Tuning Question

[Slartibartfarst42]

I've got a bit of a crisis for tomorrow's gig as the singer has lost his voice. We're going to have to drop the guitars half a step from Standard so somebody else can sing but the strings on my PRS seem very loose now. I've not even started trying to detune my Jackson yet and I'm not looking forward to that with a Floyd. Will I be OK with a set of .009 strings in Eb or should I rush out and get some .010 strings for it?

[FELINEGUITARS]

i'd go up to 10s for that half step down

[Slartibartfarst42]

I've done my PRS now and it obviously seems a bit looser than I'm used to with 9s. It's something that I may get used to but it does seem to me that moving to 10s would help to offset the looser tuning. The other option I thought about was changing from my DR 9s to Elixir 9s as I seem to recall that Elixir strings are a bit thicker anyway with their coating so I assume, use more tension. Does that make sense or am I being silly and I should just go straight for 10s?

[itamar101]

I've done my PRS now and it obviously seems a bit looser than I'm used to with 9s. It's something that I may get used to but it does seem to me that moving to 10s would help to offset the looser tuning. The other option I thought about was changing from my DR 9s to Elixir 9s as I seem to recall that Elixir strings are a bit thicker anyway with their coating so I assume, use more tension. Does that make sense or am I being silly and I should just go straight for 10s?

Elixirs are rather loose really... Almost as loose as ernie balls  :lol:

[Slartibartfarst42]

Better be 10s then I guess.

[Toe-Knee]

I use 9s in D standard!

[itamar101]

I use 9s in D standard!

U B Trippin' boi!

But cereally, that must be so loose... like... really, really loose!  :lol:

[Slartibartfarst42]

Well, the 10s are on the PRS now as I found a set of BKP strings lying around the house. It feels a bit weird but I'll get used to it. Now I need to go out and get a set for my Jackson tomorrow and the real challenge starts!

[Toe-Knee]

I use 9s in D standard!

U B Trippin' boi!

But cereally, that must be so loose... like... really, really loose!  :lol:

Well I should have said its on a 26.5" scale guitar.... It's just inbetween the tension that a set of 9s would be in E/Eb but closer towards E

[Slartibartfarst42]

I've ended up going to a halfway house and fitted hybrids to both guitars and it feels fine. Would I need to make any adjustment to the parametric EQ because of going down half a step? Based on advice from the forum a while ago it's currently set:

Highs = 4.5kHz
Mids = 2kHz
Lows = 150Hz

[38thBeatle]

I'd have said the same as Jonathan- having done this at the beginning of the year after a change in band line up.

[BigB]

As far as I'm concerned, I'd use 11s if I was to tune a half-step down.

[GuitarIv]

I use Elixir 10-52s in E-Standard, as far as metal goes, for a very tight tone and feel. However if you go Standard D or even lower I'd use 11-56s, so my recomendation would be use at least a 10-46 if not 10-52 set for a half step down.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Just back from the gig and I'm pleased to report that the 9-46 set worked fine. Good feel and good tone though for some reason I noticed that at times tonight I was losing both volume and sustain on my Jackson. It didn't seem to affect the PRS at all so it can't be down to the detuning itself. I think we're probably going to stay in Eb as a band so I'll get a proper setup done on the Jackson and see if that helps.

[Roobubba]

Such tiny little strings!

:)