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Author Message   Guidothepimp Username: Guidothepimp Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 8:36 am:    hello gents... here is my dilemma, i play in a side project band where we play iron maiden inspired melodic hard rock... this is all fine and dandy right? yes but the problem is this... we tune our guitars down to B... yes thats very low but thats how we playing it so that our vocalist can cope.. the problem is tuning stability at B is ridiculous to say the least... im out of tune every 10 minutes... doesnt matter which guitar i use, be it my luke, AR300, LP copy, they all go out of tune... now... would a guitar like a RG with the string clamp lock or whatever it is theyre called help my cause? is there any chance of getting a guitar without a floating bridge but that locks at the headstock? or is it all down to the physics and string tension... im losing my mind with this.. please help   Flatbag Username: Flatbag Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 9:13 am:    If you're considering buying a guitar to cope with lower tuning, you should look at a baritone. They have a longer neck scale to compensate. Also, usng the heaviest strings you can find will help, but keep in mind you will need to adjust your truss rod and intonation - especially if you're going from .009s up to .013s; I may be wrong, but I don't think any standard guitar is going to set up well tuned down to B. I've only ever owned 1 RG, and from my (limited) experience I found it was definitely best set up with .009s and standard tuning - I usually prefer .010s but they just never felt right on the RG.   Emzc Username: Emzc Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 10:26 am:    Ghs makes special strings for those tunings (Eb or D) called Low Tune (011 - 015 - 019 - N28 - N38 - N58). If you choose those ones, you'll have to have your guitar set up.   Emzc Username: Emzc Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 10:28 am:    But I don't think they can go down to B. try to use the six first strings for a seven strings guitar.   Jeffsailor Username: Jeffsailor Registered: 01-2004 Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 11:17 am:    Find another singer.   Jchester Username: Jchester Registered: 05-2006 Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 11:23 am:    Why not just transpose the songs to different keys? ...or get a new vocalist, who can sing in the original keys?   Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - 3:38 pm:    Locking tuners?   Roadartstar Username: Roadartstar Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 2:04 am:    New singer definitely B is to Low Iron Maidens singers sings higher than that LOL hes also a Licensed pilot   Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 1:05 pm:    "hes also a Licensed pilot" So is Steve Morse.   Brentm Username: Brentm Registered: 03-2005 Posted on Wednesday, August 30, 2006 - 1:21 pm:    What about using a 7 string guitar? Say... an Ibanez Universe.   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 05-2006 Posted on Thursday, September 14, 2006 - 11:17 am:    Emzc, your suggestion is not so bad, since the B-string of a .009 set is a .011 So, if you want to stick to the brand that you normally use: take on of your complete sets of .009 that you will have laying around and buy one single bass string. This low B string must have the same gauge as the B string in a .009 7 string set. This is the cheapest solution if you have .009 sets laying around at home. All you need to buy is one wound string. You could also buy a .009 7 string set and start with the .011 The single .009 string is always useful as a spare for a normal tremolo guitar (strat or something). I experimented with it, but I bought a Fender .52 and a Fender .58 string (old stock for a Euro) and added one them to a d'Addario set, to know what it would sound like. If I wanted to replace the thinnest wound string by a plain steel it should have been .021, but d'Addario hasn't got .021 so I use a wound 3rd. It sucked in the beginning: the low B's too dull because the bass string is not fresh and of a different brand. But when I let it clang on the frets a few times, the sound becomes bright for a while. So there is someting wrong between core and winding (oxidation I guess). But I knew what I wanted to know: I can get a B-tuned guitar with stable tuning by adding just one string (or two if you want a plain 3rd) to a set of .009 It is perhaps also possible to use a set of .012 (the normal E's a .052) You can also use this table and look up the individual tensions of your normal e-E tuned set http://www.daddariostrings.com/Resources/JDCDAD/images/tension_chart.pdf then you look for the string that has the same tension if tuned b-B' This would mean you'd have to compose a set from .012-.056w in order to get the tensions of a .009 set. If you have the right tensions on paper, go look for the set with at least all bass strings right. It is cheaper to add plain steels to a set than wound strings. The advantage of both the table method and the added B' string + wound 3rd method: you don't have to work on the truss rod. All tensions stay the same (if your added B' string has the exact tension of your old e string). Perhaps you have to widen the nut slots a bit if you use a normal nut. With metal lock nuts you don't have to do anything (locking tuners are useless then). I tried this all on a Korean Vantage 24 fret guitar to prove that these baritone guitars with these long necks are superfluous. They're IMO opinion just there to sell extra boxes. So, if you have some superfluous guitar left that won't bring much money through Ebay, start experimenting. It's fun! (and way cheaper than a baritone) Ginger   Ratfinks3 Username: Ratfinks3 Registered: 11-2004 Posted on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 12:02 am:    I am in a band and we have to transpose keys on at least 5 cover songs a week. You can get a vocal processor and use it or use some digital equipment with a laptop like the Lexicon Omega and it will make the transpositions for you in what ever key you like or what ever pitch you like with no time delay. We do that when all else fails. Good luck Rat   Fingersmcoy Username: Fingersmcoy Registered: 10-2006 Posted on Tuesday, November 28, 2006 - 10:50 pm:    jchaster thats my advice ! Dickerson has quite an unusual voice.If your going to play covers,sometimes you have to stay w/in the bounds of what the band is capable of.Some songs no matter hom much you like them, wont be condusive to all band members,and their talents! Rock on ninja turtles !   Mr_roadstar Username: Mr_roadstar Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 4:22 pm:    Here's my pick for down-tuning: http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0259300306 The Bear

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