# Best 7 string gauge for Drop A for my S7420FM?



## Metalus (Dec 25, 2009)

I play in AEADGBE and was wondering what would be a good gauge for the 7th string (Im looking for the usual things. Tightness, clarity, nice good resistance)

I heard Alex from Whitechapel uses a .70 but my bitchy little fingers wouldnt be able to handle that . I currently have a .59 but ive become very dissatisfied with it. .65 maybe? Im assuming i should buy a bass string in this size that corresponds to whatever string set i buy. Thanks in advance for everyone's help


----------



## Winspear (Dec 25, 2009)

I have 10-46 and a 66 on my 7321, same tuning.  Seems perfect for me, tried a few gauges lower than this until I found this one which I like Don't buy a bass string, as they are different than guitar strings in ways other than size..Don't know more about that but it's what I've heard. UNLESS your using Elixir nanowebs which are the same. I use D'addarios and their guitar strings go up to 80 or something.


----------



## Metalus (Dec 25, 2009)

Sweet. Could i get a link to the .66 string set?


----------



## Winspear (Dec 25, 2009)

You wont find these strings in a set usually. 7 string sets tend to be several gauges floppy on the low string, even in standard tuning. You'll need to get them individually, but it's not problem. Especially where you live you can order rarer gauges straight from their site. Here's what I use;
The 6 set
DAddarioFretted Strings » Electric Strings » XL Nickel Round Wound » EXL110 Regular Light 10-46

And the 66
DAddarioFretted Strings » Electric Strings » All Electric String Singles » XL Nickel Wound Singles


----------



## Ironberry (Dec 25, 2009)

EtherealEntity said:


> The 6 set
> DAddarioFretted Strings » Electric Strings » XL Nickel Round Wound » EXL110 Regular Light 10-46
> 
> And the 66
> DAddarioFretted Strings » Electric Strings » All Electric String Singles » XL Nickel Wound Singles



That must be the most metal set of strings of all time!

hehe, 666.


----------



## XeoFLCL (Dec 25, 2009)

I use a .68 elixir for drop A and it's perfect tension. 

That being said, I recommend you check out Elixirs if you haven't.


----------



## whosdealin (Dec 25, 2009)

I also tune to Drop A. Ive found that with a normal scale (25.5 or so) 64-68 would work well. On an extended scale like a 27in then 60-64 would work. 

I would buy a few individual strings of different gauge and try them out. It depends on how you pick and the action of your guitar.


----------



## zimbloth (Dec 25, 2009)

I would never use anything above a .060 for A personally. I've tried every gauge imaginable and have always found that the heavier you go the more mellow, round, and murky the tone becomes. Lighter gauges always sound tighter, crisper, clearer, and more aggressive by comparison. I also find things can sound bland when the tension is too high, as vibration is a key to tone IMO - within reason of course.

Since string vibration is relative to how hard you're picking, you can just adjust your technique slightly to become more efficient without having the strings be too floppy. That way you don't need to bash the hell out of the strings to get that huge attack.

I know I sound like a broken record here, but I can't help it since I always see the "heavier the gauge the better" stuff thrown out there and my experience says the exact opposite. Whenever I'm working on a guitar that sounds dull or muddy, often simply going to a lighter gauge alleviates the problem.


----------



## Metalus (Dec 25, 2009)

EtherealEntity said:


> You wont find these strings in a set usually. 7 string sets tend to be several gauges floppy on the low string, even in standard tuning. You'll need to get them individually, but it's not problem. Especially where you live you can order rarer gauges straight from their site. Here's what I use;
> The 6 set
> DAddarioFretted Strings » Electric Strings » XL Nickel Round Wound » EXL110 Regular Light 10-46
> 
> ...



Thanks a bunch man. Imma look into ordering them soon.



XeoFLCL said:


> I use a .68 elixir for drop A and it's perfect tension.
> 
> That being said, I recommend you check out Elixirs if you haven't.



Ive always heard good things about Elixirs. Ill look into them.



whosdealin said:


> I also tune to Drop A. Ive found that with a normal scale (25.5 or so) 64-68 would work well. On an extended scale like a 27in then 60-64 would work.
> 
> I would buy a few individual strings of different gauge and try them out. It depends on how you pick and the action of your guitar.



I pick very light. I only pick hard when i do rhythms. Even so i consider myself a pretty light picker. Ill probably try a .60, .62 or .64



zimbloth said:


> I would never use anything above a .060 for A personally. I've tried every gauge imaginable and have always found that the heavier you go the more mellow, round, and murky the tone becomes. Lighter gauges always sound tighter, crisper, clearer, and more aggressive by comparison. I also find things can sound bland when the tension is too high, as vibration is a key to tone IMO - within reason of course.
> 
> Since string vibration is relative to how hard you're picking, you can just adjust your technique slightly to become more efficient without having the strings be too floppy. That way you don't need to bash the hell out of the strings to get that huge attack.
> 
> I know I sound like a broken record here, but I can't help it since I always see the "heavier the gauge the better" stuff thrown out there and my experience says the exact opposite. Whenever I'm working on a guitar that sounds dull or muddy, often simply going to a lighter gauge alleviates the problem.



The .59 right now just feels so loose that its bothering me. Imma try .60, .62 and .64 and see which one works better.

Thanks for the responses everybody


----------



## AzzMan (Dec 26, 2009)

What scale is your guitar? Assuming it's the S7 you're talking about, I'd imagine it's a 25.5" (I don't know Ibbys that well, maybe I'm wrong?) so perhaps a 60-62 would be in your range. I found I like running 11-58 sets on my 26.5" Schecter, they aren't floppy in drop A, or at least I don't think so, and for a standard scale, I don't think you'd ever need to get up to a .70 unless you wanted it to be really smooth. Alex Wade is actually here on SS somewhere, and I'm 99% sure he and the other two guitarists from Whitechapel do in fact run .70s. I don't know how their tone is so tight.


----------



## Metalus (Dec 26, 2009)

AzzMan said:


> What scale is your guitar? Assuming it's the S7 you're talking about, I'd imagine it's a 25.5" (I don't know Ibbys that well, maybe I'm wrong?) so perhaps a 60-62 would be in your range. I found I like running 11-58 sets on my 26.5" Schecter, they aren't floppy in drop A, or at least I don't think so, and for a standard scale, I don't think you'd ever need to get up to a .70 unless you wanted it to be really smooth. Alex Wade is actually here on SS somewhere, and I'm 99% sure he and the other two guitarists from Whitechapel do in fact run .70s. I don't know how their tone is so tight.


 
Its 25.5". Im definitely gonna try a .60 or .62. I have a .59 right now so i might as well go with the 62 to really notice the difference. Another reason I dont wanna go up to .70 is because my little bitchy fingers wouldnt be able to handle it 

As far as Whitechapel goes, tell me about it. No idea how their tone is so tight .


----------



## zimbloth (Dec 26, 2009)

Metalus said:


> I pick very light. I only pick hard when i do rhythms. Even so i consider myself a pretty light picker. Ill probably try a .60, .62 or .64
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Do you use a .046 for the 6th string 'D'? If you like how that feels, a .062 would have the exact same amount of tension.


----------



## Metalus (Dec 26, 2009)

Yeah i have a .46 on the 6th string but i have it tuned to E. Should i still go for a .62?


----------



## wannabguitarist (Dec 26, 2009)

I use a 9-42 Elixer set with a 56 for the A, but that's lighter than what you use soo


----------



## Metalus (Dec 26, 2009)

Oh man if i dont like the .59 I probably wouldnt like a .56 either


----------



## whosdealin (Dec 26, 2009)

If you do not like a 59 then I wouldnt bother with a 60. Id say grab one 62 and a 64 and go from there.


----------



## Metalus (Dec 27, 2009)

whosdealin said:


> If you do not like a 59 then I wouldnt bother with a 60. Id say grab one 62 and a 64 and go from there.


----------



## zimbloth (Dec 27, 2009)

Metalus said:


> Yeah i have a .46 on the 6th string but i have it tuned to E. Should i still go for a .62?



Oh right, yeah you'd probably want to go for a .064 or .066 then, if you want to match the tension to your E. However I sometimes prefer a lower tension 7th string, it has its benefits to me.


----------



## Metalus (Dec 27, 2009)

zimbloth said:


> Oh right, yeah you'd probably want to go for a .064 or .066 then, if you want to match the tension to your E. However I sometimes prefer a lower tension 7th string, it has its benefits to me.



Awesome. Thanks dude


----------



## Haunted (Dec 27, 2009)

zimbloth said:


> I sometimes prefer a lower tension 7th string, it has its benefits to me.



makes it easier to djent...


----------



## jymellis (Dec 27, 2009)

keep in mind if you change to elixirs they hold a little more tension. on the exact same guitar i am using 9-42 with a 52 for the b-a (i tune to b, b flat, and a) on my rgs i use 10-46 with a 56 and i also change tune them. im pretty hapy with these. i buy the 6 string 9 set and a single all from www.stringsandbeyond.com they are the cheapest when you include shipping charges, plus they usually throw in some picks and stickers and stuff!


----------



## Metalus (Jan 7, 2010)

jymellis said:


> keep in mind if you change to elixirs they hold a little more tension. on the exact same guitar i am using 9-42 with a 52 for the b-a (i tune to b, b flat, and a) on my rgs i use 10-46 with a 56 and i also change tune them. im pretty hapy with these. i buy the 6 string 9 set and a single all from www.stringsandbeyond.com they are the cheapest when you include shipping charges, plus they usually throw in some picks and stickers and stuff!



Thanks for the suggestions dude


----------



## AngryGoldfish (Jan 7, 2010)

I found a standard set of standard .010's with a low .054 to be too loose in drop A (for Korn usage it's fine) as I couldn't get a really aggressive attack from the strings for heavy chordal work. 

I bumped my gauge up to .060 and it was improved, but not quite enough. I then tried a .070, which was too much - overly thick sounding - so I hit up a .064 D'Addario and I'm pretty contented, and that's with a neck that's very similar to yours.


----------



## vigil785 (Jan 7, 2010)

I use elixer's 10-46+65 for drop A and it works great. The 65 is a nanoweb bass string though and they are pretty expensive. I am thinking of moving up to the 68 guitar string because they are cheaper and I want a bit more tension.


----------



## etiam (Jan 7, 2010)

I'm running DR Tite-Fits, 10-56, on a 25.5" Schecter neck in drop Bb, and I find the low Bb to be too loose. 62-64 would be my suggestion for you, based on your criteria. 

I know we've had some threads on string tension in the past, including some gauge/tension calculators being posted; did anyone ever produce the definitive tool for that?


----------



## Metalus (Jan 11, 2010)

AngryGoldfish said:


> I found a standard set of standard .010's with a low .054 to be too loose in drop A (for Korn usage it's fine) as I couldn't get a really aggressive attack from the strings for heavy chordal work.
> 
> I bumped my gauge up to .060 and it was improved, but not quite enough. I then tried a .070, which was too much - overly thick sounding - so I hit up a .064 D'Addario and I'm pretty contented, and that's with a neck that's very similar to yours.



Sounds good bro  Thanks for the headsup. Imma order a .64 soon enough. I tried the other day but the website was messing up for some reason 



etiam said:


> I'm running DR Tite-Fits, 10-56, on a 25.5" Schecter neck in drop Bb, and I find the low Bb to be too loose. 62-64 would be my suggestion for you, based on your criteria.
> 
> I know we've had some threads on string tension in the past, including some gauge/tension calculators being posted; did anyone ever produce the definitive tool for that?



Thanks dude 

I remember that thread but i cant rem what the program was. I remember not understanding a damn thing though 



vigil785 said:


> I use elixer's 10-46+65 for drop A and it works great. The 65 is a nanoweb bass string though and they are pretty expensive. I am thinking of moving up to the 68 guitar string because they are cheaper and I want a bit more tension.



For now imma stick with Dadarrio's since theyre cheaper. Ive heard great things about elixirs though


----------

