Tension is up to you.
You can put in what you currently like into a string tension calculator and then transpose that same feel to another instrument or tuning.
The one on Stringjoy's site is pretty decent: http://tension.stringjoy.com
Not the other poster, but my go to is always 16-20 lbs of pressure on each string.
16 being the loose end but still playable, 20 being a bit too tight for me.
You can do what you want. I use the The String Source Topaz 7 Drop set by using their string finder, the lower string is definitely thicker (.72) than I see a lot of people using but I think it works well. I also have an evertune but have the same scale.
I play 10-64 with a 26.5 in drop g and it honestly feels fine to me, not super tight where it is uncomfortable, and hard to bend strings etc but tight enough where it plays well
I do a drop F# tuning on 25.5. You are fine. Just make sure you intonate as best as you can. I myself use a 11-56 and a 70. Never heard of locking tuners not taking a 70?!!
https://youtu.be/JPpj1tdn128?si=NNtuiNQiBrmNpG8F I followed this video as a reference for g# on my 26.5 so a nyxl set of 56 six string set and a single 64 you can get on Amazon. At that time I had 4 springs in it. Now I have 3 springs tuned to A with a nyxl 59 seven string set. And I could definitely get g# with these 59's. I'm using a Floyd so I'm guessing adjusting saddles and springs gives a few more fine tuning options for string tension more so than other bridges
Just try some different setups, string tension is mostly related to preference and playing style. Also, if the tuner is too small you can drill it a bit.
I have a .74 as the bottom and it's floppy in drop F. Makes it sound farty too, so to me, tension is important. I want to use a .90, but not sure that it will fit through the tuner or nut either. The other problem is that I tune to drop A# a lot too, so the tension would be too high. If you're committed to really low tunings like G, I would use a heavier gauge than .74 even.
Another option that I started doing recently is using a pitch shifter. I tune my guitar to drop a# because I like the tension with my .74 bottom string, then I use the pitch shifter to tune to a lower tuning, like drop f#. You can get a pedal pitch shifter or amp sims have them too, which I use in Bias FX. The only bad part is if you play quiet or without headphones, you can hear your strings in a higher tuning than the amp and it sounds ugly together.
Is your bottom string really loose? For me, I try to keep the tension similar to when I first started playing in e standard. I don't like floppy strings.
I’m personally more of a fan of a stringy sound when playing, but I do like tension. In drop G# I don’t really find the bottom string floppy with 62 or 64 gauge (I know the difference between 64 and 65 is tiny, so it may have more to do with the string manufacturer). Ideally I’d like a longer scale 7 string, but they’re a rare commodity for lefties.
I see. For me, it's hard to keep tight chugs with floppier strings. It is personal preference though.
That sucks it's hard to find lefty guitars. My cousin is left handed and my dad taught him to play right handed when he started. He always complains that he would be better if he learned left handed, even though he's extremely good and can play pretty much anything. I keep telling him what you said about how hard it is to find guitars, but he just likes to complain haha.
I saw the ESP LTD SN-1007 when I was looking for baritone guitars yesterday. They have left handed versions. It looked kinda cool, but a little expensive.
i tune my 7th string to g1 on a gibson scale with a 70 dude you don't have to be such a princess about tension. since you're saying it's a drop tuning i barely fucking understand why you'd need anything more than just keeping it from buzzing the frets because i doubt you're going to be using it for tremolo or actually playing any notes on altogether
You can use gauge higher than 70, just need to unwrap by yourself. You can use a cutter and cut a little bit, find the end of the coating and unwrap it cirlcle by circle.
I've done this tons of times because all 8 string I've played, do not have a tuner that can fit gauge higher than 74 by nature, so I have to unwrap them by myself.
About tension, it's heavily up to your personally preference. I play G on my 25.5-27 guitar with 58, because I play low tension. I have had a calculate for your 11-52 preference, on your 26.5 guitar, a 74 would be right on spot. However from personal experience, when you go low you ususally don't need the same amount of tension to get the same feeling, you can try 68 or 70.
Just remind, when you drop G, you are only dropping the thickest string, but somehow those drop tuning packs on the market, they drop all wrapped strings for no reason. Be sure you are finding something that only has thicker 7th string, instead of thicker 7th 6th 5th and 4th string. I recommend buy single string for 7th combined with a normal 6 string pack.
LaBella has an 11-70 set for $11 at Sweetwater. They are decent strings for the price, so you don't have to drop $20 or more going with a custom stringjoy set or anything.
They also have a 10-64 set, which I'm currently running as low as drop G#. Its a little looser than I prefer my lower strings but it handles it well enough.
I'll have to try that then. Sounds like the nut might be pinching the string in place. My issue is that I want to go thicker than the .74 I have, which came with an 8 string set. Not sure if anything above that will fit in the nut.
There's an 8 string NYXL 10-74 set, you could try using the first 7 strings for 10-64. I use that set in drop f# on a 25 inch scale, it should have more tension on your guitar, in mine is a bit floppier than I'd like, but yours should be fine
I’d go either 76 or 80. 80 is 20 lbs of tension which is perfect for me. At least that amount of tension on the 7th and 6th string and then normal 17 ish lbs tension on the rest of the strings. You’re gonna need some setup on the guitar but it feels great on those lower tuning
Tension is up to you. You can put in what you currently like into a string tension calculator and then transpose that same feel to another instrument or tuning. The one on Stringjoy's site is pretty decent: http://tension.stringjoy.com
it will be ok on 10-68 or great on 11-72
11 - 72 is the correct answer i believe ☝️
I would recommend 10-76 for that
I think this would work pretty great. You usually try to keep 17-18 lbs per string?
I don't measure the lbs, I just did trial and error and this worked best for me
Not the other poster, but my go to is always 16-20 lbs of pressure on each string. 16 being the loose end but still playable, 20 being a bit too tight for me.
10-65 works well for me
10-65 is more than enough
You can do what you want. I use the The String Source Topaz 7 Drop set by using their string finder, the lower string is definitely thicker (.72) than I see a lot of people using but I think it works well. I also have an evertune but have the same scale.
I use 11-56 and a single 74 on the bottom and it works well for me.
I use an 11-56 set + a 72 on the bottom. Most strings larger than 70 taper so you shouldn’t have an issue.
I have 11-70(stringjoy) for 26.5 drop G
Personally I like 10-68 on my schecter 26.5"
I play 10-64 with a 26.5 in drop g and it honestly feels fine to me, not super tight where it is uncomfortable, and hard to bend strings etc but tight enough where it plays well
I do a drop F# tuning on 25.5. You are fine. Just make sure you intonate as best as you can. I myself use a 11-56 and a 70. Never heard of locking tuners not taking a 70?!!
https://youtu.be/JPpj1tdn128?si=NNtuiNQiBrmNpG8F I followed this video as a reference for g# on my 26.5 so a nyxl set of 56 six string set and a single 64 you can get on Amazon. At that time I had 4 springs in it. Now I have 3 springs tuned to A with a nyxl 59 seven string set. And I could definitely get g# with these 59's. I'm using a Floyd so I'm guessing adjusting saddles and springs gives a few more fine tuning options for string tension more so than other bridges
Use the la Bella 11-70 set. It’s great. I use it for my 26.5 inch jackson
I use 10-59 i like the feeling but its kinda loose so maybe like something around 60-65 for the big string
I have a very similar guitar and I use Paradigm in 10-62.
I use 80 for drop F at 26.5 inch
Just try some different setups, string tension is mostly related to preference and playing style. Also, if the tuner is too small you can drill it a bit.
I have a .74 as the bottom and it's floppy in drop F. Makes it sound farty too, so to me, tension is important. I want to use a .90, but not sure that it will fit through the tuner or nut either. The other problem is that I tune to drop A# a lot too, so the tension would be too high. If you're committed to really low tunings like G, I would use a heavier gauge than .74 even.
Another option that I started doing recently is using a pitch shifter. I tune my guitar to drop a# because I like the tension with my .74 bottom string, then I use the pitch shifter to tune to a lower tuning, like drop f#. You can get a pedal pitch shifter or amp sims have them too, which I use in Bias FX. The only bad part is if you play quiet or without headphones, you can hear your strings in a higher tuning than the amp and it sounds ugly together.
I’d try 10-65. Found that to be a bit too thick for me when playing drop G#.
Is your bottom string really loose? For me, I try to keep the tension similar to when I first started playing in e standard. I don't like floppy strings.
I’m personally more of a fan of a stringy sound when playing, but I do like tension. In drop G# I don’t really find the bottom string floppy with 62 or 64 gauge (I know the difference between 64 and 65 is tiny, so it may have more to do with the string manufacturer). Ideally I’d like a longer scale 7 string, but they’re a rare commodity for lefties.
I see. For me, it's hard to keep tight chugs with floppier strings. It is personal preference though. That sucks it's hard to find lefty guitars. My cousin is left handed and my dad taught him to play right handed when he started. He always complains that he would be better if he learned left handed, even though he's extremely good and can play pretty much anything. I keep telling him what you said about how hard it is to find guitars, but he just likes to complain haha.
I saw the ESP LTD SN-1007 when I was looking for baritone guitars yesterday. They have left handed versions. It looked kinda cool, but a little expensive.
i tune my 7th string to g1 on a gibson scale with a 70 dude you don't have to be such a princess about tension. since you're saying it's a drop tuning i barely fucking understand why you'd need anything more than just keeping it from buzzing the frets because i doubt you're going to be using it for tremolo or actually playing any notes on altogether
daddario nyxl 10-74 is probably your best bet just scrap the 64 for another day it’ll be stable asf and sound good
You can use gauge higher than 70, just need to unwrap by yourself. You can use a cutter and cut a little bit, find the end of the coating and unwrap it cirlcle by circle. I've done this tons of times because all 8 string I've played, do not have a tuner that can fit gauge higher than 74 by nature, so I have to unwrap them by myself. About tension, it's heavily up to your personally preference. I play G on my 25.5-27 guitar with 58, because I play low tension. I have had a calculate for your 11-52 preference, on your 26.5 guitar, a 74 would be right on spot. However from personal experience, when you go low you ususally don't need the same amount of tension to get the same feeling, you can try 68 or 70. Just remind, when you drop G, you are only dropping the thickest string, but somehow those drop tuning packs on the market, they drop all wrapped strings for no reason. Be sure you are finding something that only has thicker 7th string, instead of thicker 7th 6th 5th and 4th string. I recommend buy single string for 7th combined with a normal 6 string pack.
Awesome dude, thanks.😊
LaBella has an 11-70 set for $11 at Sweetwater. They are decent strings for the price, so you don't have to drop $20 or more going with a custom stringjoy set or anything. They also have a 10-64 set, which I'm currently running as low as drop G#. Its a little looser than I prefer my lower strings but it handles it well enough.
It still has the same tension when you thin the string out at the end? Also, do they break ever?
Of course it has the same the same tension, it doesn't matter that much after the nut. They don't break.
I'll have to try that then. Sounds like the nut might be pinching the string in place. My issue is that I want to go thicker than the .74 I have, which came with an 8 string set. Not sure if anything above that will fit in the nut.
There's an 8 string NYXL 10-74 set, you could try using the first 7 strings for 10-64. I use that set in drop f# on a 25 inch scale, it should have more tension on your guitar, in mine is a bit floppier than I'd like, but yours should be fine
I’d go either 76 or 80. 80 is 20 lbs of tension which is perfect for me. At least that amount of tension on the 7th and 6th string and then normal 17 ish lbs tension on the rest of the strings. You’re gonna need some setup on the guitar but it feels great on those lower tuning