Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

[SepultuRick]

hi, just wondering if anyone has any information on which kind of guitars are suitable for downtuning. can all guitars be successfully downtuned? are some better for downtuning than others? which features are god for a guitar to have if you plan on downtuning?

p.s i like to use may different tunings

thanks

 

[Rich_T]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

i down tune with all my guitars, a strat, a les paul and a peavey wolfgang. works fine on all of them. Just make sure you use heavier guage stings to stop them flappin in the wind.

I use heavy bottom skinny top by ernie ball (10-56) on the strat and wolfgang, and d'addario jazz lights (12-56) on the les paul.

 

[Jimbojsr]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

Depends how low you're gonna tune it! For very deep stuff (eg. Ds or Cs) then a big guitar like a 335 is good; but for drop-D or something, and guitar will do it. For drop-d use at least 10's, for deeper stuff I'd recommend 11s or 12s.

 

[FELIX57]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

LTD ESP Guitars are good for downtuning not all guitars are as well suited for it as others gibsons do pretty well with it too i did it with a fender and it was very buzzy you have to readjust intonation on most guitars there are these tuners where i beleive they have a latch that can help you make a quick switch in tunings that might suit you well most metal based guitar companies would probably have guitars well suited for down tuning

i hate when i switch tunings and have to retune every five seconds for 10 minutes

 

[pac112]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

yeah.. heavy strings are the key. keeps from getting it too slacky.. have a look at the GHS zakk wyldes.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

You can use any guitar for downtuning...a longer scale will handle it better (strats or baritones), but a shorter scale will sound even fatter....that part just depends on what exactly you´re looking for... obviously the axe has to be set up to handle the tuning.

But an increase in string guage is the key when going a full step or more down

And if you want a guitar for constantly changing tunings, then either get used to constantly setting it up again, or accept the setup being out of whack with some tunings. Whatever you do, don´t buy a guitar with a trem for this purpose. Or block the trem

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

EVH strings...any idea what he used on VH1? They must have been fairly heavy. The tone he got on You Really Got Me was so meaty for a 25.5" scale guitar.

 

[skyydogg01]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

hey, any guitar will sound good downtuned as long as you have a JB in there.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

EVH strings...any idea what he used on VH1? They must have been fairly heavy. The tone he got on You Really Got Me was so meaty for a 25.5" scale guitar.

IIRC EVH played 0.009s tuned down a 1/4 step back then, but I´m not an EVH specialist by any means...

As far as the JB goes: It´s a good thing there´s personal preference, IMO the JB is muddy enough in standard tuning, god forbid downtuning with it....Others have had other results, because they have different ears and /or setups, so YMMV

 

[Stringmachine]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

If you plan on using lots of different tunings, I would recomend a guitar with a fixed bridge, or a tremolo that is not floating. Also use heavier string gauge.

 

[nahfuten]

Re: Downtuning....suitable for any guitar??

My Strat does OK in everything as low as Drop-B. I use the Zakk Wylde 11-70's on that. My Les Paul has only been to Drop-D with Zakk Wylde 10-60's. The problem with big strings, remember you are going to permanantly modify your nut.

Now that I got my Ibanez, though, it is going to drop-C and the other 2 are going back to standard tuning for good.