# Stoner/Doom Metal on a Seven.



## FretWizard88 (Feb 1, 2011)

I was just curious if anybody here has ever written a Stoner/Doom metal song on a seven string. I know a lot of guys simply use a Gibson LP, Wha Wha, and (insert Marshall or Orange here) for their gear.

I know it is not done a lot, so I think I am going to give it a go and try to write some Proggy Stoner/Doom with my trusty JP7.


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## TXDeathMetal (Feb 1, 2011)

I suppose this could be done given that you've got the gear to accomplish your desired tone. You may also want to be advised that most stoner/doom metal is played in C# (if my memory serves correct) which means that you'd have to tune your 7 up to achieve this in which case you'd probably be better off using a 6 and down-tuning.


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## FretWizard88 (Feb 1, 2011)

Yeah, I already have my strat tuned to C# and it works great, I was just curious.


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## TXDeathMetal (Feb 1, 2011)

It's definitely worth a try, give it a shot and let us know how it turns out


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## sun_of_nothing (Feb 1, 2011)

Since when does Stoner "have" to be in C#?

Mastodon can somewhat be considered stoner metal.

They normally play in D standard, but in several songs they tune their D down to A, so then then have AGCFAD, which is pretty much a 7 string tuned a step down, with the D string ommited.

EDIT- Sorry TXDeathMetal, the way I read your post made it seem like you were saying that Stoner had to be in C#, my bad.


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## signalgrey (Feb 1, 2011)

Kylesa plays in drop B i think.


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## TXDeathMetal (Feb 1, 2011)

sun_of_nothing said:


> Since when does Stoner "have" to be in C#?
> 
> Mastodon can somewhat be considered stoner metal.
> 
> ...



It's all good, I should have worded that better, what I meant was that the majority of stuff that I've heard that would be considered stoner/doom type stuff was played in C#.


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## grog50 (Feb 1, 2011)

Neurosis plays in drop A so you could definitely play that on a seven string, but I know they use 6's.


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## FretWizard88 (Feb 1, 2011)

Yeah, I suppose a lot of the stoner doom guys use 6's, but it would be interesting to do some stuff on a 7.


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## Blake1970 (Feb 1, 2011)

I believe Matt Pike from High on Fire uses a 9 string.


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## Bigfan (Feb 1, 2011)

Well, yeah but he uses a double-coursed guitar (Like a 12-string) so it's pretty different.
Same range as a six too.


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## Blake1970 (Feb 1, 2011)

Thanks Bigfan. I'm reading about it, had no idea.


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## Bigfan (Feb 1, 2011)

Apparently the guys from Mastodon do it as well, seeing as they're huge High on Fire fans.


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## adrock (Feb 1, 2011)

grog50 said:


> Neurosis plays in drop A so you could definitely play that on a seven string, but I know they use 6's.



umm, I'm pretty sure neurosis has always played in drop d. I'm like 99.999% sure. 

I think godflesh "recently" switched to sevens. they're like the only stoner/doom kinda band I can think of that uses them. I think it's a great idea though. "extra" low notes for the heavy parts, and you keep all the higher notes for the atmospheric parts.


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 1, 2011)

Theres a band who play 6 strings in like D standard but with the low D tuned down so low it's like E maybe lower. They call it 'drop Z'.  Can't remember who it was though.


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## UnderTheSign (Feb 1, 2011)

Electric Wizard plays in B standard, perfectly doable on a 7. They're one of the absolute best in stoner right now, if you ask me.


Other doomy bands in B would be KYPCK (russian doom giants), Cathedral (If I remember correctly anyway), and more slugdy/post-metal than doomy, Pelican and Omega Massif.


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## ivancic1al (Feb 1, 2011)

Nah bro, pretty sure you can't porperly accomplish the stoner tone unless you're rocking one of these: 








But I play all kinds of stoner/doom songs on my 7. I tend to tune it up from B instead of in E standard with a low B. (i.e. tune the G string down to F#). Or sometimes I use the Isis tuning--B, F#, B G, F# B with a doubled B on both top strings, sounds pretty "doom-y". Your JP7 should do nicely then


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## jcm900steroids (Feb 1, 2011)

FretWizard88 said:


> I was just curious if anybody here has ever written a Stoner/Doom metal song on a seven string. I know a lot of guys simply use a Gibson LP, Wha Wha, and (insert Marshall or Orange here) for their gear.
> 
> I know it is not done a lot, so I think I am going to give it a go and try to write some Proggy Stoner/Doom with my trusty JP7.


 I use a les paul traditional and a jcm 900 on my post metal / sludge band ^_^ however I think you can use a 7s with passive pups and mahogany body. (The darker tone of the wood and the passive/medium output pups should be the key to the tone)


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## ry_z (Feb 1, 2011)

vampiregenocide said:


> Theres a band who play 6 strings in like D standard but with the low D tuned down so low it's like E maybe lower. They call it 'drop Z'.  Can't remember who it was though.





DUNNN DUNNN DUNNN DUNNN

 

(iirc it's xAADF#B - drop A without the E, moving the low A up a slot and having the lowest string basically slack. They call it the 'bomb tuning'.)


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## diatron5 (Feb 1, 2011)

From what I have noticed is that most stoner/doom bands tune to the "classic death metal" tuning of drop B. I can definitely groove on a lot of that stuff with my 7 tuned to F and have also been thinking about incorporating some more elements like that into my band.


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## jcm900steroids (Feb 1, 2011)

diatron5 said:


> From what I have noticed is that most stoner/doom bands tune to the "classic death metal" tuning of drop B. I can definitely groove on a lot of that stuff with my 7 tuned to F and have also been thinking about incorporating some more elements like that into my band.


Basicly you cut the time on the riffs and let it ring more


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## UnderTheSign (Feb 1, 2011)

Isn't "classic death metal tuning" D standard like Autopsy etc did, or maybe B standard? Drop tunings weren't really used in the old death metal days AFAIK


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## FretWizard88 (Feb 1, 2011)

vampiregenocide said:


> Theres a band who play 6 strings in like D standard but with the low D tuned down so low it's like E maybe lower. They call it 'drop Z'.  Can't remember who it was though.



Torche or Floor.


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## pac1085 (Feb 1, 2011)

im trying out for a doom metal/fusion/weird band in a few days, they currently play b-standard on a 6 but if it works out im going to incorporate some 7 and 8 string riffs into it


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## Grand Moff Tim (Feb 1, 2011)

When I feel like belting out some doomy goodness I use my seven. Hell, sometimes I tune it down to A standard to do it. Honestly, the main reason I want an 8 or a baritone that I can tune down even lower is so I can play doomy stuff lower than B or A.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Feb 1, 2011)

UnderTheSign said:


> Isn't "classic death metal tuning" D standard like Autopsy etc did, or maybe B standard? Drop tunings weren't really used in the old death metal days AFAIK



+1

I associate stoner/doom with the les paul and it's underlying characteristics; As someone mentioned earlier, the mahogany tied with medium output pickups is part of the key to the sound. Hell, an SG will do also!

I really don't see the use of a 7 string... unless...


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## SirToastalot (Feb 1, 2011)

I'm sure Novembre use 7-string guitars.

Some earlier Cathedral stuff is definitely in B-standard (played on sixers), should be easily adapted to our good old 7-strings:


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## Seebu (Feb 1, 2011)

I've written some doom metal for seven string guitars, in drop A to be exact. I basically just ripped of what Nile does with their evil chords and slowed it down. Haha  Sounds good to me. I've also used the 'extra' string as a sort of a drone string, to ring out some nasty dissonance and what not.


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## vampiregenocide (Feb 1, 2011)

ry_z said:


> DUNNN DUNNN DUNNN DUNNN
> 
> 
> 
> (iirc it's xAADF#B - drop A without the E, moving the low A up a slot and having the lowest string basically slack. They call it the 'bomb tuning'.)




Those are the guys!


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## lookralphsbak (Feb 1, 2011)

My band:
Links in my siggy




We're in D standard with the low string at A


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## lookralphsbak (Feb 1, 2011)

vampiregenocide said:


> Theres a band who play 6 strings in like D standard but with the low D tuned down so low it's like E maybe lower. They call it 'drop Z'.  Can't remember who it was though.


Torche? My ex gf was telling me about a band that has the low string tuned way down and call it the "boom string" or something like that.

http://www.metalinjection.net/reviews/crustcake-presents-torche-in-return




Unknown Doodl3.2 said:


> +1
> 
> I associate stoner/doom with the les paul and it's underlying characteristics; As someone mentioned earlier, the mahogany tied with medium output pickups is part of the key to the sound. Hell, an SG will do also!
> 
> I really don't see the use of a 7 string... unless...



http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/se...7-string-epiphone-les-paul-studio-gothic.html

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/se...thread-7-string-epiphone-les-paul-pt-1-a.html

I can't wait to use those guitars live.


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## MatthewK (Feb 2, 2011)

Sure, I mean you could play surf music on a BC Rich. I wouldn't, but you could.


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## goat violator (Feb 2, 2011)

I am fairly sure that one of the guys from Alantean Kodex used a Jackson 7 string on their last album ("The Golden Bough").
Though they are more Traditional Doom than Stoner...


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## jameskuik97 (Feb 3, 2011)

tune a six to drop d. then tune the low d down one octove.


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## UnderTheSign (Feb 3, 2011)

^That's a weird tuning. D standard and then a whole step down on the low D would sound more logical.
Has nothing to do with a 7-string, tho.


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## WarTribe (Apr 26, 2013)

TXDeathMetal said:


> I suppose this could be done given that you've got the gear to accomplish your desired tone. You may also want to be advised that most stoner/doom metal is played in C# (if my memory serves correct) which means that you'd have to tune your 7 up to achieve this in which case you'd probably be better off using a 6 and down-tuning.




I have to disagree a little bit here. The C# or Db tuning that you're speaking of is for a 6 string. Whoever wants to use a 7 string would only have to down tune the amount of steps needed to achieve the needed tuning. C#/Db is one and a half steps so the low B string would be what, G#/Ab? any style of music can be played on a 7 string. i would definitely do some doom/death metal on a 7 string guitar. very heavy and very low tuned. the way i love it!


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## fps (Apr 27, 2013)

WarTribe said:


> I have to disagree a little bit here. The C# or Db tuning that you're speaking of is for a 6 string. Whoever wants to use a 7 string would only have to down tune the amount of steps needed to achieve the needed tuning. C#/Db is one and a half steps so the low B string would be what, G#/Ab? any style of music can be played on a 7 string. i would definitely do some doom/death metal on a 7 string guitar. very heavy and very low tuned. the way i love it!



My band tunes half step down Drop Db then my 7th string often goes down to Ab. Sounds really cool. Strings are 10-56 so you get the doomy string vibrations. Not that what we do is in any way doom. But it definitely works. Agree, you can play anything on a 7 string, that's the point, you've already GOT those extra notes to rock out on!


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## Monkeypriest (Apr 27, 2013)

In my sludge band I play with 7 strings

The Psalm - Monkeypriest - YouTube


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## lordrcceaser (Apr 27, 2013)

I thought that a lot stoner metal bands that use sixers do so because they get tones they want from shorter scale guitars, and there aren't many shorter scale sevens out there.


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## celticelk (Apr 27, 2013)

lordrcceaser said:


> I thought that a lot stoner metal bands that use sixers do so because they get tones they want from shorter scale guitars, and there aren't many shorter scale sevens out there.



I've actually been wondering about that lately. A lot of those bands play Les Pauls and SGs, so it could be wood and pickup combinations as easily as scale length. Production 7-strings mostly appear to be designed for a different tonal spectrum. It's also a lot easier to replace a Paul or an SG at Random Tour Stop if you have an equipment failure, which might be a factor. Hell, it could even be purely aesthetic - superstrats don't *look* like doom guitars, at least to me. That said, the Ibanez ARZ-307 and the new PRS SE 7 look like reasonable candidates for an out-of-the-box doom 7 on those terms.


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## op1e (Apr 27, 2013)

When I was messing around with the Grendel I had, I tried drop B on the lower 6 strings. Then when I was playing with tunings on the 7th, I tuned it to B as well. Its too much all the time, but when you play those two strings in a chorus or a bridge part it was pretty cool. Almost like a chorus effect. Even though they were tuned the same, each string sounded different because of gauge.

But on a different note, I just learned Bury Me In Smoke and that was in drop B. Think Down plays mostly in that tuning, at least on the 1st album.


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## gunshow86de (Apr 27, 2013)

You can play doom on a seven. If the seven in question is this guy here...............


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## -42- (Apr 27, 2013)

signalgrey said:


> Kylesa plays in drop B i think.


Drop G# if memory serves actually.

Electric Wizard tunes to B standard/drop A for most of their material, you can just take a stock seven and rock out.


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## celticelk (Apr 27, 2013)

gunshow86de said:


> You can play doom on a seven. If the seven in question is this guy here...............



Is that a KxK 7 with P90s? That's beautiful. You got doom clips?


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## kevdes93 (Apr 27, 2013)

i have my 7 tuned to drop F# and it sounds totally baller for doom/stoner


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## will_shred (Apr 28, 2013)

tunes to F# and sometimes uses 7's but they mostly use Les Paul's (yes in F# standard)


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## wat (Apr 29, 2013)

I'm sure some badass stoner/doom can be made with a 7 string. I'd probably go drop C# with a low G# :thu:


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## vilk (Apr 30, 2013)

I just started to a band the other day called ANACONDAS, and I haven't confirmed it but it definitely sounds like they are using 7 strings. by the way the album is really good, its called Sub Contra Blues, highly recommend it. It's really not you're typical stoner/doom which is refreshing.


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## traditional (Apr 30, 2013)

Came here to post Conan;
Conan - Hawk as Weapon (+lyrics) - YouTube

It's tuned to something stupid low that would definitely suit a seven.


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## Schizo Sapiens (Apr 30, 2013)

UnderTheSign said:


> Other doomy bands in B would be KYPCK (russian doom giants)



KYPCK are Finnish band (they just sing in Russsian) and they play in A standard.


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## hairychris (Apr 30, 2013)

Stoners/Doomers tend to be a conservative/vintage bunch when it comes to gear. Even when tuned really low.


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## MF_Kitten (May 1, 2013)

I always go really low when playing stoner/doom stuff. It's more about tone than tuning.


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