the trick. Alternatively, you could keep the two lightest strings tuned to D.

[xwmucradiox]

Originally Posted by urklvt

Bear in mind hat would be 4 plain steel strings, not 3 as on a "standard" 7 string set.

I tune higher than this guy is planning to so I have a pretty good handle on the idea. I play with 9-46 sets and a high 8 and it feels great for shred stuff. If you want to tune a step lower than I do (DADGBEG) then a 10-52 set is just the right higher gauge. With a set of 8-38, you end up with an .011 first and a .014 second which can be pretty tight even in a C tuning.

[Shannon]

Originally Posted by high-eye

When you say 'too tight, do you mean all the strings? Personally, I'd use a 10 - 46 set with the 46 replaced with a 50 for the low C.

Yeah, it all feels a bit tight for me in general. The high range is especially tight.

As for the high G, I'm not sure as I've never used anything lighter than a 9, but I think an 8 should do the trick. Alternatively, you could keep the two lightest strings tuned to D.

The whole reasoning I decided to tuned the bottom six in drop C is so that my top 6 would be in a standard tuning (i.e. not dropped). The standard 4ths tuning would be more familiar ground in terms of playing solos. I don't want 2 D strings. I guess I'll have to try an 8 gauge for the G.

Thanks so far, guys. Anyone else wanna add their ?

[shadowgenesis]

What scale length guitar is that gonna be on? I dunno if that really makes any difference to anyone's input, but ya know...
I like heavier strings particularly in drop C just because I find if the low C feels at all floppy I can't get a consistent picking rhythm with my right hand. I've got 11-54 on my SA in drop C, and I'm thinking of changing the 54 to a 56. But being that you've been playing 7's for a long time and all that, I'm sure you know where you're comfortable at.

[Shannon]

Originally Posted by xwmucradiox

The 8-38 set gets really heavy on your higher strings pretty quick so I would go with a set of 10-52 with a .008 for the G.

9 11 16 24w 32 42 54 - My current 9-54
8 10 13 17p 30 42 52 - A 10-52 set w/ an added 8
8 10 15 21w 30 38 52 - The proposed 8-38 set w/ an added 52

So far, the 8-38+52 is looking better due to 4 low wound strings and 3 plain high strings.

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Shannon

9 11 16 24w 32 42 54 - My current 9-54
8 10 13 17p 30 42 52 - A 10-52 set w/ an added 8
8 10 15 21w 30 38 52 - The proposed 8-38 set w/ an added 52

8 10 13 17p 26 36 50 - 10-46 with added 8 and 46 replaced with 50.

Just for comparison, my suggestion from above.
The reason I picked 10-46 as the base set is because that's what I'd use for tuning down to D (on a 6-string), and drop-C is D tuning with the low D lowered further to C.