QUOTE (Marabou @ Nov 1 2010, 09:11 PM)
Hey guys, i´ve recently been listening to alot of metal music, like for an example "Scar symmetry" and "Meshuggah" and so on. I would really like to play some music in their tunings but im not sure what strings i should use for that. Im pretty sure the strings im using are way to thin to play that low but to be honest i really dont know much about that stuff. Any feedback is appreciated!
As the other posters have mentioned, the bands your trying to emulate use 7 and 8 string guitars to achieve that low chunk that sounds so spiff. You can probably forget pulling that off on a 6 string. However, you can experiment with drop tuning in general and write some tunes that are along the same lines. For playing drop tuning Metal, you typically want heavier gauge strings. Try going up one or two gauges than from what you normally use. Also, check in to "Hybrid" packs of strings which use heavier gauge strings for the lower three and lighter gauge strings for the higher three. That way you get nice thick strings for drop tune and lighter strings for solo work.
If you want to play exact covers of of bands that use 8 string guitars, your best bet is to actually buy an 8 string guitar. I play a Ibanez 7 string with a Low B and I love it. But even it has trouble tuning deep enough to match an 8 string without frapping. Much less an 8 string that has been detuned. This is the kind of thing that as a new player, you really wouldn't know about unless somebody mentioned it which is why this site is so cool.
In good fun, this actually reminds me Just a bit of another post I saw where a new player wanted to get a "Megadeth" tone with his 10 watt Ibanez combo amp. The short answer is you can't get there from here but you can turn the bass up all the way, face the amp toward the wall, pull it under a blanket and then turn it up all the way.
But really, this is all part of the learning process so there are no silly questions. Just silly instructors like me.
Todd
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Todd
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This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Nov 2 2010, 03:08 AM
Im not sure i would want to have to thick gauge strings on my guitar yet, since im not absolutely sure what tuning and so on i want to use ( No fun restringing a guitar everytime i gotta change genre ) But i was thinking about getting a 7 string, so í´ll keep this in mind. all this information has been noted! Also, im thinking about getting a hybrid set of strings now that you metioned, Todd. Thanks to all of you! 
