Chevelle tunings , what gauges for a six string?

[konstantine3]

I use a 6 string Gibson gothic for my full tone drop. I use D'Darrdio 13's but when I tune down another step to play our Chevelle cover all those strings get too loosey and the pitch sux.

Any suggestions for what guages to use? I hear the big strings are better but I am not familiar with those.

 

[ThunderMonkey]

My old band used 3 different tunings and we each had a guitar setup to that tuning.
Constantly tuning up/down sucks 'cause your neck stresses and wood takes a little to adjust.... intonation goes out. I bet it's hard to stay in tune after you readjust , huh???

What tuning is the song in ? may have to bite the bullet and deal with it.

I have my Dean's setup for (main axe) C# drop B and my other to D drop C and I never muck with them.

Bigger strings are cool but you also lose a little clarity and defintion and definitely dynamics like vibrato.

 

[konstantine3]

the step below full step.
Is there a bigger gauge then 13's?

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Baritone guitars are really needed for those types of tunings and to still get a nice tight sharp tone out of them. I've used strings sets that are 13-70 on regular six strings and could down tune them that far, but like thunder said you lose some clarity and you have to reintonate for those types of strings and tunings. 7 strings for me work perfectly because I have the definition on the 6 string plus the lower string tuned to whatever I need. If your singer can't adjust to different tunings/keys for covers though you have to adjust around him.

 

[konstantine3]

Our singer requested the Chevelle tuning lol and he sounds good singing it that way. Guess I'll have to live with the 13's or else Ill pick up a bass and learn big bottom.

what are the notes of the 7 stringed guitar and the tunings? Any of you guys have those baritone guitars?

velly eentellesting

 

[ToneAddictJon]

A normal baritone 6 string is tuned B-E-A-D-G-B and I use my 7 strings in one of 2 ways, normal B-E-A-D-G-B-E, or dropped A-E-A-D-G-B-E. I like the 7 strings because depending on the cover (especially in drop A) I don't have to retune anything to get to lower tuned songs, but it's also still a standard 6 string for going right into the next song.

 

[nomad100hd]

i use 11's and thought i was using bigger strings than most, but i don't drop tune. Do 11's have less clarity than 10's ?

 

[ToneAddictJon]

Not really less clarity, there are just different tonalities to the different sizes, I'm always changing the size of strings I use and adjusting my action as well for different feels. I have on of my 7 strings strung with 10-60 strings (drop a) and have the action a little higher than usual, but it gives this huge warm sound while still sounding chimey. When I said earlier you lose clarity, I should of said you have to adjust settings and playing techniques to the different size strings, as well as the picks you use. I use dunlop jazztones (205 and 208) and I have a hard attack, so that helps in making things sound more aggressive for me. Also depends on the wood on the guitar, my mahagony guitars get heavier strings and my basswood bodies get lighter strings.

 

[nomad100hd]

i've used 11's for yrs, but here lately my guitars have sounded muddy to me. The only differences i can think of might be i bought a couple live wire cables, and a while back i switched from power slinkies to boomers. Though i've always been disappointed with the sustain of my faded sg, and the overall clean tone of my epiphone ZW les paul. That's why i was thinking of getting some dimarzio pickups for my SG. I find them to be more articulate than duncan pickups.

 

[ToneAddictJon]

I use dimarzio evo 7's and paf 7's and they are very articulate and really bring out the best (and worst) of the guitars they're in. I can't speak on the 6 string versions, but the 7 string versions are amazing (for me).

 

[digi]

From an interview...

Guitar.com: So how are you going to re-create that sound live?

Loeffler: Live, pretty much anything goes. People want to hear the songs (like they are on the album), and we want to re-create them as closely as possible, but I don't think people will be able to tell the difference if I'm using a .065 gauge low E string (like on my regular guitars), or a .072 (like on the baritone guitar). I'm going to use my regular guitars live, tuned down to A#, which is really only a half-step lower than the whole last record.

Guitar.com: What's your top string?

Loeffler: That's a .013. And it's not all just chug, chug. There's a few little intricate things, so I need a little give there. The more it stays in tune, the better, 'cause the less I have to hand of guitars. I can just keep banging them out.

 

[MesaENGR412]

Speaking of Chevelle, I just found a video of them playing some their new stuff on youtube, and Pete's using a Rectifier on the stage. It's from a show called "Sauce". He's playing a Gold topped PRS and you see the Recto on the left behind him. I know he's used Mark IV's up until their stuff was stolen. I thought this was interesting.

-AJH

 

[nomad100hd]

i always though they had somewhat of a unique sound. I have a Chevelle concert dvd and was pretty disappointed with there live show.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I saw the shows too....his tone with the rectifier sucked though

I think he just rented the amp for the little show...he gets much better tone with the Marks.

 

[Matterra]

Yah, so I hear lots of Chevelle talk round here. Listened to a music video, where he played a Mark, and "the sauce" with the Recto.

gotta say, neither tone really floats my boat. He makes the mark sound weak, and the Recto just sounds like a big ball of fizzy gain.

: /


Am I missing something here?

 

[ToneAddictJon]

I don't think your missing anything. I never really cared for his tone either, or their playing. They have a nice groove going on, but I think everything they've done has sounded exactly the same. The singer/guitarist always sounds like he's just ripping off tool/a perfect circle, deftones, and incubus. They make the cash though, so they're doing something right.

 

[konstantine3]

Im trading a gibson gothic explorer with my ol rivera r 55 combo for a Gibson LP studio baritone guitar.

So thats how the cookie crumbles GIZZSHUNK!