lowest tuning you actually use?

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moronmountain

moronmountain

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Just curious how crazy everyone can get with their tuning, and what string gauges you have to use to keep your guitar playable. I'm not talking about just tuning down to a flopped set of strings and giggling, but a tuning that you actually use in a band format whether original or cover/cover but tuned lower, etc.???????? For me, we have one song where I tune A G C F A D. The song was done tongue in cheek so my bass player could use his 5th string, and it normally ends up getting the best crowd response for use. Stupid 3 chord song lol! Go figure....... :confused: Kind of along the lines of AIC "It aint' like that" or Sweet child o mine by GNR in that regard I suppose in that they started out as a joke. Not that ours sounds like either of those, but you get my drift? As far as strings go, I normally am at D G C F A D with 10-52 strings, and had to go to a 59 on the low string to accomodate the low A note. The 52 felt like a rubber band tuned to an A, and I was constantly bending it out of tune. Guitar speakers really struggle IMO to produce sound at that frequency. I can deffinately tell that part of the "note" or tone from the note is absent. Anyone else? Thoughts?
 
I have one of my old charvels still tuned to b-standard with 12-56 gauge and it holds it well. Basically what carcass did i believe..
 
Can do drop D/drop C on the Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom set......52-10....drop C is on the 25.5 in scale strat; don't like to tune my LP that low.

Drop A on a buddy's 7 that I borrow for certain tunes when we jam; I think the low A is a 64?

Just did the strat awhile back; really enjoy that tuning/gauge. Nice snap for rhythm chugs.
 
I've been running my ESP/LTD at F with 14-72 custom set...
 
I use Ernie Ball 48-11s and tune standard, once in a while dropping to D.
 
Lowest I go on a 6 right now is C# standard/ drop B. And I run 11-56 Dunlop strings. On my one tuned to D i use Dunlop heavy cores 11-50 and E or Eb I use Heavy Core 10-48 and my 7 is Heavy core 7 string sets 10-60
 
C standard on my ESP MII 11-61

D standard on my prestige with 10-46
 
D tuning with drop C on the bottom.

Use 11's on that guitar.

Sounds massive with the Triple Rec and two 4x12's. :rock:
 
D Standard and Drop C 10-52 Jackson RR1 with Blackouts blocked the FLoyd to do drop C.

MrHiwatt
 
I went to Eb once. :lol: :LOL:
I swear, most modern guitarist's need to just give it up and become the bass players they are secretly yearning to be.
 
Lowest I go is when I want to get my Sabbath on and rock some Into the Void or similar... C#F#BEG#C# only do it on my Les Paul which is strung with 11-49s, they feel like spaghetti on there dropped that low since I usually keep it in E with 11s but it's still fun every now and again.

Normally I play in E and Eb with a drop D or Db here and there.
 
Drop C on my NT-II using Painkillers and EB Custom Heavies.

Sounds crushing :D
 
rocknrolla":1hcpotcj said:
I went to Eb once. :lol: :LOL:
I swear, most modern guitarist's need to just give it up and become the bass players they are secretly yearning to be.
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I mostly do it out of habit from the cover band years. We did some Motley Crue who tuned to D standard, GnR who were at E flat, and it made the AC/DC, Krokus, Priest, etc. easier to sing as well. ;) My voice is so trashed, that even doing originals, I prefer the lower tuning simply for vocals. I find that D standard also lets me near the ballpark for most modern tunes I want to learn. Prong does drop C which is easy to get to from D standard obviously. BLS does 1/2 step and full step down tunings. Down is at C# standard with an occassional drop to B which is only 1/2 step down from what I do, and the singing isn't too high, so I can manage doing their stuff 1/2 step up. Anywho, these are just some examples that put me where I am at tuning wise, and it works for me. Plus I don't have to have 3 differently tuned guitars on stage. :D
 
Phil Jacques":131k1ypj said:
I've been running my ESP/LTD at F with 14-72 custom set...
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We have a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can your speakers even make a low F???????? That's 2 steps lower than my ridiculous A tuned note that to me is pushing being inaudible lol! I MUST here that!
 
Our band goes to drop Ab to play Mudshovel and it is by far our best sounding tune.
That's about as low as you can go on bass IME. I have an 8string that I play in drop E0 and sometimes Eb0 but the bass stays in normal E to play along, making the B the lowest and heaviest "note" that is actually played (5string bass). Guitars in E0 really allow the Bass to stick out and get more exploratory- and it's a blast to play! It's all about a proper setup to get good tones. I played this in E0:

https://soundcloud.com/crankyrayhanky/lowe-test
 
crankyrayhanky":16z1qhfh said:
Our band goes to drop Ab to play Mudshovel and it is by far our best sounding tune.
That's about as low as you can go on bass IME. I have an 8string that I play in drop E0 and sometimes Eb0 but the bass stays in normal E to play along, making the B the lowest and heaviest "note" that is actually played (5string bass). Guitars in E0 really allow the Bass to stick out and get more exploratory- and it's a blast to play! It's all about a proper setup to get good tones. I played this in E0:

https://soundcloud.com/crankyrayhanky/lowe-test
Click to expand...

That was pretty crazy lol! Though it really does sound like a bass guitar with smaller strings played through a guitar amp to me. That's cool though, as there' are no rules that you MUST follow when trying to be creative. I'd use that tuning just to be wierd, but I don't think I could stay there long as I rather enjoy that natural "bite" that a guitar has. Fun progression for that tuning though. :thumbsup:
 
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