# Drop G# 25" scale -> what string gauge?



## Dash (Jan 6, 2013)

Ok so I have been playing on the tuning Drop G# for a while. I used the standard string gauges of a seven string, don't know the exact numbers. It's pretty loose yes but I kind of liked it because of the sound but playability was definitely not very good.

Now I'm getting my guitar re-intonated and I want to try a thicker gauge but still have that gnarly sound the thinner strings give me. What would you recommend me?

Thanks!


----------



## Heroin (Jan 6, 2013)

len 25.5"

E4b	.010" CKPL == 6.58kg
B3b	.013" CKPL == 6.24kg
G3b	.017" CKPL == 6.72kg
D3b	.025" CKWN == 7.31kg
A2b	.033" CKWN == 7.35kg
E2b	.045" CKWN == 7.49kg
A1b	.067" CKWN == 7.17kg

total == 48.87kg

I'd suggest learning how to use the tension calculator, but this gives you an idea.


----------



## Dash (Jan 6, 2013)

Thank you, sounds good.  But uhm a 0.67" is a pretty hard string to get right, would it be a big deal if I used a 0.65"? Or does it just mean that it's a little more floppy?


----------



## Kharem (Jan 6, 2013)

68's are pretty easy to find, just get one of them. Elixir has them and pretty sure the thickest in both the ernie ball and diaddario baritone sets have 68 tops i think, and there just the ones I've tried, which is pretty limited over here in aus so shouldn't be hard to find them anywhere else. juststrings.com or whatever most these guys use.


----------



## Heroin (Jan 6, 2013)

Dash said:


> Thank you, sounds good.  But uhm a 0.67" is a pretty hard string to get right, would it be a big deal if I used a 0.65"? Or does it just mean that it's a little more floppy?



a 65 should be fine, that's pretty much what Misha Mansoor uses for Ab (he uses a 64)


----------



## Dash (Jan 6, 2013)

Thanks both of you I will see what I can get.


----------



## Krucifixtion (Jan 6, 2013)

You could go up to a .70 if you want, but you might not prefer it to be that big. I would say .64-.68 depending on your taste.


----------



## Mordecai (Jan 6, 2013)

go buy the ernie ball 8 string set and just dont use the low 74, then the 7 string set will be 10-64

thats what i do.


----------



## Winspear (Jan 6, 2013)

The EB 8 string set is a total mess, don't do that 

I suggest you buy Circle K strings - not only are they heavier so you can use a slightly smaller gauge like a 65, but they are also designed to sound clearer on shorter scales. You'll find D'addario 68s and such sound pretty muddy and don't intonate well.


----------



## Chuck (Jan 6, 2013)

I've been using a LaBella 7 string set recently that sounds quite nice and holds tension very well, the gauges 1st to 7th string are:

11-14-18-36-46-52-70, and I play in Drop A


----------



## Chuck (Jan 6, 2013)

Heroin said:


> a 65 should be fine, that's pretty much what Misha Mansoor uses for Ab (he uses a 64)



No Misha uses 68 for Ab/G#


----------



## Heroin (Jan 6, 2013)

Misery Theory said:


> No Misha uses 68 for Ab/G#



I thought he said he uses a 64 on his formspring  oh well.


----------



## All_¥our_Bass (Jan 6, 2013)

Something from 65 - 75, I'd (personally) go with the 75.


Mordecai said:


> go buy the ernie ball 8 string set and just dont use the low 74, then the 7 string set will be 10-64
> thats what i do.


I'd toss the 64 instead, but overall good idea.


----------



## Chuck (Jan 6, 2013)

Heroin said:


> I thought he said he uses a 64 on his formspring  oh well.



Oh really? Huh, I watched a video of him on YouTube and he said he used 68's. maybe he switches around lol


----------



## JosephAOI (Jan 6, 2013)

I use 10-46 with a 62 on my 7th. Feels good to me but I'm known around here for loving light gauges


----------



## 7stringDemon (Jan 6, 2013)

Those strings seem awefully thin to be used in G# to me. Especially on a 25" scale

I would get a .10-.52 set with a .72 for the lowest.

I know you want that thin string tone but on that short of a scale length, you'll have to EQ your amp differently to get it. Because too thin of strings will vibrate out of tune every time you hit them. Then your guitar will never be in tune.

And I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have a guitar that stays in tune well and doesn't sound perfect than a guitar that sounds perfect and is never in tune.

The solution to that would be a longer scale length. 27" would be GREAT for this! Then you could do a .10-.46 set with a .65 for the G# and stay in tune a lot better while still getting that tone you're looking for.


----------



## Xenos0176 (Jan 7, 2013)

7stringDemon said:


> Those strings seem awefully thin to be used in G# to me. Especially on a 25" scale
> 
> I would get a .10-.52 set with a .72 for the lowest.



I second that, my schecter 7 has a 25.5" scale and i use a low .72 for the G# and its nicee, my old .64 was no where close enough to enough tension, if u picked hard it'd go sharp by a half step


----------



## RadDadTV (Jan 8, 2013)

Dang, you guys use some crazy thick strings. I use just a standard Ernie Ball 7 string power slinky's for drop G# they are 11-58 I believe, and they feel/sound really great. Way better than using even a 62 imo.


----------



## MetalBuddah (Jan 8, 2013)

^
This. I used a 10-59 set when I still had a 7 and it was MORE THAN ENOUGH tension for the low G#


----------



## Chuck (Jan 8, 2013)

MetalBuddah said:


> ^
> This. I used a 10-59 set when I still had a 7 and it was MORE THAN ENOUGH tension for the low G#



Unless you had a baritone scale, no it's not. God damn, a 59 isn't even heavy enough for a C


----------



## no_dice (Jan 8, 2013)

7stringDemon said:


> Those strings seem awefully thin to be used in G# to me. Especially on a 25" scale
> 
> I would get a .10-.52 set with a .72 for the lowest.
> 
> ...



Sound advice here. 

I've all but given up on trying to preach the benefits of extended scales in low tuning, because for everyone that recommends a longer scale, it seems like 3 more people come in with "I tune to drop G with a .045 and it's great!" For all I know, maybe it works great for them, but in my experience, it just doesn't make sense.

I've owned guitars at probably every interval between 24.75" and 30" and the longer ones perform infinitely better at lower tunings. Just for reference, I use a CK .073" for G# at 27.7" and that's not even that high of tension. Somewhere around 18# IIRC.


----------



## All_¥our_Bass (Jan 8, 2013)

NolanLikesLions said:


> Dang, you guys use some crazy thick strings. I use just a standard Ernie Ball 7 string power slinky's for drop G# they are 11-58 I believe, and they feel/sound really great. Way better than using even a 62 imo.


I use 75 for A on 25.5" it does G# well too, and most folks I know in person and here can put up with lower tensions on the low strings that I can.
So I think it would work pretty well on a 24.75" guitar in G#/Ab.

Here's some string tensions in metric and then pounds of low E in gauges 42,46,and 52 (as a reference) compared to a 75 in A and G#/Ab on 25.5" scale and 24.75" scale

*Metric:*
len 25.5" //strat scale length I use
E2 .042" NW == 6.7kg
E2 .046" NW == 7.93kg
E2 .052" NW == 9.98kg
A1 .075" NW == 9.39kg
A1b .075" NW == 8.36kg

len 24.75" //Gibson scale OP has
E2 .042" NW == 6.31kg
E2 .046" NW == 7.47kg
E2 .052" NW == 9.41kg
A1 .075" NW == 8.84kg
A1b .075" NW == 7.88kg


*Pounds:*
len 25.5"
E2 .042" NW == 14.77#
E2 .046" NW == 17.48#
E2 .052" NW == 22.01#
A1 .075" NW == 20.7#
A1b .075" NW == 18.44#

len 24.75"
E2 .042" NW == 13.91#
E2 .046" NW == 16.47#
E2 .052" NW == 20.74#
A1 .075" NW == 19.5#
A1b .075" NW == 17.37#


----------



## Winspear (Jan 8, 2013)

Yeah, everyone has their preferences and there will always be people that mention using light strings.
That's why I always like to suggest what it's like in E standard. Some people would think a 66 for A sounds really thick - but it's the same as a 46 E or so which nobody would say is unreasonable. Same is the deal with 70 G#s and such.


----------



## RadDadTV (Jan 13, 2013)

Misery Theory said:


> Unless you had a baritone scale, no it's not. God damn, a 59 isn't even heavy enough for a C



I guess, if you like your strings to feel like a bridge cable...


----------



## Winspear (Jan 13, 2013)

NolanLikesLions said:


> I guess, if you like your strings to feel like a bridge cable...



People are so used to seeing unbalanced sets that they think like this...59 in C and something like 72 in G is no different to a 47 in E or so which not many people would say is super tight - I highly recommend trying a balanced set, it was a huge improvement to my technique and tone, as well as the guitar feeling like 1 instrument rather than a six string + some loose thing.


----------



## Ishan (Jan 14, 2013)

I'd get a 10/46 set and a 68 myself.


----------



## bozothedeathmachine (Jan 15, 2013)

Ishan said:


> I'd get a 10/46 set and a 68 myself.



I'm really new to the 7 string thing (NGD yet to be posted). So far, I've tried 10/46. Based on everything I read here I also got some singles in 60, 62, and 64. I thought I would surely not need anything thicker. I think I may have been wrong. The 64 is still not quite as tight as I'd like it. I just don't have a 66 or 68 to try yet. 

Anyway, I can at least state what Ishan says above may be right on the money.


----------



## Winspear (Jan 15, 2013)

^ He is spot on, take a look at this chart on page 6
http://daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf

You will see a 46 = 61 when tuned in standard relation, 68 when in drop.


----------



## baptizedinblood (Jan 15, 2013)

EtherealEntity said:


> The EB 8 string set is a total mess, don't do that
> 
> I suggest you buy Circle K strings - not only are they heavier so you can use a slightly smaller gauge like a 65, but they are also designed to sound clearer on shorter scales. You'll find D'addario 68s and such sound pretty muddy and don't intonate well.



Ethereal is right, that 8 string set is horrid. 

I mean, if you like uneven tension and your high E to be tighter than a nun and your low B being a wet noodle then go for it, otherwise stay clear of that EB 8 string set. Get some Circle K's


----------



## Charvel7string (Nov 20, 2013)

he used to use a 68 now he uses a 64-11 which i bet is 64,48,38,26,18,14,11


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime (Nov 20, 2013)

I talked to Mark Holcomb back in March and he told me he uses a 10-52 set with a 64 on the bottom 

I'm currently using an 11-70 set from Circle K in Ab, but later this week I'm trying out some LaBella strings. Their 10-70 set for drop A and an 18w for the 3rd (10-46 with 70) and a custom set for Ab (11, 14, 20w, 28, 38, 50, 74)


----------



## WiseSplinter (Nov 21, 2013)

I use a the d'addario 8 string set, and leave out the low B string, using the 74 for the low G#, seems to work pretty well, and I don't have to buy singles.


----------

