# 8 String Tuning below F#, E and beyond



## Kayzer (Apr 20, 2010)

Here we go, I play Dropped C on all of my 6 strings, on seventh I have dropped C aswell and just add a low G ontop what works pretty decent for me!
You might got the grip that I am already tuned pretty low on my 7th with the G and an 8 string tuned to F# is not that much of a difference to the G to me and on top I miss the dropped C tuning on the regular 6 string of my 8 when I tune it to F[FONT=&quot]&#9839;[/FONT]-B-E-A-D-G-B-E&#8230; So my desired 8 String tuning would be something like D-G-C-G-C-F-A-D
Tuning the 8th string to D is nearly impossible, the thickes string on my 8 string with 27 scale is a .74 iirc whats not enough to tune that low and a .90 string is too thick for the sperzel tuners!
Any ideas on a cool tuning for the 2 low strings when I have the 6 standard strings tuned to Dropped C ? I am also curious what kind of tunings you guys are using, maybe somebody has some cool ideas to spare!


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 20, 2010)

i could go low C without it becoming too sloppy on 30" scale, with a .74 string. if you could get a 30" scale 8 string, then you should be able to go low C with a .100 or maybe more.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Apr 20, 2010)

I've been toying with the idea of tuning a bari seven (lo-hi) to BbFCGDAE.

Or getting a fanned 8 and going BbFCGDAEB. (Goodman makes high B's that work up to 26" scales)


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## matty2fatty (Apr 20, 2010)

tune both your 7th and 8th strings to a unison G or whatever? I sometimes tune my two highest strings to C for an open C type tuning and it sounds cool, it gives you a chorusey/mandolin type sound. Not sure how it would work in the lower register though


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## Adam (Apr 20, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> i could go low C without it becoming too sloppy on 30" scale, with a .74 string. if you could get a 30" scale 8 string, then you should be able to go low C with a .100 or maybe more.



You can get a nice growly C on the 30" scale with a .120 That' what I use when tuning a half step down on my 11.

EDIT: to the OP just unwind the end of the string so you can fit it through, thats what I do.


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 20, 2010)

matty2fatty said:


> tune both your 7th and 8th strings to a unison G or whatever? I sometimes tune my two highest strings to C for an open C type tuning and it sounds cool, it gives you a chorusey/mandolin type sound. Not sure how it would work in the lower register though



i tried that once. it´s not that cool, because it doesn´t do much


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## matty2fatty (Apr 20, 2010)

MF_Kitten said:


> i tried that once. it´s not that cool, because it doesn´t do much


 
haha, hey, I liked it! Probably just because I'm too lazy to tune my guitar though, it ended up sounding fuller than it probably should have

besides, the question wasn't 'whats the all-time best tuning ever for the guitar?!?!?', I was just giving a suggestion, lol


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## spyderbreed (Apr 21, 2010)

moin moin

i use G D G D G B C#C# on my carpenter 608
but u dont wanna double strings right ?

how about tuning it F# A C G C F A D ?

back in the days when i played bass i tuned it to A C# F A C#

u may wanna play around with that noterelationship (real word?)


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## Nosedevil (Apr 21, 2010)

Adam said:


> just unwind the end of the string so you can fit it through, thats what I do.



Same here. For a D, .085 worked on my 28" just fine.


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## simonXsludge (Apr 21, 2010)

yo kayzer...regardless of the dropped c tuning...you should try to mess around with a dropped E tuning i think. it seems like a tuning that just makes perfect sense.

i guess an .80 string would work and you might be able to fit it through the sperzel, too.

last but not least, some inside joke for you: _aale, dick wie waaaale!_


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## vampiregenocide (Apr 21, 2010)

Maybe go higher instead of lower? Honestly, I've never heard anyone get anything nice out of a tuning lower than E. That seems like the sorta practical limits and even then it can be a bugger to EQ.

My suggestion would be to tune the F# to a G and so on, having the high e as a unison string, or even higher.


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## ShreddingDragon (Apr 21, 2010)

Will a 27" be enough if I tune the low F# into E? Should I use thin strings, maybe .070 for the lowest?


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## vampiregenocide (Apr 21, 2010)

ShreddingDragon said:


> Will a 27" be enough if I tune the low F# into E? Should I use thin strings, maybe .070 for the lowest?


 
You might need to use an .80, but yeah you could do it on a 27" scale, Tosin Abasi does it on his stock 2228.


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## KenAncients (Apr 22, 2010)

I personally use my 8 string in A,E,A,D,G,B,E,A I know this is totally achievable on six string guitars on a .65 but i just cant seem to stay away from it. Anything below the F sharp makes my writing sound to meshuggahish, even when I don't ride the low F#.


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## metaljohn (Apr 22, 2010)

What about F C G C F A D G?


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## freepower (Apr 23, 2010)

vampiregenocide said:


> You might need to use an .80, but yeah you could do it on a 27" scale, Tosin Abasi does it on his stock 2228.



It's do-able, I'm doing it.


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## goherpsNderp (Apr 23, 2010)

i would first try and get a better sounding deep tone out of my 8 before tuning lower. black dahlia murder had me totally convinced they were tuning in B for the longest time before i realized it was C.

also, as far as i know, tosin abasi tunes his 8 string to standard, and then his low 8th string he drops- so it's "dropped E" or whatever you want to call it. i was surprised by this, due to him seeming to be more of a traditional tuning kind of guy.


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## TheAceOfSpades1 (Apr 26, 2010)

I thought I'd give this thread a shot before opening up a new one. I'm not very familiar when it comes to setting up guitars but I'm thinking about getting another Schecter 8-string with the 26.5 scale and tuning it to drop Eb. So a half step down on all strings but with the lowest string a whole step lower than that. Eb Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb. Similar to what Tosin Abasi uses but a half-step lower, and I believe Meshuggah has experimented with this tuning on a few songs as well. 

I asked DrumCity GuitarLand (the place I'm considering buying from, as that's where I got my first 8-string), if they would be able to stick a .090 on it if I sent one to them. They told me it wouldn't fit through the tuning hole. I asked them if they could either drill a bigger hole or put on new tuning machines and pegs, since I was planning doing that anyway. And they told me I would have to get it locally done. 

Adam mentioned unwinding the string to get it to fit through. Are we talking about unwinding the the tip that goes through the tuning hole? If so, is there a special way of doing it? 

I don't want to have to pay a buttload of extra money to get the guitar and then go on a mission to find someone around here locally to set-up a guitar like this when I live in MN and guarantee 9 out of 10 people or more in guitar stores here have never even seen an 8-string before (aside from perhaps in photos), especially since the DrumCity Guitarland does it no charge when you buy a new guitar.

I'm also posting here because I'm curious as to what you guys think about that tuning with that scale and string gauge, as well what other options might work or be more optimal. Consider that I'm not really willing to get a longer scale as I can't afford to go custom and I really like the specs in the 8-string I'm interested in getting next, namely the satin finish and blackouts.


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## Ben.Last (Apr 26, 2010)

First, I don't know what drilling for a .090 would do to the integrity of the tuner. That may weaken it a bit more than you'd like.

As for unwinding, yes, it's just a matter of unwinding from the tuner end of the string. I'd personally recommend getting locking tuners as that'll make it so you have less string to unwind. I cut off the end of the string, grab the outer winding with needle nose pliers and start twisting.


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## TheAceOfSpades1 (Apr 26, 2010)

Lern2swim said:


> First, I don't know what drilling for a .090 would do to the integrity of the tuner. That may weaken it a bit more than you'd like.
> 
> As for unwinding, yes, it's just a matter of unwinding from the tuner end of the string. I'd personally recommend getting locking tuners as that'll make it so you have less string to unwind. I cut off the end of the string, grab the outer winding with needle nose pliers and start twisting.



Thanks for the reply. When you say twisting, you mean twisting the wound string so it is unwound and pulled straight to be able to go through the tuning hole? Or do you break off the unwound portion and leave what's left? Or is it something else? I've never actually done that before, I'm just trying to make sure I fully understand here. Another question, does doing that make the string more prone to breakage?


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## Ben.Last (Apr 27, 2010)

You twist and pull the winding off the core so only the core is left and you put that through the tuner.

I haven't had any strings break on my since doing it. It's actually not any less structurally sound. Even wound, it's the core that's taking the tension.


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## Soopahmahn (Apr 28, 2010)

Lern2swim said:


> First, I don't know what drilling for a .090 would do to the integrity of the tuner. That may weaken it a bit more than you'd like.



 I don't think any guitar tuner will allow you to drill to 0.090" without ruining the tuner. It will crack when you put tension on it. I don't even know about drilling to 0.080".

I say you either get a bass guitar tuner (your call: fugly or charmingly unique?) or unwrap the string. I have to try that myself.


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## DrewsifStalin (Apr 28, 2010)

I have a part in one of my songs (UNRELEASED, HAHA!) That's in Drop B on a .74 28" scale and It's not too bad


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## Adam (Apr 28, 2010)

A heads up for everyone, for people who don't like unwinding strings, Octave4plus can make you strings designed just for your guitar as long as you give them accurate measurements, and they can make you a string that provides more tension than a production string of the same guage.


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## TheAceOfSpades1 (Apr 29, 2010)

Lern2swim said:


> You twist and pull the winding off the core so only the core is left and you put that through the tuner.
> 
> I haven't had any strings break on my since doing it. It's actually not any less structurally sound. Even wound, it's the core that's taking the tension.



All right thanks, that seems easy enough. I'll make sure to inform DrumCity GuitarLand of this.



Adam said:


> A heads up for everyone, for people who don't like unwinding strings, Octave4plus can make you strings designed just for your guitar as long as you give them accurate measurements, and they can make you a string that provides more tension than a production string of the same guage.



Thanks!


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