# Anti-baritone - String suggestions for 24.75" scale / B-standard



## Fathand (Apr 12, 2019)

This forum needs new threads, so:

I've got a Dean Z (Explorer) which I want to put in B standard. Anyone who uses this tuning and scale, any suggestion for string gauges. I don't want super crazy thick strings, and some looseness is ok. I'm not going for a super tight / modern sound anyways, just going to jam on some Coffins/Carcass(Old)/Brutal Truth type riffs at home.

And disclaimer: Getting a 7/8/9 string is out of the question and I don't want nor need a longer scale. Just a low tuned six string.


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## Rynphos (Apr 12, 2019)

Something like 13-62, which would give you ~15 lbs. of tension per string on average, which is light, but not too much


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## budda (Apr 12, 2019)

12-60 daddario xl.


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## Harry (Apr 12, 2019)

Never felt the need for a baritone scale for B either (I like 25.5" for that) so I can dig that sentiment.
If you're doing mucho stoner rawk string bending , starting off with a .011 for the 1st string is a good idea.
Anywhere from 0.056 to 0.060 for the lowest string would work well I think.
Going much bigger than 0.060 may or may not be a PITA to intonate properly, plus I think beyond a certain point bigger strings sound worse anyway. 
From memory, Bill Steer liked a 0.056 back in the day and of course he typically likes playing 24.75" scale instruments too


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## 777timesgod (Apr 12, 2019)

http://www.goddamnbastard.org/carcass/interviews/gwinter.html

According to Carcass themselves, from a 1994 interview, 12 gauge is what they used for the B tuning. My suggestions is to go 12 and thicker, there is no law of course for using 11 but I would not go there.
I wonder what Nile use for their songs, they seemed to rely on B tuning a lot in the past. Unsure if they changed it for the more recent offerings.


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## Ebony (Apr 12, 2019)

777timesgod said:


> I wonder what Nile use



25.5" 6-strings tuned AEADF#B (drop A), mostly. Sanders also uses various 27", 27.5" and 7-strings.

Gauges used on the 25.5" 6-strings are as follows:

Sanders: 0.70, 0.50, 0.38, 0.17p, 0.12p, 0.10p.
Toler-Wade: 0.70, 0.48, 0.38, 0.26, 0.17p, 0.13p.


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## vilk (Apr 12, 2019)

Daddario Baritone Light string pack!!


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## 777timesgod (Apr 12, 2019)

Ebony said:


> 25.5" 6-strings tuned AEADF#B (drop A), mostly. Sanders also uses various 27", 27.5" and 7-strings.
> 
> Gauges used on the 25.5" 6-strings are as follows:
> 
> ...



You are right on the A tuning, just checked some old tabs from Annihilation of the wicked and Black seeds, there are not official tabs though and I have it lodged in my head that I played B tuned songs of them.


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## Flappydoodle (Apr 12, 2019)

Michael Amott has a signature set of Rotosound strings, which are a hybrid 11, 15, 18, 32, 44, 59

He plays in B or C with a 24.75 scale length

http://www.rotosound.com/michael-amott-signature-set/


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## MaxOfMetal (Apr 12, 2019)

Steer and Amott didn't switch to 24.75" guitars till after Heartwork. They were rocking 25.5" Ibanez RG (Steer) and Saber (Amott) models from at least SoS onwards. 

That said, you can still cop their tones on 24.75", just be sure to keep your lowest strings relatively light, between .054" and .060" at the thickest. Neither player went heavier, even when Steer switched to Les Pauls around 94'/95'. He also did all rhythm guitar parts on Heartwork and SS. 

I keep an LP in B at all times. Get ready for some fun.


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## Alex79 (Apr 12, 2019)

IME you can just use a 7 string set, get rid of the high E string and that's it. The low B should be around a .060.
However, I feel LP scale guitars loose too much definition and punch once you go lower than C. C definitely sounds better and this might be why many bands opt for that tuning over B.

Of course I am spoiled , since I have an actual baritone tuned to B standard. The comparison is just always there in my ears.


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## Andromalia (Apr 13, 2019)

13-60 is a good middle ground to start testing the waters.


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## budda (Apr 13, 2019)

12-60 d'addario XL Im tellin ya.


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## Andromalia (Apr 13, 2019)

Oh, while I'm at it do NOT buy EBs "Not Even Slinky", that 24p is unplayable.


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## NeglectedField (Apr 13, 2019)

I'd say a good way to find out what's good, in lieu of being able to waste a lot of money trying different gauges is to go, okay, since the standard on a 7-string 25.5" guitar is a 56 for a low B, which is a bit flimsy but passable, you'll want to at least go up a bit from that for your low B on a 24.75".

Or, think of it this way. 24.75" guitars tend to come with 10-46 out of the factory. If you like how that feels, since you're going down a 4th from E to B, and the B-string on 10-46 is a 13, then go for 13-something set. 13-60 should in theory feel the closest to 10-46 as standard.

That said, the whole gauge equivalence thing isn't quite as linear as I'm making it out to be, so you might have to experiment. But when you find what you enjoy, you'll be fine. Carcass are using Gibsons at the moment and they still sound killer.


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## Fathand (Apr 14, 2019)

Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I'll go with the 12-60 set. Better get my nut files ready


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## USMarine75 (Apr 14, 2019)

Fathand said:


> Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I'll go with the 12-60 set. Better get my nut files ready



Remember to go wound G. Much better if you are mainly playing rhythm. If you play a lot of lead with bends you might consider unwound G and thinner upper 3 strings overall. 

I have one 24.75" that is mainly a rhythm guitar and NYXL 12-60 wound G, but another I play a lot of leads with and in C-Std and it's 11-56, with custom 10 high E and a steel G.


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## ThunderMoose (Apr 14, 2019)

Amon Amarth approves of your choiced! 13-62 strings on a short scale guitar.
Get that third string wound. I agree with Andromalia - 24p feels bad, man.


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## Bobo (Apr 16, 2019)

For a quick, easy fix, I like the Daddario XL 7 string set that is 10-59.

If you can buy single strings, I'd do that. Try everything from 56 to say 62 on the low B...that is if you want to get all the nuance of each gauge like a weirdo... like me lol. Of course getting the low B to sound ok is the hardest part, but playing around with other gauges is something you may want to try at some point to. For example, you may the other round strings to be a bit thicker than normal to kinda have that thicker tone that will come closer to matching a thick low B. Can be a fairly deep rabbit hole here...


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## 777timesgod (Apr 16, 2019)

I do not agree that Carcass are sounding their best lately, the videos I checked make me think that they could use some gear more directed to metal than what they use. Yes, you can make a 24.75 scaled guitar handle the Carcass material but I do not think that they succeeded in doing that.
I remember that Steer stopped playing metal and joined a rock band (I think its named Firebird or something). He probably grabbed the same gear and continued with Carcass.


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## MrBouleDeBowling (Apr 16, 2019)

12-60 is the way to go IMO.


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## Vyn (Apr 17, 2019)

Andromalia said:


> Oh, while I'm at it do NOT buy EBs "Not Even Slinky", that 24p is unplayable.



It's genuine garbage, it's easier playing with a 26w than that thing.

FWIW on 6s I use a set of Hybrid Slinkys, throw away the high E (9) and use either a 60 for B or a 62 for A.


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## Grindspine (Apr 17, 2019)

I like 13-59 (10-59 set minus the 10) for BEADF#B on 25.5" scale. D'addario makes a 14-64 set that would work really well on a 24.75" six string for baritone B tuning.

Depending on the tension preference and play style, 13-56, 13-62, or 14-64 are all possibilities.


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## Djep (Apr 17, 2019)

I got some Ernie Ball 12-56 strings years on Peavey Vortex V 24,75" in C-tuning and just got the Amott 12-59 set which has nicer g-string. Has been in A# with that 56 gauge. A bit sloppy but you just have to try. I wouldn't go for 13-14 gauge at least not 14.


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## exo (Apr 17, 2019)

D’addario Exl158 set is almost perfectly suited for Explorer/LP in B.


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## vilk (Apr 17, 2019)

exo said:


> D’addario Exl158 set is almost perfectly suited for Explorer/LP in B.


That's the "baritone light pack" I was talking about before. Honestly, I use this for C standard, but I'm sure it would be a-okay a half step lower. I understand that seeing a low B in the mid-upper 50s is pretty normal for a 25.5" scale guitar (or especially longer), but when you get to the Gibson scale I really feel like 60 is the minimum for anything resembling "normal" string tension. I wish Daddario made a NYXL version of this pack...

To _my ears_, I feel like a wound 3rd is really important for a detuned guitar. Plain 3rds sound _weird_ when they start getting too thick. I can't explain. BUT, if you ever detune your guitar and find yourself thinking _what is up with this 3rd string_ I highly suggest looking into a wound 3rd.


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## Fathand (Apr 20, 2019)

A little change in the plan, I decided to put the guitar to C standard in the end. So I got an Ernie Ball 12-54 set which is pretty nice. The plain 24 is a handful, though. I think I'd prefer a 22. Otherwise it's fine.


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## Chris Bowsman (Apr 22, 2019)

Josh Smith, who’s a killer blues player if you’re unfamiliar, uses 13-58 in standard with a plain 26 G. He makes it work, but otherwise, I agree anything over 20 plain is a nightmare. 

After years of the 10-59 D’Addario set, I just switched my B to a 62. WAY better.


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## Bones43x (Apr 28, 2019)

I have an Ibanez FR1620 tuned to B with the D’Addario .013-.062 Baritone set. I still feel like the low B is a little floppy, but I’m gonna wait till I get it back from a fret level and setup. 

I can’t imagine how loose they’d feel on a 24.75” scale.


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## Cynicanal (Apr 28, 2019)

I'm a big fan of the Dunlop Heavy Core Heaviest set for this kind of thing (they're what I use on my Kiesel, 25" scale which I keep tuned to B standard). 12-54, but the construction gives the wound strings more tension than those numbers would indicate.


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## alessandroarzilli (Apr 30, 2019)

Fathand said:


> This forum needs new threads, so:
> I've got a Dean Z (Explorer) which I want to put in B standard.


Just my two cents: the easiest way to Iplay in B standard is to buy a seven string, or you could have big troubles in setting the trussrod/action correctly.
Otherwise, have you ever tried Blacksmith strings?


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## budda (Apr 30, 2019)

Fathand said:


> A little change in the plan, I decided to put the guitar to C standard in the end. So I got an Ernie Ball 12-54 set which is pretty nice. The plain 24 is a handful, though. I think I'd prefer a 22. Otherwise it's fine.



Try the d'addario 11-54.


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## Fathand (May 13, 2019)

alessandroarzilli said:


> Just my two cents: the easiest way to Iplay in B standard is to buy a seven string, or you could have big troubles in setting the trussrod/action correctly.
> Otherwise, have you ever tried Blacksmith strings?



So far I haven't got any issues with the action, but the intonation with this TOM-bridge is a bit tricky (the room for adjustment is relatively small). But I won't start tweaking that properly before I decide on the final set. 

And the reason I won't get a seven string is that I like the feel of a six-string more. The wider neck throws me off. 



budda said:


> Try the d'addario 11-54.



I think I will, this G-string is a bit too much for me.


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## Winspear (May 13, 2019)

You could always change out the third on its own  It's pretty hard to find the perfectly designed set off the shelf in these mid-heaviness gauges. But 11-54 is certainly better balanced


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## Harry (May 13, 2019)

Fathand said:


> So far I haven't got any issues with the action, but the intonation with this TOM-bridge is a bit tricky (the room for adjustment is relatively small). But I won't start tweaking that properly before I decide on the final set.
> 
> And the reason I won't get a seven string is that I like the feel of a six-string more. The wider neck throws me off.
> 
> I think I will, this G-string is a bit too much for me.



Just a slight correction on what Budda said. I think he meant the 11-56 set (specifically the EXL117 set) and may have gotten it mixed up with the Ernie Ball 11-54 (which also suffers from a too big plain G,
The 11-56 set has the 0.019 G string, which sounds MUCH nicer.
C standard was a good choice I think, a bit easier to work with at that scale length.
That being said, here's some reading you might find interesting :

https://atomiumamps.tumblr.com/post/69001614337/guitar-setups-making-low-tunings-work-in-short

I saw Rosetta live a few years back and they just crushed it and his guitar and rigin general sounded amazing, zero issues with the short scale length despite what some of the zealots around here on SS.org claim about NEEDING a baritone scale for anything lower than C


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## Winspear (May 13, 2019)

Harry said:


> zero issues with the short scale length despite what some of the zealots around here on SS.org claim about NEEDING a baritone scale for anything lower than C



Yeah, I think it comes down to context. If say 27" is considered fine for F#, then by default a 23" should be fine for A (capo etc..). Thing is, that A is going to have the gauge of and be tonally like an '8th string', rather than a 7th so may not sound how you expect. But certainly, things can be pushed pretty far. Short 6s can be downtuned plenty, they just start to sound like a 7 which may or may not be what you are going for


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## Edika (May 13, 2019)

I have a 24.75" I tuned to B with a 13-62 set and a wound G. For my playing style it sounded and played flabby. I tuned up to C# and the guitar sounds tight and plays better. The tension is a bit too high but it doesn't go out of tune if I hit the strings a bit hard. Maybe I can try it on C and see how I like it. I wouldn't expect it but I#m actually considering a thicker set or just even a thicker lower B if I downtune again.


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## gujukal (May 14, 2019)

D'addario 11-56 or 12-60 will work well, depends on how stiff you like it


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## Fathand (May 15, 2019)

Playing around with the tuning continues - dropped the entire guitar down to B with the same set. Feels more natural (to me) tension wise, the G (or the D in this case) is now also nicer to play. I think this tuning and this string set will now stay.

I will have to confess, though, that I cheated and bought a Yamaha AES520-6D baritone as a pair for the Dean. The Yamaha has some super thick set on, but the tension is still manageable, which is weird. I think I'll have to dig out the Caliper gauge to check what they actually are. Otherwise it's a pretty nice guitar from the old Korean factory.


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## yellowv (May 15, 2019)

.12-.56 works just fine in B for me on 24.75.


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