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Down tuning tips......
 
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Down tuning tips... I need help/advice

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(@heywaitress88)
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Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 1
Topic starter  

I'm in a hardcore band and we've always played in drop D, but we want to go to drop C. When we play that low, my guitar goes out of tune really easily and I was curious if it has to do with my string gauge. Does anyone know if I went to a bigger gauge it would help staying in tune? Any advice or help would be amazing.


   
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(@corbind)
Noble Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 1735
 

A fatter string should help.

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."


   
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(@97reb)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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larger gauge should help. What have you been using?

It is a small world for metal fanatics. I welcome you fellow musicians, especially the metalheads!


   
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(@corbind)
Noble Member
Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 1735
 

Are you playing drop C with the other 5 strings dropped two frets / whole step?

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."


   
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(@wes-inman)
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Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

If you are going to play in super-low tunings, then you probably should look at 7 string or baritone guitars. But you can play low tunings with a standard 6 string guitar. You will have to make several adjustments.

1) Raise your action- as you have already found out, the strings become very wobbly. You will get fret buzz very easily. So you need to raise the action up a little higher than normal.

2)Intonation- basically, intonation means each string is the same length from the nut to the 12th fret, as from the 12 fret to the bridge. You adjust the intonation by moving the string saddles forward toward the headstock, or back toward the body. For low tunings you will almost always have to shift the saddles back toward the body. Play a string open in the tuning you are going to use. If you are using Drop C, tune the bass E string down to C (use a good tuner). Now fret this string normally at the 12 fret and look at your tuner. If the note is sharp (very common), then you need to move the saddle back. Loosen the string slack and use a small screwdriver to move the saddle back. Retighten the string to C and try again. It may take several attempts, but you should be able to adjust the saddles to where the open string note and the note fretted at the 12th fret are almost exactly the same. Go through each string and do this. This will ensure your guitar is in tune at each fret.

3)Use heavy strings. Heavy strings are more taut. They will not wobble or "boom" so much. Check your intonation again, changing string gauge will affect it.

4)Floating bridge. If you play a guitar with a tremelo arm like a Strat with floating bridge, you need to adjust the spring tension underneath. Take off the plastic cover. You will notice several springs that pull the underside of the bridge forward. Because all of your strings are much less taut than standard tuning, it will almost invariably pull the bridge forward underneath, which will cause your bridge on the topside to tilt back. This will also affect your intonation once again. You must adjust the springs so that the bridge floats level to the body with the guitar in the tuning you are going to use.

5)Play with a super light touch. I played downtuned music in a band years ago. At times I would get aggressive on the guitar and strike the strings hard. I have had the bass E string jump out of the nut, or get caught on a pickup. I have had the high E string jump out of the nut. And if you fret a string with too much pressure they will go very sharp. You have to also watch "boom", especially the bass E string. If you strike it hard it will super-wooble, this will cause a very loud boom, especially when using the neck pickup.

6) Lower your pickups- As was mentioned, the strings have lots of wobble now and the pickups will pick this up. This is not really a sound you will like. So it is good to lower the pickups quite a bit.

7)Truss rod- You may have to slightly loosen your truss rod. With much less tension because of the slack strings, the truss rod will pull the neck very straight (headstock moving downward). Your neck can bow like a frown. This will cause fret buzz in frets 1-5 usually. So you may have to take some tension off the truss rod.

So, as you see, there are quite a few adjustments you have to make. Once you have a guitar set up like this for a particular down tuning, you really cannot use it for other tunings. If you tune up to standard for a song, everything will be way off. If you are going to play songs in several tunings, it is best to have a seperate guitar dedicated to each tuning.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@coleclark)
Honorable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 417
 

thats great advice! and im screwed! haha :P iv been trying to use drop C for some atreyu and bullet for my valentine songs...with 10's on my ibanez....it doesnt work at all :(

thanks though


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

iv been trying to use drop C for some atreyu and bullet for my valentine songs...with 10's on my ibanez....it doesnt work at all :(
Congratulations! You've made a useful discovery. :D

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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