# 7 string vs 6 string tunes to B standard, which do you prefer?



## ozzman619 (Jan 21, 2017)

Title says it all, which do you prefer? A seven 7 or a 6 string tuned all the way down to B standard or even drop A. I'd love to hear why you guys play 7's!


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## endmysuffering (Jan 21, 2017)

ozzman619 said:


> Title says it all, which do you prefer? A seven 7 or a 6 string tuned all the way down to B standard or even drop A. I'd love to hear why you guys play 7's!



My entire guitar foundation including note knowledge was built upon on a standard tuned guitar, when I wanted to go lower I just went for the extra b so as to not confuse myself with note names.


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## ThePIGI King (Jan 21, 2017)

I'd take a 7 string over a 6. With a 7, you can still play all of your 6 string stuff and 7 string stuff on the same guitar. With a 6 tuned down to B Standard, you lose your E4, making it so you can't play any songs with that string unless you have another guitar laying around.

With a 7 I can also play any chordal stuff from a 6er. That's the reason I first bought a 7.


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## GÜMERSINDO (Jan 21, 2017)

I´ve been years tuning down to B or even A with six strings but at some point moved to seven strings and surprisingly I got used so quickly. Nowadays I enjoy having a lighter gauge on the first instead a .13-.14, it feels more natural comfortable.


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## Chokey Chicken (Jan 21, 2017)

Seven, please. You can still riff around just fine on a six tuned to B, but i really like open chords/chords low on the neck. With a six, the chords are kinda muffled and less appealing. With a seven, you get the low B riffing while keeping the crisper sounding chords.


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## Petar Bogdanov (Jan 21, 2017)

7-string just makes a ton more sense, for me, personally. 

A thin 7-string neck is exactly the right size and all the notes are in the right place. IME, the majority of problems with 7-string guitars - tuning, tone, sympathetic vibrations - are just as present on a 6-string tuned to B.


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## BillCosby (Jan 21, 2017)

I don't know what it is, maybe it is because my first actual guitar was a 7, but I hate tuning 6s lower than C Standard (Drop Bb). I feel like B standard and lower makes way more sense on a 7. 

I'm completely self taught, so it's not like using standard tuning or theory was drilled in to my head by someone.


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## Black_Sheep (Jan 21, 2017)

7, obviously. It's the only way to go really. I can understand drop B tuning on a 6-string, but that's as low as i'd go. 

For a normal 6-string guitar, the standard tuning is what it's mostly used to, tuning it down is ok, but tuning it waaay down (B for example) makes it just sound and feel not right. You'll have to use thicker strings to get it even remotely comfortable, say goodbye to soloing, and if you have floyd you can welcome a ton of more problem like endless adjusting, breaking strings, etc. 

The second guitarist of my old band used to tune his 6-string Jackson RR24 to B standard, while I myself used a 7-string Ibanez in standard B. He had constant problems with the 6. Every rehearsal he broke a string or two, once during a gig (!) he broke three strings at once during the first chord of the first songs, and had to run for a back up guitar. Sure that was bad luck mostly, but the 6-string guitar tuned "wrong" played a part in that as well. 

Long story short, go with a 7. The only reason to do that to a 6-stringer is if you don't have a 7 or can't afford one at the moment.


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## endmysuffering (Jan 21, 2017)

I also tune my six string to B occassionally. There's really no problem, just ask amon amarth.


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## angl2k (Jan 21, 2017)

I prefer a 6 string tuned to B standard or drop A. Mainly because I have small baby hands and a 7 just feels like a baseball bat to me. I do have a couple 7's but they don't get much play time in comparison to my 6's


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## Shask (Jan 21, 2017)

I use both. I like a 7 string just for being able to keep the high end, and get the lows like mentioned above. However, I have tiny hands, so I can't play it as easily as a 6. I like the detuned 6 because I can play it better, riff better etc.... but I just miss the high end.


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## JaviercitoShreds (Jan 21, 2017)

Seven String. I did my first downtunings on a Strat with bass strings but, a baritone seven just kicks ass against a six string. And you still can have 9 gauge treble strings on a seven and also the low string. Jeff Loomis and Chris Broderick do that. Tune E, D or C their Sixes and use sevens to reach a low B or A. More range, more playing comfort, more low string tension. 
Get a multi-scale for better results, i would say


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## Andromalia (Jan 22, 2017)

Six strings. I actually never had a 7 until I started to frequent this site and I use the 7 strings very sparingly. I guess I spent too long on a 6 to really get into it. The songs I wrote on the 7 strings sound too much like "I'm trying to use all the strings on purpose", which isn't really the point. I still have a few songs where it led to neat composing ideas but there's not a lot of them.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Jan 22, 2017)

Depends.

I approach both instruments differently, as in a way they are different and afford different types of movements and chord shapes and allowances/restrictions (neck shape being the biggest factor).

I'm definitely more at home on a 6 and find it easier to manipulate; however, a 7 string feels like it offers possibilities I wouldn't normally have with a 6. This is most noticeable when writing music.


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## Cheap Poison (Jan 22, 2017)

B is certainly sevenstring. Biggest difference is more about scale length, and I just like to keep 6ers to 25.5 for versatility sake. 6ers go up to c for me. There is no good reason for this, just habbit mainly I suppose.


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