melvins use CGCFAD tuning in some songs??

[ninigiku]

i recently found out buzz has a guitar tuned to CGCFAD for safety third and POTRE, manky & AMAZON, also songs from ASA and nude with boots.... anyone else know anything about this cuz thats what my guitar is tuned in and i would love to be able to jam along with the CD's.

[ninigiku]

i guess i put this in the wrong section... hehe

[norecess]

i guess i put this in the wrong section... hehe

No, I think it's fine over here.

I googled for you and found this:

The Melvins use drop C tuning for the songs "The Talking Horse", "The Bloated Pope", "Pigs of the Roman Empire", "Safety Third", "Hung Bunny", "Roman Dog Bird", "The Horn Bearer" "AMAZON" (studio version only),and "Manky" (studio version only).

Not completely sure if it's correct, as I don't know much about different tunings.

[Uncle Fester]

i guess i put this in the wrong section... hehe

No, I think it's fine over here.

I googled for you and found this:

The Melvins use drop C tuning for the songs "The Talking Horse", "The Bloated Pope", "Pigs of the Roman Empire", "Safety Third", "Hung Bunny", "Roman Dog Bird", "The Horn Bearer" "AMAZON" (studio version only),and "Manky" (studio version only).

Not completely sure if it's correct, as I don't know much about different tunings.

that sounds about right. i wonder if you would need different strings for such low tunings, to reduce floppyness and fret buzz

[turnacus]

Well, they pull off drop A nicely on Boris and Dog Island.

[ninigiku]

i already saw that wikipedia entry, (thanks though) i was hoping that there were more songs in that tuning than were listed there.

also, i had the impression that buzz's "dropped A" was AADGBE so it's only one string that needs to be at least a 56 gauge. (i'd personally use a 65 gauge for anything lower than B, but that may require getting a baritone guitar for some people)

for tuning all the strings on my les paul down one whole step to standard D, i took the guitar to a professional Luthier who adjusted the bridge, trussrod & nut, and i put some Ernie Ball 2626 "Not Even Slinkys" on there (12-16-24p-32-44-56).
this is pretty much as low as i would recommend tuning these strings, i met someone who said they used the same strings to tune down TWO whole steps to standard C, (plus dropping the big string down to an A#) he must have a specially made guitar for that, cuz i saw his guitar and the neck was not a longer scale baritone model either.

if i tried that on my les paul it would be like spaghetti strings on my fretboard.

IMO, any guitar tuning lower than standard D (such as standard C#) will require a baritone guitar with a longer scale neck and strings such as .013-.017-.024-.042-.056-.065.... http://www.guitarcenter.com/Everly-9113-X-Rockers-Lo-Tune-Drop-C-Electric-Guitar-Strings-106054-i1123312.gc

[r40f]

i already saw that wikipedia entry, (thanks though) i was hoping that there were more songs in that tuning than were listed there.

also, i had the impression that buzz's "dropped A" was AADGBE so it's only one string that needs to be at least a 56 gauge. (i'd personally use a 65 gauge for anything lower than B, but that may require getting a baritone guitar for some people)

for tuning all the strings on my les paul down one whole step to standard D, i took the guitar to a professional Luthier who adjusted the bridge, trussrod & nut, and i put some Ernie Ball 2626 "Not Even Slinkys" on there (12-16-24p-32-44-56).
this is pretty much as low as i would recommend tuning these strings, i met someone who said they used the same strings to tune down TWO whole steps to standard C, (plus dropping the big string down to an A#) he must have a specially made guitar for that, cuz i saw his guitar and the neck was not a longer scale baritone model either.

if i tried that on my les paul it would be like spaghetti strings on my fretboard.

IMO, any guitar tuning lower than standard D (such as standard C#) will require a baritone guitar with a longer scale neck and strings such as .013-.017-.024-.042-.056-.065.... http://www.guitarcenter.com/Everly-9113-X-Rockers-Lo-Tune-Drop-C-Electric-Guitar-Strings-106054-i1123312.gc

sorry but that just isn't true.  even on a shortscale guitar, one can tune the E to an octave below A with no problems.  it might be more comfortable for some players to use a baritone guitar because they are designed to play in those low registers, but by the same token, a guitarist not used to baritone might be a pussy about the size of it.  it's fine if you prefer using a different guitar, but they are definitely not "required" to use these tunings.

also i don't know what is wrong with your les paul but you are talking nonsense if you are saying you need have a guitar setup to tune it one step lower.  it's not so.

in short, you do not need to make any changes on a normal guitar or different strings to tune it to drop D, A, C, or any other tuning mentioned thus far.  i know because i've done every single one of them on multiple guitars.

[turnacus]

Yeah I regularly tune to drop A and am alright. It helps having distortion.

And POTRE, the song, is in drop D methinks.

[ninigiku]

POTRE the song is in dropped D down one whole step. (that's what they're calling it.)
this puts your 6 strings at CGCFAD.
if you attempt this tuning with regular light gauge 10-46 strings and are satisfied then either something unique about your instrument is allowing this to happen or you just don't mind that your guitar strings are sagging off the fretboard.

the 12-56 strings i got were too big for the grooves in the graphite nut on the guitar neck, and bridge, but i had them filed down to widen them a bit to accomodate the fatter strings.
this threw off the "intonation" a tad, so the trussrod inside the neck is turned with an allen wrench to achieve perfect intonation with a strobe tuner.
it was all less than $50. and i have no experience with adjusting intonation.

i know, if i was playing in drop D i would be using 11-52 strings and of course that works fine on any guitar.
i am not sure what you mean by drop A and C?
are you talking about the same thing as standard B and standard D?
i have a feeling you mean drop only the big E string down to an A or C while the other 5 strings remain the same ADGBE.
i have no desire to play in such a tuning and that isn't what i was talking about.


PS: i used to have a crappy squire strat that i put the 12-56 strings on and i tuned it 2 whole steps down to standard C (also drop D down 2 whole steps [A#]) it sounded almost decent but still the strings will fluctuate in and out of tune too much, bend too easily, sound muddy, buzz on the frets, and sound especially "loose" sounding.
i also have a very aggressive style of playing, so i need my strings to remain rigid and not bend too much.

[turnacus]

I mean AADGBE

Just drop the A. I'm lazy, and only feel like tuning one string, so that means stuff by Master of ReReality era Sabbath, Kyuss, Kiss and the like don't get played.  God help Sonic Youth. I think they play in every tuning except E and D. They have a guitar tech just tuning and handing out guitars from a rack.

Anyways, why is POTRE in C? Do they even hit C? I thought it was in D. Why tune down so much? Even the tab is in D.

[FartLips]

my guitar is tuned cfbegc, no changes with superslinkys no. 10's.

[r40f]

my guitar is tuned cfbegc, no changes with superslinkys no. 10's.

this is what i'm saying.  standard gauge strings, you can tune down to that tuning with no problems.  my guitar is in drop c at this very moment and it is not set up any differently.

[ninigiku]

well, i don't know much about other types of tunings, i always used the traditional EADGBe/DADGBe.
i also use quite a heavy gauge guitar pick and tend to play the electric as if it were an acoustic...

i keep seeing references to a "drop C" but i still don't know what you mean exactly... dropped like CADGBe?
it is possible that buzz is playing the songs on POTRE in that tuning, but i'd like to believe that he's playing in CGCFAd. (which is the same thing as drop D like tool, but all 6 strings are tuned down 1 whole step, which is 2 frets lower.)

[r40f]

check out the first reply in this very thread

[Mad Arab]

I have been able to tune my guitar to all those tunings and I never had a problem with it. Of course you are not going to be able to strum as hard as you would in standard tuning. Buzz doesn't play a baritone guitar on the road. And I am sure it is not customized to play in low tunings.