[s7eve]

I had/have the same issues with the RG7EXFX.

I just got rid of the first issue by setting it up.

The second issue improved a little with the setup but the B string still sounds a little different in the high notes. However the lighter I pick the less noticeable it is.

[Benzesp]

This was my guitar, I had it set up for a# tuning and used 10-56 DR's. I had no problems with it. It has low action for lead playing. So if you are playing Korn type riffs you'll need to raise the action on it. If you pick in a downward direction the string will crash into the frets, it's just physics. you have to pick parallel to the fretboard. Maybe it could use a trussrod tweak but I doubt it.

[Lethe]

Plus, Korn use each a distorted track and a clean track for each distorted guitar. So for every guitar you hear on their later albums, you hear 2 amps at the same time, which may also hide it more.

2 guitars played at the same time will hide this even more I would say.

2 guitars AND a bass playing low riffs in unison? Well, go figure.

Not to mention the amount of money they can spend on their productions...there are ways to correct pitch issues that are way more obvious than this.

If you listen carefully, you can make it out on the last part of Meshuggah's track Obsidian. They used their sevens to record Nothing at the time, so you hear 25,5"-scale guitars tuned to low-low D (for Obsidian), but I think they also used huge-ass strings to pull it off. Please correct me if any of this isn't true.

Nevertheless, they seem to have had the same issue.

It sounds like a bending the string, which they probably do on the note that goes a semitone higher, but the other note is played open IMO.

Like I said, I had the same problem and I've read about others having it several times on several forums, I even took my guitar to the tech who said he never heard of it. No one ever gave an explanation that truly cleaned this up, so I think this just comes with the territory of going down that low.

The thing about the harmonics being a bit off can also (to my eyes) be explained by scale length: I've read at several places that the thicker the string gets on a given scale, the more it will act like a metal tube instead of a string. This means that the harmonics don't behave like an ideal string would. Someone even posted a link somewhere that went into the math behind it.

i am aware that some people here go way lower than A without using crazy gauges, reporting no pitch/intonation issues whatsoever, and I'd really like to get my hands on one of their guitars in order to see if using my picking technique, the problem does occur. I'm almost positive it would, the question remains if their technique is better adapted to this or if they do not notice these things as much.


Let's try one thing: You got a fixed bridge, right?

Do me a favor and tune your low B to C or even D, without touching anything else. Does the problem get better or even go away? If so, then I think it's proof for tension being too low for the given scale length in order for the string to work as a string and not a metal tube.

[soldierkahn]

GREAT SUCCESS!

[Swever]

i am aware that some people here go way lower than A without using crazy gauges, reporting no pitch/intonation issues whatsoever, and I'd really like to get my hands on one of their guitars in order to see if using my picking technique, the problem does occur. I'm almost positive it would, the question remains if their technique is better adapted to this or if they do not notice these things as much.

that's it, man!

Do me a favor and tune your low B to C or even D, without touching anything else. Does the problem get better or even go away? If so, then I think it's proof for tension being too low for the given scale length in order for the string to work as a string and not a metal tube.

Tried tuning my .60 to C# and it sounds almost ok! At least the first part of the problem is getting fixed. But it still has some beating and sounds a bit fuzzy and harsh. But it seems to be moslty the problem of my amp. I'm gona check it through a better amp today.

What you are saying about the "metal tube" is exactly what i'm expiriencing. Tuned to B or A the 7th string has some midrange resonance that sounds like a note itself.

Like I said, I had the same problem and I've read about others having it several times on several forums, I even took my guitar to the tech who said he never heard of it. No one ever gave an explanation that truly cleaned this up, so I think this just comes with the territory of going down that low.

The thing about the harmonics being a bit off can also (to my eyes) be explained by scale length: I've read at several places that the thicker the string gets on a given scale, the more it will act like a metal tube instead of a string. This means that the harmonics don't behave like an ideal string would. Someone even posted a link somewhere that went into the math behind it.

Rather unjoyful conclusion for 25.5 scale ))) Now I'm more and more thinking of trying some longer scale if thicker strings will turn out to be no good...

[Naren]

Originally Posted by Firedragon

I had/have the same issues with the RG7EXFX.

I just got rid of the first issue by setting it up.

The second issue improved a little with the setup but the B string still sounds a little different in the high notes. However the lighter I pick the less noticeable it is.

Really? I have never had any of the issues mentioned in this thread with my RG7EXFX2. Perfect intonation. All the strings sound very vibrant, solid, and clear everywhere on the fretboard on all strings. I tune to BEADGBE with 10-59 strings and sometimes I use 11-58 gauge strings.

In the case of the original poster, the only thing that comes to mind as the problem is the amp or even possibly the pickups.

[Lethe]

I use 70s for Low A, and if I don't go nuts (which would give me fret buzz anyway), the problem is not noticable when I play, even without band. Sure, if I hit the Low A and look at the tuner, it still jumps up a bit in the beginning, and when I look at the tuner I can hear it very well. But on my PodXT, it never leaves "the box", so I don't give it any thought now.

But this is the main reason why I'm going for an RG7EXFX next - even though I'll leave mahogany/Paf7-wonderland.

I like really tight strings because I feel I can riff better and more precisely on those, so for the time being I'm happy. It's just a bitch to set up you amp, because if you go nuts on the gain, you will hear a "train wreck", like someone here described it. I set the gain so I barely make it into saturated palm mutes, using a compressor to bring the dynamics of palm mutes and open strokes closer together. That way your high notes sound sweet and the low notes rip.

Oh, one more thing:

The thicker your strings get, the more you've got to stretch them. What I do after slapping on a new one is i grab it by fret 12 and pull it away from the neck about 2-3 centimeters several times (you can pull kinda hard), then go to fret 5 and repeat, then go to the neck pickup and repeat. Then I tune up and do it all over again, until I don't have to retune after such abuse. That's how I know the string's *properly* worn in. If you have a locking nut, you might want to keep it open until you're finished, so the whole length is stretched.

I never snapped a string doing that, but I think it's better to overdo one and then have a feeling for how far you can really go than understretch and have an unstable string.

[EverDream]

Swever I had your exact same problem, and no one came up with correct answer to me (if I recall correctly) they all said the same things they are saying to you now. I had to figure it out myself. Here is the reason your 7th string does that. If you have too much OR not enough string slack wrapped around the tuning peg AND/OR if any of the string is bent out of shape, you will encounter the problem of pitch decay after picking. I discovered this when I analyzed my other 6 strings and realized the 7th one I had not enough slack wrapped around the tuning peg (it wasn't even 1 full wrap I don't think!) and then I noticed that part of the string between the tuning peg and the nut was bent out of shape a little.

So... I restrung the guitar with some new strings (this time they were actually even lighter gauges!! like a 56 for low A!) and was more careful not to bend any of the string, and I made sure it had like 2 wraps (this can be tricky to judge, experience will be the only way to know for sure). And PRESTO! No more problem! My low A power chord was totally perfect.. I noticed on my tuner the A was not decaying any more than the other strings. I even have 2 sound examples! I'll have to find you the thread where I had this problem, too bad you didn't find that thread I had that problem? Anyway please try all this because this is 99% probably your problem, because your description of the problem is 100% exactly the same as the problem I had.

EDIT: Ok! I have the link to my thread when I had this same problem you did and solved it Problem with 7th string

EDIT 2: OMG Swever I just realized a strange coincidence... not only did we both have this super rare problem just us, but as I'm typing now.. we both have the same exact amount of posts 99! lol And even funnier, our rep are both "jewel in the rough" of course I hope you will add to mine if my solution helps you

[ElRay]

Originally Posted by 8string

... Problem was that the string wasn't seated properly in the nut. some filing took care of the problem.

+1 to this. I had a similar problem when I switched to a wound 3rd string on my acoustic.

Ray

[Swever]

EverDream ,this doesn't seem to be my problem, because i have locking tuners and the string is not bent and is not "springing" on the tuner.

Yesterday the 7th string i had there finally got broken, after all my experiments on it ))))
So i set the one that the guitar came with. It seems to be even lighter, but it behaves a bit different. It's very hard to explain it in words, i'll record some samples soon. But what really makes me upset is that is has this problem with wrong harmonics even tuned to E !!!! A lighter 6th string sounds much more solid than a thicker 7th even tuned to the same note! WTF?!!! I suppose it could be so due to it's newer condition, but if it's not, the only conclusion i can draw from this, is that 25,5 scale is not sutable for strings thicker than .54 or something, and this would mean that nothing lower than D or C# can sound right on 25.5. I really hope I am mistaken...

it was my #100 message )))