# Drop tunings on an 8 string



## thrsher

what would it be for drop f# and drop G....im def curious to know as im interested in an 8 and those would be tunings i might play


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## signalgrey

buy a bass. 

j/k

drop E i guess or Drop D


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## Deadseen

With the right strings you could probably tune it to drop F#. But standard tuning on a 8-string is F# standard, so drop would then be Drop E (one octave under a normal 6-string)


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## Variant

What octave range are you talking about?  E1 is very doable on the RG2228's 27.0" scale, I couldn't keep much in focus below that. More to do with tonality than tension. I regularly tune to D1 on my Steinberger Synapse ST2-FPA baritone (28 5/8") with an .080, and lower with large bass strings.


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## Daemon

Drop E !

Because : 

--------------E | - B - | E - - A - - D - - G - - B - - E
-------| 8 drop | 7 std | - - SIX STRINGS STANDARD - - |



for me it's the most interesting to do...


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## MF_Kitten

i love me some drop E myself


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## Valserp

I've been wanting to buy an 8 for the sole reason of trying D A D A D G B E.
I love me some Drop-D


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## omgmjgg

I'm playing in a variation of an E tuning, but I've went as low as D on my 8th and it wasn't to terrible.


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## troyguitar

thrsher said:


> what would it be for drop f# and drop G....im def curious to know as im interested in an 8 and those would be tunings i might play



Drop F# would be F# C# F# B E A C# F#

Drop G would be G D G C F Bb D G

More or less you would be tuning your guitar up 2 (F#) or 3 (G) half steps then adding two low strings and dropping the lowest string.


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## guitarplayerone

i would definitely drop E, because then you'd be able to base your music around lots of chords using open strings. One example of drop E i'm sure everyone is familiar with. and I used to hate drop tunings before i realized how much easier writing songs in A minor was than B minor (using lots of open strings/chords). Hmm then again I just realized that E minor has an F# in it (so the F# would in fact be in the key). Then again though, it wouldn't be the tonic, though you could write some cool shit based around F# mixolydian



now with djent (album version)


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## Trespass

guitarplayerone said:


> . Then again though, it wouldn't be the tonic, though you could write some cool shit based around F# mixolydian



Assuming E Aeolian, it would be F# locrian.


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## alex103188

Trespass said:


> Assuming E Aeolian, it would be F# locrian.


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## screamindaemon

Daemon said:


> Drop E !
> 
> Because :
> 
> --------------E | - B - | E - - A - - D - - G - - B - - E
> -------| 8 drop | 7 std | - - SIX STRINGS STANDARD - - |
> 
> 
> 
> for me it's the most interesting to do...



I agree completely. It only makes sense in my mind to use drop E. That's the first thing that came to me head. 

Out of curiosity, is the bottom E of this tuning equivalent to the top string of a bass?


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## Winspear

screamindaemon said:


> I agree completely. It only makes sense in my mind to use drop E. That's the first thing that came to me head.
> 
> Out of curiosity, is the bottom E of this tuning equivalent to the top string of a bass?



Not sure if you mean top or bottom - I think of it as bottom. Yes - drop E on an 8 string is the same as the lowest string of a normal bass.


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## Cheesebuiscut

screamindaemon said:


> I agree completely. It only makes sense in my mind to use drop E. That's the first thing that came to me head.
> 
> Out of curiosity, is the bottom E of this tuning equivalent to the top string of a bass?



Yes its the same low E on a standard tuned bass, just E 1 octave down.


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## vampiregenocide

Lowest I've heard someone get good results on an 8 string drop tuning is Bb I think.


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## Winspear

vampiregenocide said:


> Lowest I've heard someone get good results on an 8 string drop tuning is Bb I think.


Like a 5 string bass? Jesus


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## Sponge

Drop E is pretty nice sounding and you can always double up and practice with other favorite songs to ge ta good feel of it.

I've got the Intrepid at DGDGDGBE and it'll stay at this tuning. Nice open tuning style for the lower strings and doubling up on octaves for more of the wall of sound type effect, and the standard on the highs so that higher pitched leads are in standard.


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## omgmjgg

Sponge said:


> Drop E is pretty nice sounding and you can always double up and practice with other favorite songs to ge ta good feel of it.
> 
> I've got the Intrepid at DGDGDGBE and it'll stay at this tuning. Nice open tuning style for the lower strings and doubling up on octaves for more of the wall of sound type effect, and the standard on the highs so that higher pitched leads are in standard.



that is an interesting tuning, I want to try it out now


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## JacksonKE2Shred

Could you use string with a 27 inch scale for drop e with out it being a total mess?


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## screamindaemon

With a .80 guage string (thickest guitar string typically found) you could get it to work, though you would have much less tension (14.4 pounds as compared to 16+ pounds on the rest of the strings. But it would suffice.

You can get thicker guitar strings or bass strings to offset the tension issue though.

I went through this thought process too, but I opted for the 28.625 length to get an even tension across the fretboard.


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## AATTWDIS

I think I like it B standard with a Drop E OR Drop G# with a low D#.


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## vampiregenocide

Dead By April use drop G on an 8 string.


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## Xiphos68

vampiregenocide said:


> Dead By April use drop G on an 8 string.


That wouldn't be dropped that would be tuned up a half - step.


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## JettL

hey i play six string in CGCFAD how could i use that tuning in 8 string form


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## jerome snail

DGCGCFAD


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## Customisbetter

JacksonKE2Shred said:


> Could you use string with a 27 inch scale for drop e with out it being a total mess?



Tosin's RG2228 is tuned this way. hear for yourself


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## Antimatter

JettL said:


> hey i play six string in CGCFAD how could i use that tuning in 8 string form


 
Well, you could do as that guy up there said with the DGCGCFAD, or maybe you could have an extra higher string and a lower one, and go with GCGCFADG. It would be an interesting approach.


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## blastbeatdown

what gauge do you guys prefer for drop E on the low string? i'm getting a 28" scale agile soon, what do you think? i'm thinking .080, other than that all i can find is .074 or the .072 that it comes stock with.


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## Philligan

Xiphos68 said:


> That wouldn't be dropped that would be tuned up a half - step.



Actually, if I'm not mistaken, man, it would be drop G. Since "standard" 8 tuning is low F#, the 8th string would be tuned up a half step, but the rest of the guitar would be tuned up one and a half steps. So yes, the whole guitar would be tuned up, but it would still be a drop G tuning.

To the OP, drop F# would be: F# C# F# B E a c# f#. Basically, the stock F# is the same, and the rest of the guitar is tuned up one whole step. Drop G would be the same thing, but everything tuned up another half step.

EDIT: blastbeatdown, for the 28.625" Agile, I'd say start with a .074 for E. Most people around here use a .080 for E on a 27" scale, and that's basically the reasonable limit before you get too thick (too boomy), so .074 is a safe bet.


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## blastbeatdown

I ordered a few .074 and a few .080, I'll let you know how I made out in a few weeks. Thanks a lot


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## Peteus

jerome snail said:


> DGCGCFAD


 
When I get around to getting my band going properly I think I am going to push to play a few songs in 8 string 2 step drop as well. Has a Nice feel to it 



blastbeatdown said:


> what gauge do you guys prefer for drop E on the low string? i'm getting a 28" scale agile soon, what do you think? i'm thinking .080, other than that all i can find is .074 or the .072 that it comes stock with.


 
I use an 80 for a normal low F# on my agile however I like my strings tight so I would give that a ago for drop E.


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## DeadSuspect

Peteus said:


> When I get around to getting my band going properly I think I am going to push to play a few songs in 8 string 2 step drop as well. Has a Nice feel to it
> 
> 
> 
> I use an 80 for a normal low F# on my agile however I like my strings tight so I would give that a ago for drop E.



I agree... I myself also have an 80 on my 8th string for the low F, it feels good and tight and not sloppy like other's below that string gauge, specially if u have a big scale length like a 28" or even 30"...


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## Aerospace274

Edit: Oh shit, didn't realize I was on page one! xD Fail!
A lot of people seem to like .080's at at 27" or 28" scale! That'd be a good place to start!


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## Eric Christian

So I'm going to audition for this band and they tune to Drop B (B-F&#9839;-B-E-G&#9839;-C&#9839 with a 6 string. The question is does anyone think this tuning is doable on my 8 string? What would the last two high string be tuned to? I'm thinking they might be much too high to work. Perhaps there would be a variation where I tune the 4 low strings to B-F&#9839;-B-E and then the 4 higher strings to something different. Any thoughts on that?


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## saovi

One option is to try tuning your middle six strings to their tuning and put F#s on the low and high string:

F# B F# B E G# C# F#

If this is long term you may want to look at lighter gauge strings for at least the six higher strings.


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## Eric Christian

Can anyone think of a variation that would allow for Drop A on a 25.5 inch scale length 8 string?

A, E, A, D, G, B, E, ?

Whats the next high string in this sequence? "A" again right?

Or how about A, A, E, A, D, G, B, E?


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## Explorer

I'd use ADGCFADG. That embeds your whole-step-flat six strings in the center, continues the normal interval down, continues the interval up, and allows using a normal string on that high G. 

I currently use the bottom part of this on 8-string (EADGCFAD).

I'm planning on using a superset of this on a 10-string (BEADGCFADG). Unfortunately I have to unexpectedly travel a lot in the next few months, and so I don't have the money for this go-around in the semi-custom shop.


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## Eric Christian

Explorer said:


> I'd use ADGCFADG. That embeds your whole-step-flat six strings in the center, continues the normal interval down, continues the interval up, and allows using a normal string on that high G.
> 
> I currently use the bottom part of this on 8-string (EADGCFAD).
> 
> I'm planning on using a superset of this on a 10-string (BEADGCFADG). Unfortunately I have to unexpectedly travel a lot in the next few months, and so I don't have the money for this go-around in the semi-custom shop.



Its gotta be Drop A to play with another dude that plays 7 strings. Plus his A is 432hz instead of 440hz. Confusing I know.


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## Dayn

Given the music you'd be playing together, I think it'd be better to stick a high G string on there for an interval of a minor third. Interesting chord and lead phrasing.

You could do a low E maybe. Or have it stringed like I have, drop A with a low C#. A minor sixth between it and the A, I quite like it, but with my 27" I think it's a bit too bassy. If I had a 25.5", I'd go for the high G.


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## Cremated

Valserp said:


> I've been wanting to buy an 8 for the sole reason of trying D A D A D G B E.
> I love me some Drop-D



Indeed. I play one of my sevens A D A D G B E and G D A D G B E for a few songs i wrote. Makes for some weird chords. It's dope son. Can't wait to experiment with my incoming 8 since i no longer have one.


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## Jordan Djenital Warts

Of course dropped tunings for 8s depends on how regularly you intend to use the lower (8th) string.

I have mine tuned to EAEADGBE - this allows me to do my dropped 7 stuff then when I want to add emphasis / that extra flump I would slip in the lower E


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## Eric Christian

Here is a quote from another forum:

Finally, if you're going to have 1 extra low, 1 extra high string, maybe the 25.5" would be best (Chris from Scale The Summit uses an 25.5" 8-string tuned AEADGBEB for reference).

8-string neck scale questions | got-djent.com

This looks like a what I might try. Now to figure out a string set for this.


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## Jordan Djenital Warts

Eric Christian said:


> Here is a quote from another forum:
> 
> Finally, if you're going to have 1 extra low, 1 extra high string, maybe the 25.5" would be best (Chris from Scale The Summit uses an 25.5" 8-string tuned AEADGBEB for reference).
> 
> 8-string neck scale questions | got-djent.com
> 
> This looks like a what I might try. Now to figure out a string set for this.


 

Tried it! D'addario .007 works a treat (on a 26.5" too)


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## Rook

EDIT: Ok got it now

An 8 will do a high G just fine, you could probably get it to A tbh.


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## Eric Christian

Explorer said:


> I'd use ADGCFADG. That embeds your whole-step-flat six strings in the center, continues the normal interval down, continues the interval up, and allows using a normal string on that high G.
> 
> I currently use the bottom part of this on 8-string (EADGCFAD).
> 
> I'm planning on using a superset of this on a 10-string (BEADGCFADG). Unfortunately I have to unexpectedly travel a lot in the next few months, and so I don't have the money for this go-around in the semi-custom shop.



To audition with the dude I need to be at AEADGBEG with the A being 432hz. I've got like 10 different packs of strings sitting here. Since you're pretty much the tension guru here what's going to be the most balanced set for this tuning on my 25.5 eight string?


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## Winspear

Eric Christian said:


> To audition with the dude I need to be at AEADGBEG with the A being 432hz. I've got like 10 different packs of strings sitting here. Since you're pretty much the tension guru here what's going to be the most balanced set for this tuning on my 25.5 eight string?



Firstly I'd disregard the 432 in terms of string tension. Not even half a semitone difference there.

Balanced..depends what you mean. Some people would take that to mean a normal 6 string set with a nice tension on the two either side. I.e..not balanced at all! (normal sets are all over the place)

What are you using at the moment and what tuning?


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## Eric Christian

EtherealEntity said:


> What are you using at the moment and what tuning?


 
F#, B, E, A, D, G, B, E using 74, 54, 38, 30, 22, 14, 11, 8


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## Dayn

I used this string tension calculator: String Guage and Tension Calculator - Version 0.1.4 - 26 apr 1998

If you want your low A to be roughly the same as your low B, I'd use a .060. If you wanted it to be more like your low F# which has a little bit more tension, I'd use a .062. For your high G, a .007 would be the best choice. I imagine it would be far more flexible than when I had a .008 at G at 27"...

But just play around with the calculator. Make sure it's .074 instead of 74 unless you want half a tonne of tension.


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## Explorer

Eric Christian said:


> Here is a quote from another forum:
> 
> Finally, if you're going to have 1 extra low, 1 extra high string, maybe the 25.5" would be best (Chris from Scale The Summit uses an 25.5" 8-string tuned AEADGBEB for reference).
> 
> 8-string neck scale questions | got-djent.com
> 
> This looks like a what I might try. Now to figure out a string set for this.



Funny that there's some guy here on SS.org who claims that Chris only tunes his high stirng to G. I wonder where he got that idea.



ChrisLetchford said:


> Yeah, I tune to B E A D G B E G
> 08 for the G.



I didn't find anything more recent which refers to Chris' 8-string tuning, but that source posted the same information for CL's tuning a few times. I can't vouch for how reliable his information source is, though. 



Jordan Djenital Warts said:


> Tried it! D'addario .007 works a treat (on a 26.5" too)



If you're claiming to have reached a B4 at 26.5" with a normal .007, I'm hopeful you'll contribute to the A4 and Beyond topic. Your success with this is pretty amazing, being as most strings would snap just past G4 at that scale length, and I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in hearing about how you reach even A4 with confidence.


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## therapist

Antimatter said:


> Well, you could do as that guy up there said with the DGCGCFAD, or maybe you could have an extra higher string and a lower one, and go with GCGCFADG. It would be an interesting approach.



Our band uses two 8's using GCGCFADG with 74-09 gauge strings.
Works great, but tuning up the high G can rustle the jimmies.


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## Konfyouzd

Edit: Removed. Thread read fail.


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## Jordan Djenital Warts

> If you're claiming to have reached a B4 at 26.5" with a normal .007, I'm hopeful you'll contribute to the A4 and Beyond topic. Your success with this is pretty amazing, being as most strings would snap just past G4 at that scale length, and I'm sure I'm not the only one interested in hearing about how you reach even A4 with confidence.



Sorry dude, was an eager post..as soon as I posted it; I realised it was down a tone (so it was G). 

I haven't tried A...and I'm no magician, so I prob won't risk it


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## Tone_Boss

Hi, I'm playing a six string right now and want to dabble with an eight string. I play a good amount in drop D, if I tuned an eight string x-y-D-A-D-G-B-E, how should x and y be tuned? I've seen D-A-D-A-D-G-B-E suggested but that seems to defeat the purpose of an eight string in my musical theory lacking mind as it just seems like I'm replicating what I already have just lower.


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## lucasreis

Eric Christian said:


> Its gotta be Drop A to play with another dude that plays 7 strings. Plus his A is 432hz instead of 440hz. Confusing I know.



Why isn't it 440? Pardon my ignorance... but what's the reasoning behind this?


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## PigTrough

I have a 27 inch Agile 8 and I play in drop E frequently. the guitar is strung .09 - .80 (i bought an 80 guage bass string) and it plays great, even on high frets on the low E. As a player who wrote the majority of my music in E minor on the 6 string, i truly love drop E because all of my lead scales I memorized for years on the 6 string all can be applied with drop E tuning (ie the 12th position natural minor scale). Power chords below the 4th fret sound like piss though. Seems you can only really play power chords to maybe a G or G# before they mud out. that is not because of the guitar, its the same reason you dont see bass plays doing power chords rooted on the low e.


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## Mordecai

any of you do Drop Eb?


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## MustBeWasabi

F# B E A D G B E
F B E A D G B E
E B E A D G B E
E A E A D G B E
D A E A D G B E
F G# D# G# F A# D#


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## MustBeWasabi

Mordecai said:


> any of you do Drop Eb?



thats called drop D


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## Dayn

Mordecai said:


> any of you do Drop Eb?


I used to. Then I thought to myself that I'd really rather just standard tuning. So I just do Drop E.

Interesting story, I know.


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## rockskate4x

MustBeWasabi said:


> thats called drop D



Eb is actually tonally synonymous with D#. D is yet one semitone lower.


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## lucasreis

rockskate4x said:


> Eb is actually tonally synonymous with D#. D is yet one semitone lower.



Exactly. 

Eb is actually my favorite tuning on a sixer, something about how it sounds... I love it.


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## daschy

lucasreis said:


> Why isn't it 440? Pardon my ignorance... but what's the reasoning behind this?



I'm not sure what the reasoning behind it is, but if I remember correctly, Dimebag tuned to A = 432, in standard (Cowboys From Hell) and whole step down (5 Minutes Alone). It's why Pantera sounds a bit different.


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## InfinityCollision

PigTrough said:


> I have a 27 inch Agile 8 and I play in drop E frequently. the guitar is strung .09 - .80 (i bought an 80 guage bass string) and it plays great, even on high frets on the low E. As a player who wrote the majority of my music in E minor on the 6 string, i truly love drop E because all of my lead scales I memorized for years on the 6 string all can be applied with drop E tuning (ie the 12th position natural minor scale). Power chords below the 4th fret sound like piss though. Seems you can only really play power chords to maybe a G or G# before they mud out. that is not because of the guitar, its the same reason you dont see bass plays doing power chords rooted on the low e.



In a way it is because of the guitar: your combination of scale length and string gauge produces too much inharmonicity for your ear to tolerate even simple power chords. Bass is much the same, with their substantially thicker strings offsetting the benefits of the extended scale on the lower strings. Extend your scale length far enough for a given tuning and you could even play more complex chords using the lowest strings.


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## The Scenic View

Currently my band tunes low to high; F#, C#, F#, B, E, A, C#, F#. This is a pretty fun tuning if you want to have the best of both worlds (high and low register)!


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## gnarlwinslow

Here's a jam my buddy and I wrote. All strings are standard except the lowest is dropped to C#. Sort of like the Soundgarden tuning from Rusty Cage. Interesting results on an 8 string. Almost hard to tell its that low until the end. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaBxaPazQRA&feature=youtube_gdata_player


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## Thrawn

Sorry for the necro bump guys but I used to tune to Drop Eb on my 8 and also played around with the Danza tuning which is a lot of fun. 

I now tune to Drop (F-C-F-Bb-Eb-Ab-C-F), using .80-.09 string gauge.


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## GunpointMetal

daschy said:


> I'm not sure what the reasoning behind it is, but if I remember correctly, Dimebag tuned to A = 432, in standard (Cowboys From Hell) and whole step down (5 Minutes Alone). It's why Pantera sounds a bit different.


 
I thought I remembered reading that Pantera tuned slightly flat cause of the vocals...makes sense to me if the vocalist is always just a little flat, but not bad, just tune the guitar an RCH lower....


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## patata

Drop D# is your friend.
Shit sounds soooo organic and powerful!


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## Sponge

lucasreis said:


> Why isn't it 440? Pardon my ignorance... but what's the reasoning behind this?



There is actually quite a debate regarding the A432 vs A440 and which should be used.

Only recently was the A standardized to 440Hz. Frequencies resonate with our conscious and subconscious minds. 

In cymatics ( Cymatics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ), where frequencies are studies for their physical and geometrical properties, 
shapes will occur when certain frequencies are attenuated onto a surface. 

Examples, with the first being directly related to 432Hz to 440Hz:







I don't want to regurgitate, so I will briefly spew something that sounds crazy and then provide links and you can see some views on the topic.

Basically, Rockefeller (Google it if you don't know the name, to find out just how influential they have been in our world)
and the Third Reich (Nazi Germany) both had interests to push for A440. Why? Who knows? 
What we do know, are that they are both involved in enormous amounts of power and control and wanted to keep it that way.

A440, some believe, is thought to be a method of controlling the general population, and also causing disharmony, aggression, and lower being.

So, here are some links:

News headlines: The Music Weapon

MUSICAL CULT CONTROL: THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION?S WAR ON CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH THE IMPOSITION OF A=44OHZ STANDARD TUNING ?


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## lucasreis

Sponge said:


> There is actually quite a debate regarding the A432 vs A440 and which should be used.
> 
> Only recently was the A standardized to 440Hz. Frequencies resonate with our conscious and subconscious minds.
> 
> In cymatics ( Cymatics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ), where frequencies are studies for their physical and geometrical properties,
> shapes will occur when certain frequencies are attenuated onto a surface.
> 
> Examples, with the first being directly related to 432Hz to 440Hz:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I don't want to regurgitate, so I will briefly spew something that sounds crazy and then provide links and you can see some views on the topic.
> 
> Basically, Rockefeller (Google it if you don't know the name, to find out just how influential they have been in our world)
> and the Third Reich (Nazi Germany) both had interests to push for A440. Why? Who knows?
> What we do know, are that they are both involved in enormous amounts of power and control and wanted to keep it that way.
> 
> A440, some believe, is thought to be a method of controlling the general population, and also causing disharmony, aggression, and lower being.
> 
> So, here are some links:
> 
> News headlines: The Music Weapon
> 
> MUSICAL CULT CONTROL: THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION?S WAR ON CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH THE IMPOSITION OF A=44OHZ STANDARD TUNING ?




I just read it... and... WTF...


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