# 7 String Tuned Like An 8 String (Minus the high E)



## Ewoks (May 27, 2010)

So iv'e been wondering about tuning one of my sevens down to F#/Drop E for a while, just to get a feel for the lower tuning of an 8 string, would this work considering the scale of my seven is 25.5"? and what string gauge would i need if i should do this?


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## vampiregenocide (May 27, 2010)

I've done it as a mess about, its perfectly doable. You'd need heavy strings, like a70 for the F# at least.


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## Ewoks (May 27, 2010)

Nice! Then i'm going to try it on my Ibanez RG1527, 70 does sound a bit thin though, since i use a 68 for my low A, and i like my string tension tight, would it work with an 80? Or perhaps even a bass string?


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## Soopahmahn (May 27, 2010)

vampiregenocide said:


> I've done it as a mess about, its perfectly doable. You'd need heavy strings, like a70 for the F# at least.



Depends on how tight you want it. 72-74 should be comparable to balancing with an .009 set, 80 should be comparable to balancing with an .010 set.


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## Scarpie (May 27, 2010)

I actually did this very same thing recently. And on a 7 string guitar with same scale. i ordered a custom string from gary goodman, and it worked really well. I currently have a .120 tuned to everything from F#1 to B0, depending on what i am in the mood for.


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## Stealthdjentstic (May 27, 2010)

Might have to file the nut to fit the wider strings.


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## auxioluck (May 27, 2010)

I gigged for months with one of my 7's tuned like this. I put a .68 as the 7th string with a set of .10's. Worked just fine for me. Didn't have to change the nut, or tuners, but had to re-setup the neck and bridge saddles. Worked like a champ. And it was on my modded 7321.


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## GazPots (May 28, 2010)

I tuned my Ibbo RG2077xl to F# in the standard 7 string layout the other day. So that way i could so some nice low down chord shapes that didn't sound boring to me (played in regular for months ). 


Turns out it's a fucking blast. 



It's amazing what retuning your guitar will do for your musical ideas.


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## Razor777 (May 28, 2010)

Sorry if it seems a thread hi-jack. But seeing as your 7 is a 25.5", would that mean the same can go for on a 25.5"? I'm sure it would, and I'm aware I'd have to file the string threads.


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## Ewoks (May 28, 2010)

I have a locking-nut on my Ibanez, so I think it will fit there (or atleast I hope so)
Else I have my Jackson COW 7, but I'm unsure if i want to file my nut out that much since i like that guitar in B/Drop A.


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## goherpsNderp (May 28, 2010)

only things i see potentially difficult would be:

-25.5 scale when using the low F#
-making sure the tuner hole can fit the larger string (ie: older Agile 7's have super small string holes in the tuners i hear)
-re-doing the saddles on the bridge since everything is shifting over one string, instead of just all being detuned and staying in the same state relative to each string

(is it obvious that i don't know a whole lot of terminology?)


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## anne (May 29, 2010)

I have three 25.5"s with a low F# on a .072, though I might recommend .074-.078. You don't have to drill your tuning pegs if you have a trem -- if that is the case, you can just cut the string from the bottom end, as the tapered top fits the hole already (at least on my RG3550MZ). As for the nut, I just rubbed the string on the groove a couple times and it's fine. If you're already using a .068, it shouldn't need adjustment anyway. As for actually playing, if you're hitting single notes on that string, you'll have to be careful to compensate for intonation problems with the appropriate amount of bend and picking force/location.


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## Demeyes (May 29, 2010)

You can do it without much difficulty. If you just want to try it out you can unwind the outer wrapping of the string to fit it through the tuner instead of drilling the tuner hole out. I did this last week with my 8 string to get a .80 string through. You'll need to do a setup of the guitar to get it playing perfectly but you shouldn't have to do too much.


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## Riffer (Aug 3, 2010)

Bumping this thread because I might be getting a Loomis 7 FR and was thinking about tuning it to 8 string tuning minus the high E. Since the Loomis is a 26.5 scale and has a Floyd on it would it not be a good idea? Has anyone done this with a Loomis and had problems? I was going to use a 68 gauge string for the F# and then run 10's the rest of the way.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Aug 3, 2010)

68 will be 13lbs of tension which is kinda light but if its just to try it why not.

and no theres 0 reason why you shouldn't. Just as already said use the tapered end for the saddle and then unwind a bit at the end for the tuner if it doesn't fit through it. Since its a locking nut you won't have to make any mods.


and guys its called F# standard.


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## Ewoks (Aug 6, 2010)

Just going to give you an update.
I have been playing in F# on my Jackson Cow for some time now, and it works pretty well, however the F# sounds a bit muddy might be because of the 25,5 scale, or because i use a 72, and it's pretty floppy.


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## Hendog (Oct 30, 2019)

Bumping this super old thread. Anyone do this with any luck?


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## Winspear (Oct 30, 2019)

Hendog said:


> Bumping this super old thread. Anyone do this with any luck?



Sure, number of strings is really irrelevant. My main is a ~28" 7 string in F#, and so performs better than any 8 string shorter than 28". 
Sadly there's not very many longscale 7s to choose from, but you could try an Agile 28 or 38, or just use heavier strings.


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## Jason Rodgers (Nov 27, 2019)

Hi, folks. New here, but have lurked in the past. I build multiscale extended-range guitars, and finding this thread about tuning a 7-string like an 8 is timely, because I was recently having a similar conversation with a friend. Specifically, what if a 6-string was built with a 26”-27” or 27”-28” multiscale (my 6-string bridges work with a 1” scale difference) with the intent of tuning down like the bottom end of a 7-string or an 8-string (B standard or drop-A; F# standard or drop-E)? It makes me wonder if this is something guitarists would find interesting/useful. 

Obviously, a 6-string with a 27”-ish scale and tuned to B standard is typically called a baritone. But in this current era of down-tuning, a long-scale guitar is just called extended-range, and the “rules” and reasons around tuning have been rewritten.

When I exhibit at guitar shows, I often talk to players who are intimidated by an extended-range guitar, but upon further conversation, find that they feel comfortable tuning down their 6-strings. Available multiscale guitars with bass scales in the 26” to 27” range can handle the djentlemen’s drop-C, as well as B standard with drop-A, keeping good tension with fairly normal string gauges. 27.5”-28” bass scales could handle all of that and lower with appropriate gauges (74 to 80 on the bottom). 

Maybe another question that goes along with this is: do guitarists feel that they need to retain the pitch of the higher strings while they add lower strings toward 7 and 8? To the OP I ask, do you miss the high E string when you tune your 7-string down like an 8? Practically speaking, the question could be asked, what percentage of their repertoire could Meshuggah play if only using the lower 6 strings of their 8-string guitars?

I appreciate any responses to these musings. Thanks!


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## NcLean (Nov 28, 2019)

I don't know if most guitarists miss them, but I certainly find that a heckuva lotta stuff written for 7 or 8 string is really just using the lowest 4 strings. To continue your Meshuggah example, even the lead guitarist ignores his (high) Eb4 string, and the rhythm guitarist rarely needs the higher strings. 
Personally, I'm very comfortable controlling the 7th string (which takes extra muting) and fine handling the width of a 7 string neck, but it is extra mental work as well as extra finger strain; the 7th string detracts slightly from the ergonomics, and would bother me if I gigged more. I do not want to be holding an 8 string for an entire 2 hour set. Opinions on this vary.
Then again, I can't stand playing any "guitar" that's not a multi-scale, whereas multi-scales seem to bother most vanilla players as much as an extra string. Lutes I can deal with, because you barely move past the 9th "fret", and 4 string basses are OK, but everything else seems like a [email protected]#k!ng toy.
So, yes, there's plenty of reason to have a baritone sized 6, but there's no accounting for taste.


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## Jason Rodgers (Nov 28, 2019)

Thanks for your thoughts, NcLean. I did some searching and found this thread about this very topic https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/baritones-and-ergs-the-state-of-things.335738/

I’m actually feeling a little silly now in my questions and comments, because folks thoroughly tore these theories apart in that thread. I guess the answer is, yes, some guitarists prefer baritone 6-string instruments over extended-range, but others enjoy baritones *in addition* to their 7-8-9-string ERGs. But who prefers which is left to taste and personal expression/utility. Should I offer all of these options as a luthier? Yes.


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