Which gauge strings should I use for B standard?

OK, here are my findings after fitting an Ernie Ball 13-56 7-string set (minus the top string) to my ESP Eclipse CTM.

First, I HATE the wound G-string. It may intonate better but it just feels wrong, and is much harder to bend. Initially, I even had trouble playing 5-string barre chords because my fingers would target the wrong strings.

Second, the overall tension feels more like a set of 010s or 011s than the 008s or 009s I usually play, so I may have to go down to a lighter gauge for the higher strings.

At the moment I'm only using this tuning to play Evanescence and Within Temptation songs. I never use the Axe's pitch-shifter to go down as I can't stand the latency and the weird artifacts it seems to create, even with a half-step drop.
 
it's down to personal preference, but as you found those too heavy, maybe try:

Ernie ball "Not even slinky" : 12,16,24p,32,44,56 < these have a plain "G" string. i find these alright for c-standard (usually play e-standard with 10-46)

or perhaps "beefy slinky" 11,15,22p,30,42,54
may also be worth a try (although they might be quite slack for b-standard).
 
If you don't get too comfortable by using fat strings, get a thinner set, tune your Guitar to Cis, then drop the low E-String to B. That should compensate the difference between the changed string gauge and the completely different "feel" a bit.
I've read in a guitar-mag interview with Dimebag Darrell (R.I.P. God of Riffs...) that he detuned in some cases just the low E-String down, maybe this would be a way for you to get it done, maybe it opens your mind for a little experience without changing
your whole guitar setup...

The other way would be (like already mentioned here) to use the Pitch-Shifter. I think, the Axe is the only gear that can help you this way....
 
hideous said:
it's down to personal preference, but as you found those too heavy, maybe try:

Ernie ball "Not even slinky" : 12,16,24p,32,44,56 < these have a plain "G" string. i find these alright for c-standard (usually play e-standard with 10-46)

or perhaps "beefy slinky" 11,15,22p,30,42,54
may also be worth a try (although they might be quite slack for b-standard).
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've ordered these.
 
Dino Cazares from Fear Factory plays D'addario 9 - 52 Strings on his 7-String Models, so it also depends on the playing style, ....my 7-Strings are tuned to A and I use 10 - 59.....just a matter of taste...
 
Heh, you're in St Ives? I'm originally from Hemingford Grey. Small world.

I've been tuning down to B for about 20 years now (because: Carcass). I also use 009s for concert pitch - as someone else mentioned, getting a 7 string 009 set (D'Addario) EXL120-7 and chucking the top 009 away is the easiest thing to do - that'll be a .054 on the low B. Re bending the wound G - it's just the same as bending your D in concert (because that's what it is!). I tried .022 plains and the like years ago - it never sounds or feels right and as previously referenced, the intonation gets nasty. Do have a go though - as always, the golden rule is "whatever works for you."
 
eggzoomin said:
Heh, you're in St Ives? I'm originally from Hemingford Grey. Small world.

I've been tuning down to B for about 20 years now (because: Carcass). I also use 009s for concert pitch - as someone else mentioned, getting a 7 string 009 set (D'Addario) EXL120-7 and chucking the top 009 away is the easiest thing to do - that'll be a .054 on the low B. Re bending the wound G - it's just the same as bending your D in concert (because that's what it is!). I tried .022 plains and the like years ago - it never sounds or feels right and as previously referenced, the intonation gets nasty. Do have a go though - as always, the golden rule is "whatever works for you."
Click to expand...

LOL, yes it's "that" St. Ives. :)

Got a "Not Even Slinky" set on the moment. The plain G is better but still feels a little heavy. I'll try the Beefy Slinky next.
 
not the same music you're playing, but here's an old interview by mike hickey and bill steer (<good player) discussing the low tuning on a 6-string: -
Guitar World interview with Steer/Hickey

"Mike Hickey: Carcass tunes down to B. By that I mean we take a normally tuned guitar and then drop each string down two-and-a-half steps, so they go: B, E, A, D, F#, B, low to high. To counteract the string slackness created by this tuning, we use pretty heavy gauges--.012 to .056, I can't remember the ones in the middle, but the G string's a plain .022. B isn't the most practical tuning in the world, but it's probably the heaviest, and we're stuck with it whether we like it or not!

Steer: It's like playing something that's almost halfway between a guitar and bass, actually. We've tuned this low ever since the band started, because it's so crushing--there's nothing else quite like it. Having said that, it has a lot of shortcomings in terms of tone because it's a very unrealistic tuning; we've really had to struggle to make it work. Since we've been doing it so long we can just about pull it off, but to be brutally honest, I think D, or, at a push C# [C#, F#, B, E, G#, C#, low to high], are the best tunings. "

yep, it's always going to be a compromise when going this low.
 
I remember that interview, I had the magazine it came from - Guitar World possibly or GFTPM, sometime in the early/ mid 90s. Part of a death metal special, remember them talking to the lads from Obituary as well. That was what started me on the path of tuning to B - a few years later, Chris from Bal-Sagoth let me in on the wound G secret and things got a lot easier. I think I might have learned the riff to "No Love Lost" from tab in that mag, actually.
 
Have you guys heard of "Karnivool" tuning?

The top 3 strings are in concert "E" tuning... and the bottom 3 are in drop B. (B, F# , B, G, B, E) It's a Frankenstein of a tuning, but it allows you to get wide spaced chords and do lots of movement pitch wise. When I was experimenting with it I ran 0.056 or 0.058 as the bottom string on my 25" scale length PRS. And it barely had enough tension to keep reasonable pitch when hitting it hard. Obviously the 0.058 was better in this regards.
 
My low tuned guitars these days are a Jackson Dinky XL that I use for drop C (.010-.052) and an LTD 8 string with .010-.074 on - both 25.5" scale. As I mentioned above, I'm generally happy on 009s in concert, so the D'Addario 7-string sets with a .054 on the B suit me fine tension-wise. The 8 string sadly won't accept anything less than the 10-74 set (10 13 17 32 42 52 64 74) even with the truss rods slackened right off and for the first few months of owning it, I definitely struggled until my hands got strong enough - I've always been a very light player, so haven't ever needed much tension.

The Karnivool tuning is quite interesting. I've got a Charvel that I'm due to take custody of at some point - might give that tuning a try on that. I had been wondering how they achieved some of the things they do - makes a lot more sense now!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom