I've read as much as I could about this subject on guitar forums, but as you may know, if anyone can be full of more crank than homeopaths and creationists, its musicians. I have a blog dedicated to dealing with myths and BS in my part of the music industry, audio recording. So that aside, I have some weird observations and questions
I have a few different seven string guitars in 3 different scale lengths, a 25.5", a 27" and a 28.625". I tune the regular six strings to standard six string tuning, and the lowest seventh string to drop A
Usually when you are tuning lower with everything else being equal, the low tuned strings will be floppy, and often buzzy, requiring higher height above the fretboard (action) to avoid really bad buzzing
The solution to this problem is in conventional wisdom, to change the size of the string until it has equal tension to the tuning it would have normally been in, or just more tension in general. There are several competing schools of thought, like even tension, progressive tension, and just whatever the hell tension the guitar string makers decide to throw in packs.
I will often use a tension calculator, or an online one like this http://ift.tt/2p5g7Ad to figure out what string size does what tension.
I have been slowly going higher and higher in size on my seventh string to the point where I am putting what many would call bass strings on my guitar.
On my 27" for instance, in order to get that low A to the 16 pounds of tension of the low E above it on the sixth string, that requires a size 64 string, instead of the 52 that this particular seven string pack comes with. Even to get to the 13 pounds that string would be at in standard B tuning, I'm looking at a size 58 string.
The claim that people make is, a string with higher tension will have a smaller elipse, thereby needing less action height to clear the frets and keep from buzzing.
Bear in mind that the way the strings contact the instrument, all else being equal, the distance between the frets and the BOTTOM of the string remain constant, regardless of the string size. (By all else being equal, I mean taking into account the bow of the neck changing with changing string tension and a few other factors)
Only the distance between the top of the frets and the TOP of the string changes with string size.
On a whim, after being really frustrated by one of the guitars, with even a size 70 string on it, I went and stuck the 56 that came with the package on and tried it. It buzzed LESS! I figured I was in error, so I stuck the big string on, recorded a direct input of the guitar in various different types of playing and then did the same with the 56.
The 56 most certainly did buzz far less, and could have a much lower action before becoming intolerable. It feels like spaghetti and weird, but it performs sonically so much better.
What the hell is going on here? Shouldnt the bigger string with more tension have a smaller elipse and buzz less? Shouldn't the smaller string with much less tension (11 pounds vs 17 pounds) be the far worse performer?
I often drive myself NUTS with audio questions and get into analyisis paralysis and can't actually get work done. What the hell is happening?
Assume the setup is correct, I've been up and down all of these with fret rockers, levelling files and crowning files. Truss rod is adjusted correctly as the string tensions change. In fact, if anything, after I put the smaller strings on and the neck backbowed, it should have been MUCH MUCH worse than the larger string, but it wasn't, it was far superior.
I have a few different seven string guitars in 3 different scale lengths, a 25.5", a 27" and a 28.625". I tune the regular six strings to standard six string tuning, and the lowest seventh string to drop A
Usually when you are tuning lower with everything else being equal, the low tuned strings will be floppy, and often buzzy, requiring higher height above the fretboard (action) to avoid really bad buzzing
The solution to this problem is in conventional wisdom, to change the size of the string until it has equal tension to the tuning it would have normally been in, or just more tension in general. There are several competing schools of thought, like even tension, progressive tension, and just whatever the hell tension the guitar string makers decide to throw in packs.
I will often use a tension calculator, or an online one like this http://ift.tt/2p5g7Ad to figure out what string size does what tension.
I have been slowly going higher and higher in size on my seventh string to the point where I am putting what many would call bass strings on my guitar.
On my 27" for instance, in order to get that low A to the 16 pounds of tension of the low E above it on the sixth string, that requires a size 64 string, instead of the 52 that this particular seven string pack comes with. Even to get to the 13 pounds that string would be at in standard B tuning, I'm looking at a size 58 string.
The claim that people make is, a string with higher tension will have a smaller elipse, thereby needing less action height to clear the frets and keep from buzzing.
Bear in mind that the way the strings contact the instrument, all else being equal, the distance between the frets and the BOTTOM of the string remain constant, regardless of the string size. (By all else being equal, I mean taking into account the bow of the neck changing with changing string tension and a few other factors)
Only the distance between the top of the frets and the TOP of the string changes with string size.
On a whim, after being really frustrated by one of the guitars, with even a size 70 string on it, I went and stuck the 56 that came with the package on and tried it. It buzzed LESS! I figured I was in error, so I stuck the big string on, recorded a direct input of the guitar in various different types of playing and then did the same with the 56.
The 56 most certainly did buzz far less, and could have a much lower action before becoming intolerable. It feels like spaghetti and weird, but it performs sonically so much better.
What the hell is going on here? Shouldnt the bigger string with more tension have a smaller elipse and buzz less? Shouldn't the smaller string with much less tension (11 pounds vs 17 pounds) be the far worse performer?
I often drive myself NUTS with audio questions and get into analyisis paralysis and can't actually get work done. What the hell is happening?
Assume the setup is correct, I've been up and down all of these with fret rockers, levelling files and crowning files. Truss rod is adjusted correctly as the string tensions change. In fact, if anything, after I put the smaller strings on and the neck backbowed, it should have been MUCH MUCH worse than the larger string, but it wasn't, it was far superior.
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2q7s4nr
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