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How low is too low?

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(@leftyguitarjoe)
Eminent Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 10
Topic starter  

My guitars are tuned as following

12 string Acoustic: Standard. Not bad

normal acoustic: DADFAE is a beautiful tuning.

Fender: C# standard. Gives it a kick

Les Paul: C# as well

Ibanez RG: G# standard. It's awesome! I'm in a popular grindcore band, and it needs to be as brutal as possible.

just wanted to see if I'm not the only one.


http://www.myspace.com/malodorousmetal


   
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(@jasonrunguitar)
Reputable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 273
 

Can't help you there. I play folk and rock, so all of my guitars usually stay in standard tuning, though they make occasional trips to drop-D-ville. I think they even once make the trek to drop-C (aka drop-D and then down a step - I don't know, drop-C sounds like a misnomer there) once upon a time. Oh, and then there was the time I went on a Irish kick and tried out DADGAD; fun stuff, that. Sounds like you could get some mighty thrashing tones off of those tunings though.

Rock on!
- Jason

-Jason
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To those about to rock, we salute you!
http://www.soundclick.com/jasonwittenbach


   
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(@vic-lewis-vl)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 10264
 

normal acoustic: DADFAE is a beautiful tuning.

It's certainly a strange tuning....playing all six strings as an open chord, you'd get something like Dmadd9? Fadd13? Asus4(#5)? What do you use it for? Im very curious.....

I must admit, the only tuning I ever use apart from good ol' EADGBE is DGDGBD - open G, and that's for slide and Stones riffs, mostly. Again, please satisfy my curiosity - when you're tuning down to drop C (CGCFAC?) you must need heavier strings than the norm?

:D :D :D

Vic

"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)


   
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(@leftyguitarjoe)
Eminent Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 10
Topic starter  

normal acoustic: DADFAE is a beautiful tuning.

It's certainly a strange tuning....playing all six strings as an open chord, you'd get something like Dmadd9? Fadd13? Asus4(#5)? What do you use it for? Im very curious.....

I must admit, the only tuning I ever use apart from good ol' EADGBE is DGDGBD - open G, and that's for slide and Stones riffs, mostly. Again, please satisfy my curiosity - when you're tuning down to drop C (CGCFAC?) you must need heavier strings than the norm?

:D :D :D

Vic

DADFAE just sounds cool :P

And yes, I use heavier strings. the C# standard guitars have Ernie Ball Beefy slinkys 11-54 and for the G# standard, the gauges are mixed from a few packs and are as follows: 16, 24, 32, 44, 56, 65. Yes, the low E is a bass string :D


http://www.myspace.com/malodorousmetal


   
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(@katmetal)
Prominent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 726
 

I recently tuned one of my guitars down to D, & I have 9's on it. It definantly is a different feel, but I had to tune down to play along with some stuff I was listening to.


   
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(@spides)
Estimable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 157
 

my guitar is permanently tuned down to "drop C#" (drop d down a half step) I bring the 6 string up to D# when i play jazz. I just have 10-46's on it and it handles it ok, but it doesn't like being tuned up anymore to standard. I think as long as you are compensating for the tuning with string pressure (with the fat strings) i don't see why you couldn't go as low as you wanted. My drummer plays in a semi-well known grindcore band as well. Super fun happy slide. They just got signed to some norwegian or swedish or some scandinavian grind label. You should check them out.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=18932032

Don't sweat it dude, just play!


   
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 vgo
(@vgo)
Active Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 18
 

The lowest tuning I use on my guitars is C standard, I mostly use standard E tuning.

In general you don't need to tune down to sound heavy. Actually, if you have to tune down to sound heavy, you're doing something wrong. :)


   
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(@spides)
Estimable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 157
 

The lowest tuning I use on my guitars is C standard, I mostly use standard E tuning.

In general you don't need to tune down to sound heavy. Actually, if you have to tune down to sound heavy, you're doing something wrong. :)

well, you can sound heavy in standard, but if you are capable of this, taking that brutality down to gut rumbling lows is only going to increase the amount of heaviness you can achieve. Some people are happy with brutal. Others like to take it all the way to BROODAL!!!!

Plus there is definitely a certain sound you achieve with lower tunings. Just like something like open G, you don't NEED it to play slide, but you can do a lot of cool things with it that you can't really achieve in standard.

Don't sweat it dude, just play!


   
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(@leftyguitarjoe)
Eminent Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 10
Topic starter  

The lowest tuning I use on my guitars is C standard, I mostly use standard E tuning.

In general you don't need to tune down to sound heavy. Actually, if you have to tune down to sound heavy, you're doing something wrong. :)

well, you can sound heavy in standard, but if you are capable of this, taking that brutality down to gut rumbling lows is only going to increase the amount of heaviness you can achieve. Some people are happy with brutal. Others like to take it all the way to BROODAL!!!!

Plus there is definitely a certain sound you achieve with lower tunings. Just like something like open G, you don't NEED it to play slide, but you can do a lot of cool things with it that you can't really achieve in standard.

I like your thinking.

The vocals are super low gutteral inhales, anf the super low guitar better complements them.


http://www.myspace.com/malodorousmetal


   
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