# Drop g tuning questions.



## demolisher

I recently ordered a schecter Damien 7 which has a 26.5 inch scale and I have some questions about drop g tuning(GDGCFAD) 1) I got this guitar with 10-60 gauge strings, will this combined with a 26.5 provide enough string tension or should I go with 70's, also will 70's provide a heavier sound(thats what this is generally about, being really heavy) 2)I have a standard scale(34") esp d-5 bass which is a 5 stringer but im having trouble figuring out how to get the tension adequate, should I get 145's and file the nut if need be?

thanks


----------



## Elysian

i tuned to drop G on 10-70's on my 25.5, 60 might work alright, but 70 would sound amazing, imo.


----------



## guitarbuilder93

from experience, the 26.5 handles drop g quite well, actually. but... i have no idea what the string guages were . probably 56, standard guitar center.

i would wait till it shows up and see what YOU think before you do anything else.


----------



## cadenhead

I would say that a 70 should work fine. I personally use an 85, but that's only because I love having massive amounts of tension on my strings. My Floyd helps in that area as well. 

Just make sure that which ever guage you use, the string will fit in the tuner. It's a pain to have to unwrap the string every time you change them because it doesn't fit in the tuner.


----------



## Daemoniac

personally, the 60" wont be NEARLY enough tension, but i do have ridiculously tight strings... (ie: 11-70" for drop B/A#...) So i imagine on that scale the 70 would be better, and i _think_ it would give the sound a bit more of a grind to it as well.

Depends what you prefer though


----------



## I_infect

I use 11-70 for G, 10-70 for drop G on my 26.5" Schecters, and it works well.
11-14-18-26-36-52-70 = G
10-13-17-26-36-50-70 = drop G

I only use a 10-60 for A tuning; it's too floppy any lower than that.


----------



## 70Seven

10-60 on a 26.5 scale is enough tension, it will hold up fine, unless you like more tension and heavier gauge string like some people here. I also have a 26.5 scale 7 string Schecter (Loomis) and I have 9-46 with a 56 for the 7th string in standard and its plenty of tension. You should be fine in drop G with 10-60.


----------



## demolisher

Thanks for the responses, again I don't care about tension as much as I care about getting the heaviest tone possible. the project I'm doing is breakdown heavy/dark ambient so I'm just trying to be as heavy as...fuck . I think im going to wait until it gets here and string it up with the .60s before ordering some custom sets. but I still worry about my pussy bass that cant keep it tight .


----------



## Metal Ken

I tuned my hellraiser to A to play along with some CDs, and then tuned it to drop G for shits and giggles and the G (on a .072) sounded like a fart. Your milage may vary.


----------



## Vairocarnal

If you've got a heavy right hand go 15-75. If you're all about the light picking go with a 70 or a 72. I know it doesn't sound like there'd be much of a difference in tension but it's VERY noticeable.


----------



## MF_Kitten

i did drop G on 26.5" scale with a .70, and had some intonation problems. the thing is though, it was because the string was TOO large. so i&#180;d say something like 60 or 65 would be fine. i don&#180;t know how the tension would be though.

having gone baritone though, i would never go below B or drop A on anything smaller than 27" scale  (i do love the baritone!)


----------



## PlagueX1

A 68 on my Xiphos 25.5" in Drop G is a tad loose, not much, but it is. I would say a 70 would be prime for Drop G.


----------



## JoshuaLogan

listening to people's opinions here on string gauge isn't going to get you anywhere. you need to try it out for yourself. I use a 56 for the low Ab on a 25.5" scale, which is WAY more loose than what tons of dudes on here use. It's all opinion and playing style. 9-42 + 56 for Drop Ab on a 25.5" for me... Bulb uses 10-56 for the same tuning, but I think 9-56 gives it more even tension (since the 56 is dropped to Ab) and I use floyds & locking nuts which makes bending strings take a little more effort than the same gauge would on a fixed bridge guitar... Rusty Cooley also uses 9's a half step down, but with a 58 for the low Bb... but that doesn't change the tension of the other 6 strings... most likely just for giving a little more tension on the tremolo. It's really all just preference. I couldn't stand to use some of the huge, stiff strings guys on here like.

I'd use a 6 string set of 10's + a low 58 or 60 for G.... but that's just me


----------



## Seebu

I use 11-60 and I tune to B standard. I like 'em tight.


----------



## zimbloth

Seebu said:


> I use 11-60 and I tune to B standard. I like 'em tight.



But 11-60 is only tight some places. Keep in mind the 49 and 60 are pretty far apart in tension. A 44 matches up with a 60 tension wise. A 49 equates to about a 66. 

That's the issue with sets like that, its much tighter on some strings than others. Players can of course use whatever they fancy, but I recommend that people focus on whichever string in the set feels the best and then base a complete set around that. 

For example, if you liked tension on your low B and wanted that to be consistent over all 7 strings, you could put together a set with the following gauges: 9-12-16-24-32-44-60. Or if you liked the .014, you could do 10-14-18-26-36-48-64. Etc.


----------



## cadenhead

One other thing to think about is what kind of pick you use. This makes a difference as well.

I use a brass pick and have a heavy right hand. Some people would say that using gigantic strings has a negitave impact on overall tone. This is sort of true to a point, which is why I use the pick that I do. The strings sound a lot brighter when using thicker or metal pick than without.

But, like others have said, the best thing to do is experiment. You may find that the least likely setup might be the best for you.

Let us know how it turns out.


----------



## demolisher

Everything came in today, looking good nothing broken, strung it up with the 60's and tuned...

not so bad! but when I tune to drop A it feels really nice, drop G doesn't feel bad but I think I should get 62's or 64's,I got it into F before tension was a big issue, so a success and through a 2x12 combo it sounds killer. thanks for the responses.


----------



## evancontinent

i use, .010 .013 .017 .036 .052 .060 and a .070 in drop G , its pretty tight


----------



## Tyler

Where is any place to actually get say 11-64. I may just have to find an 8 string set and not use the top string


----------



## ISuckAtGuitar

Tyler said:


> Where is any place to actually get say 11-64. I may just have to find an 8 string set and not use the top string



Wold these work for this dropped G# tuning and I just ditch the highest string? 

http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3769&productid=19


----------



## takotakumi

In the end it's all personal preference, but from my previous combinations the best ones were something like 64, or 65. These provided enough for comfortable tension ( I like bending more than uber strong tension) and easy for intonation. Larger gauges may not be able to let you intonate properly.


----------



## Haunted

I use elixir 10-46 + a 68 (not much options from them as far as string gauges) on a 27" scale for drop G, works great for me, would assume it will work just as well on a 26.5" scale

you could maybe do 11-49+68, I just like loose high strings

as far as bass, I havent yet done a drop G on it, but I once consulted kalium about it and they recommended me a 170 for the low G for standard scale basses (34"-35"), i think I'll go with that (mine is 35"), I once did drop G# with a 142, it was doable but kinda floppy so I would suggest going up a lot for low G
for reference I did a low F with a 190 gauge on the same bass


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime

I would try a 10-52 set with an additional 68 or 70 for the low G


----------

