String gauge for de-tuning

[Antag]

Hi All,
Looking for some advice from those who regularly detune.  I've been pretty much settled on 10-46 @ Eb for my 6 strings & 10-59 @ E/B for my 7s so have little recent experience of drop tunings

I want to set up a 25½" scale guitar for C#.

Do you think the D'Addario "DropD" 11/14/19/32/44/56 set would be too heavy?

How about the DR "DDT" 11/15/19/32/42/54 set?

Any other gauges/sets I should be looking at?

[Roobubba]

I think the 11-56 should do just fine in that tuning.

Personally I use 14-70 on a 28" (bass) and 26.5" (treble) multiscale baritone in Drop A. A generic rule of thumb to get you in the right ball park is 1 gauge step per tone downtuned, beyond that, it's really trial and error!

I was much more careful to pick the appropriate strings with my gig backup floyd bridge ibanez, because I wanted to match the tension quite accurately, but it's so long ago I'm afraid I can't remember which of the many online string gauge/tension calculators I used!

Hope this helps,

Roo

[MDV]

C# standard? As in C# F# B E G# C#, not drop C#?

11 will likely be too slack. Or it would be for me.

I play mostly in drop B, sometimes in C# and I use DR 13-56 tite fits and replace the wound 26 3rd with a plain diadarrio 22. Works perfectly for me.

[Antag]

Yes C# standard (though I'd have listed in the opposite order C#/G#/E/B/F#/C# :lol:).

For years I've been happy with 10-46 in Eb standard, but tuning my 7 string to E with the same gauge (+ a 59 for the low B) has made me appreciate the extra tension.

I'm thinking 12-60 would be way to tight relative to my 7s though.  The 60 would be two steps higher tuned with a slightly heavier gauge string!

I did have a set of 13/17/26/36/46/62 tuned to drop Bb on a 24¾ scale Gibson.  They felt like mooring cables but still flapped around a bit too much (although the action was painfully high which may have contributed)

[MDV]

Well, the brand/materials/design matter quite a bit. I used diadarrios for ages and reallystruggled to get the tension. I was up to a 64 for the B when I switched to newtone thick cores and 60 was fine, and I tried the DR Tites with the 56 and found that they feel a little slacker, but sound punchier and tighter (smoother top end as well, if a tad dark).

With the DRs and newtones I used 12 15 20, I think, but the DR plains are a shade slacker so I'm happy with the 13....dont remember the other two.

I wouldnt use them on 24.75; too slack.

[musicmaker29]

I have a similar problem - well kinda.

I have a (kinda not great) second guitar that I use live for our only drop C song (everything else is Drop D).

It's got a kinda stubby little neck (go technical terms!), basically thortest neck Ive ever played on so lets assume its the shorted standard scale you can get (whatever that is and if such a thing exists).

The strings are way too loose and it requires very careful playing - they are just standard 10s.

What guage do you reckon I should go to instead?

[Roobubba]

I have a similar problem - well kinda.

I have a (kinda not great) second guitar that I use live for our only drop C song (everything else is Drop D).

It's got a kinda stubby little neck (go technical terms!), basically thortest neck Ive ever played on so lets assume its the shorted standard scale you can get (whatever that is and if such a thing exists).

The strings are way too loose and it requires very careful playing - they are just standard 10s.

What guage do you reckon I should go to instead?

If it was me, I'd stick 12s or 13s on and see how it goes. A set of strings isn't too expensive, but it may take a few attempts to find something you're happy with.

Roo

[BigK]

I find d'addario 11-52's in Db feel the same as 10-46's in Eb on my schecter 006 which is a 25.5 inch scale.

[ethan_hanus]

I find that the D'Addario EXP Jazz Medium strings work great for drop C# on a 25 1/2 in scale guitar. May be a little loose to you, but if you like .010's in Eb tuning then this would be about the same tension, maybe a little less, so you wont have to do much if any truss rod adjustments, a little intonation and action work, but very little.

[JDC]

I'm in C standard with 11,15,18,32,44,59 which is similar in tension to E with 9-46 so I think you'll be fine with either of them sets

nerdy way to check: http://www.bangzero.org/stringtension/

[Sifu Ben]

I use 10-52s for drop C# on a 24.75, so I think you'll probably be fine with 11-54.

[DimeZakk]

I would use a 12-56 Ernie ball set for a c# tuning

[Ratrod]

As a guideline: 1 whole step down, one gauge thicker.

[mudxorz]

Here's a guide with recommended string gauges for both dropped and standard tunings.
http://imgur.com/a/VR92v

[Dr.Pain]

Get Dunlop heavy core 12's.  They are great for C tuning and they hold tune too.