Baritone, 6 or 7 string?

drumdrum · 14th December 2011

Hello...

I'm in the middle of recording an album with myself and a singer friend. We do heavy rock stuff sort of like fightstar, chevelle, smashing pumpkins, soundgarden, etc...

Anyways, we were practicing a song yesterday when the singer suggested we lower the key from drop d to drop c tuning on my 6 string.

Well, the song suddenly came alive and my singer friend found it much easier to sing to. Happy times for all....

But...

My guitar isn't set up properly for drop c, nor do I want to as most of our stuff is in standard or drop d and it doesn't make sense.

So being a true gearslut, I've decided to get a new guitar for lower tuned songs.

Personally I love chevelles heavy rhythm tones and I understand that Pete Loeffler used a baritone guitar on a lot of their stuff in the studio.
However, for drop c in a standard guitar, I need to drop the low e string 2 full steps and the rest of the strings 1 full step. With a standard baritone and 7 string I would need to raise the low b by a half step, and the rest of the strings up by 1.5 steps.

Would this sort of tuning destroy the natural sound of the guitars?

Is there anyone out there that could recommend an option or who has experienced a similar issue before?
What would sound better for heavy rhythm sounds? Baritone or 7 string? I play bass also so wider fret spacings aren't an issue for me much...

this guitar would be primarily for studio use. For arguments sake, say the budget is unlimited... (realistically its about e800 or so max)

Thanks guys

cortisol · 15th December 2011

Drop C on a regular guitars sound great! So long as the guitar is set up for it the the string will not fret out on the upper register and it should work just fine. By all means go up in string gauge for better string tension though.

I've also heard of people tuning a 7 string up a semitone so that should work too.

As for Baritone guitars... If you like the longer scale length then cool. Longer scale lengths tend to aid the projection and tuning stability of the lower strings. Some 7 strings come in a longer scale length too.

I quite like low tunings on regular guitars with a strongly mid-rangy pick ups.

mattseidel · 15th December 2011

I've had a lot of success with down-tuning to C. I use D'Addario light-top heavy-bottom strings, and mostly use this tuning on a Les Paul.

The band Junius just put out a record with tons of low C and low B tunings, it sounds immense and according to this interview they all use vintage 6 strings:

Junius Band Gear Box | Indie Rock Reviews

biggator6 · 15th December 2011

C is about as low as I like to go on a regular scale guitar.. really C# - C is pushing it without a setup.

I tried to like a 7, but it just didn't do it for me.. ended up with a baritone (28") and I LOVE it. I want another one.

drumdrum · 16th December 2011

I'm leaning more towards a 6 string setup for drop c/c#. Maldives would be great for drop b or lower but judging from the singer I work with, drop c and c# just suits his range nicely.

I WAS looking at the prs mike mushok baritone though. Theres something about a baritone guitar that intrigues me..

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Gearslutz.com

biggator6 · 16th December 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by drumdrum

I'm leaning more towards a 6 string setup for drop c/c#. Maldives would be great for drop b or lower but judging from the singer I work with, drop c and c# just suits his range nicely.

I WAS looking at the prs mike mushok baritone though. Theres something about a baritone guitar that intrigues me..

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Gearslutz.com

The Mushok is nice.. if you're in the US - check out the Agile line at Rondo.. I have one and it absolutely kills.

Mine is identical to this but with Blackouts
Agile AB-3500 Baritone Tribal Green at HomeOld

parlopower · 16th December 2011

I have a 26.5'' scale Ibanez RGD 6 string. I tune to Drop C. I use 12-56 gauge strings and I must say it is already almost too much string tension for my taste. When I tune down to Drop A# it feels just perfectly comfortable.

For various reasons, that RGD went on ebay and I have ordered an EVH Wiolfgang Special which should arrive early next week. I will have some mods done on it at the dealer and also have it set up with 12-56 gauge strings for playing it in Drop C. I ASSUME that Drop C with 12-56 on the 25.5'' scale of the EVH will feel as comfortable as Drop A# with 12-56 on the 26.5'' scale of the Ibanez. After all, if you take the 26.5'' scale in Drop A#, you have Drop C on the second fret, and from there to the bridge it is certainly not more than 25.5'' anymore. So I am very confident it will work well and feel good. But give me a few days until I have it finished and I can tell you for sure.

If you want longer scales like the 27.7'' of the PRS Mike Mushok, I can't comment, no experience beyond 26.5''.

14th December 2011	#1
drumdrum Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 639 Thread Starter	Baritone, 6 or 7 string? Hello... I'm in the middle of recording an album with myself and a singer friend. We do heavy rock stuff sort of like fightstar, chevelle, smashing pumpkins, soundgarden, etc... Anyways, we were practicing a song yesterday when the singer suggested we lower the key from drop d to drop c tuning on my 6 string. Well, the song suddenly came alive and my singer friend found it much easier to sing to. Happy times for all.... But... My guitar isn't set up properly for drop c, nor do I want to as most of our stuff is in standard or drop d and it doesn't make sense. So being a true gearslut, I've decided to get a new guitar for lower tuned songs. Personally I love chevelles heavy rhythm tones and I understand that Pete Loeffler used a baritone guitar on a lot of their stuff in the studio. However, for drop c in a standard guitar, I need to drop the low e string 2 full steps and the rest of the strings 1 full step. With a standard baritone and 7 string I would need to raise the low b by a half step, and the rest of the strings up by 1.5 steps. Would this sort of tuning destroy the natural sound of the guitars? Is there anyone out there that could recommend an option or who has experienced a similar issue before? What would sound better for heavy rhythm sounds? Baritone or 7 string? I play bass also so wider fret spacings aren't an issue for me much... this guitar would be primarily for studio use. For arguments sake, say the budget is unlimited... (realistically its about e800 or so max) Thanks guys

15th December 2011	#4
biggator6 Lives for gear Joined: May 2004 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,979	C is about as low as I like to go on a regular scale guitar.. really C# - C is pushing it without a setup. I tried to like a 7, but it just didn't do it for me.. ended up with a baritone (28") and I LOVE it. I want another one. __________________ "Seriously, there's a certain kind of creative inspiration that can come from exploring the outer limits of a musical instrument. Now days the limits are so vast that it can be difficult to set boundaries." --spargee

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15th December 2011	#2
cortisol Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 601	Drop C on a regular guitars sound great! So long as the guitar is set up for it the the string will not fret out on the upper register and it should work just fine. By all means go up in string gauge for better string tension though. I've also heard of people tuning a 7 string up a semitone so that should work too. As for Baritone guitars... If you like the longer scale length then cool. Longer scale lengths tend to aid the projection and tuning stability of the lower strings. Some 7 strings come in a longer scale length too. I quite like low tunings on regular guitars with a strongly mid-rangy pick ups.

15th December 2011	#3
mattseidel Gear Head Joined: Dec 2011 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 74 3 Reviews written	I've had a lot of success with down-tuning to C. I use D'Addario light-top heavy-bottom strings, and mostly use this tuning on a Les Paul. The band Junius just put out a record with tons of low C and low B tunings, it sounds immense and according to this interview they all use vintage 6 strings: Junius Band Gear Box \| Indie Rock Reviews

16th December 2011	#5
drumdrum Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 639 Thread Starter	I'm leaning more towards a 6 string setup for drop c/c#. Maldives would be great for drop b or lower but judging from the singer I work with, drop c and c# just suits his range nicely. I WAS looking at the prs mike mushok baritone though. Theres something about a baritone guitar that intrigues me.. Sent from my GT-I9000 using Gearslutz.com

16th December 2011	#7
parlopower Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2011 Posts: 154 1 Review written	I have a 26.5'' scale Ibanez RGD 6 string. I tune to Drop C. I use 12-56 gauge strings and I must say it is already almost too much string tension for my taste. When I tune down to Drop A# it feels just perfectly comfortable. For various reasons, that RGD went on ebay and I have ordered an EVH Wiolfgang Special which should arrive early next week. I will have some mods done on it at the dealer and also have it set up with 12-56 gauge strings for playing it in Drop C. I ASSUME that Drop C with 12-56 on the 25.5'' scale of the EVH will feel as comfortable as Drop A# with 12-56 on the 26.5'' scale of the Ibanez. After all, if you take the 26.5'' scale in Drop A#, you have Drop C on the second fret, and from there to the bridge it is certainly not more than 25.5'' anymore. So I am very confident it will work well and feel good. But give me a few days until I have it finished and I can tell you for sure. If you want longer scales like the 27.7'' of the PRS Mike Mushok, I can't comment, no experience beyond 26.5''.