Extended Range, Alternate Tunings- what are you using?

D# 5th tuning.
One day I realized you could tune most of the standard strings up or down just a little bit and get a ‘full guitar power chord’. I didn’t think I could tune the G up to A# without it breaking or being prone to easy breakage, so I just swapped a second A string in its place.

D# - A# - A# (low A string swapped in place of the normal G string) - D# - A# - D#

It’s a fun, easy tuning if you never got around to actually learning to play guitar ;)
 
I used to play a 5 string bass in drop B, had it setup to tune the top 4 strings a whole step up. Played really well actually considering it was a low end Yamaha.
 
G4M bassVI mockup drop F# or standard G# with 30” scale
Aria CS-250 drop A# with 24.75” scale

Been using custom gauge sets from Winspear. They’re long enough for baritone with a wraparound bridge.
 
Ooh. I like this thread.

I've always had a soft spot for open C tuning. CGCGCe. Pretty. Though I don't fuck around with that one too much anymore.

Nowadays I play, 90% of the time, in C standard. Mostly on 25.5" scales, though I've got got a 27-25.5 multi scale too. CFBbEbGc.

Seven strings...it all depends. I keep one a step down in ADGCFAd. Another I do a double drop: GDADGBe. One stays in standard for the most part. 26.5", 25", and 27"-25.5" multi scale.

And heavy strings. Like, really heavy.
 
jcpst said:
Danelectro Mod 7
Major 3rds tuning
C# F A C# F A C#
Click to expand...
I’ve always wanted a 7 string to keep in M3 tuning. I’ve messed around with it a good bit on 6 string, but I’d love to have a 7th string for full standard-range. Always wanted one of those nice natural-top Schecter sustainiac ones (Banshee Elite FR-S), but they were discontinued a few years ago, and now everything in their 7 string lineup is gaudy shredder style stuff. What kind of stuff are you using that tuning for? I love the tight chord voicing a you can get with it, and how accessible fast chromatic passages become.
 
Okay, let’s see…
Stuff permanently set up in an unusual tuning:
  1. Squier Mini Strat, tuned up a perfect fourth (A-A)
  2. Vox Mini Teardrop, tuned up a minor 6th (C-C) — I’d love to try setting it up E-e a full octave up from standard, but I think that’s cutting it close. Might be doable with 7s
  3. I have an old harmony from the 80s that I want to build a new neck for that’s fretted for 15-tet for cool gamelan (Slendro) inspired and equipentatonic stuff. Messed around with a 15tet tuning on fretless and with midi and I definitely want to commit to it. F-F (each string 480¢ above the previous, for sorta something between a super major third and a perfect fourth)
  4. Not that unusual, but I keep acoustics all in C or C# standard. Just a nicer timbre imo.
  5. It’s currently totally disassembled, but I have a Danelectro 59 DC that I used to keep in Dadgad when I was a jimmy page obsessed 14 year old.
  6. For lap steel I like C6, as well as a Gmaj9 tuning I came up with: G-D-A-B-D-F#

Other weird tunings I frequently visit are:

CGCGBd#

FCFABG

E A C# F# B D#

CGDGAD

C#AC#F#AE


Oh and for bass, I mainly do standard tuning, but I sometimes tune the E string up to F# for some weird stuff I do. I also put my EB-3 in CGDA for a while to play some cello etudes an octave down, and once I get around to rewiring and restringing it, I might keep it in that or DAEB. Also have a Bass VI that I keep E-E, so pretty standard.
 
All mine are either in d or e standard. I have been thinking of setting one up in B standard with heavy strings. Not sure if I would do it BEADGB like a 7 string or BEADF#B like a downtuned 6.
 
Bricksnbeatles said:
Always wanted one of those nice natural-top Schecter sustainiac ones (Banshee Elite FR-S), but they were discontinued a few years ago, and now everything in their 7 string lineup is gaudy shredder style stuff.
Click to expand...
Those look nice. It’s too bad that basically all new 7-strings look so “metal”. I’m actually getting a 7-string custom-built right now that will be my new M3. I might tune the Dano back to standard- the lipsticks have a great twangy sound along with that baritone range.

There’s a few IG videos with the dude working on it:


Bricksnbeatles said:
What kind of stuff are you using that tuning for?
Click to expand...
I had been wanting to explore M3 for a while. And then I got the 7-string and tuned it M3 E to E. The drummer in my band writes in drop C#, so I lowered it and transposed his riffs. I like it for the reasons you mention. It’s easy to get more unusual and atonal harmonies out it.

So basically, weird rock stuff. And maybe some jazz in the future.
Bricksnbeatles said:
I have an old harmony from the 80s that I want to build a new neck for that’s fretted for 15-tet for
Click to expand...
I would love to have a non 12-tet neck. Fifteen would be good, I also really like 19-tet. I feel like 31 would be too cramped.

There was a suite I wrote in college for microtonal guitar. Using an unmodified nylon string. Here’s one movement:
IMG_2657.jpeg
IMG_2658.jpeg
 
Bricksnbeatles said:
I’ve always wanted a 7 string to keep in M3 tuning. I’ve messed around with it a good bit on 6 string, but I’d love to have a 7th string for full standard-range. Always wanted one of those nice natural-top Schecter sustainiac ones (Banshee Elite FR-S), but they were discontinued a few years ago, and now everything in their 7 string lineup is gaudy shredder style stuff. What kind of stuff are you using that tuning for? I love the tight chord voicing a you can get with it, and how accessible fast chromatic passages become.
Click to expand...

Banshee mach 7 FRS ain't a bad looking axe.

I've got me a 6 string banshee elite FRS. Love that sustainer. Does wheedles pretty well.
 
jcpst said:
Those look nice. It’s too bad that basically all new 7-strings look so “metal”. I’m actually getting a 7-string custom-built right now that will be my new M3. I might tune the Dano back to standard- the lipsticks have a great twangy sound along with that baritone range.

There’s a few IG videos with the dude working on it:

Click to expand...
Dudeeee that’ll be sick. Yeah, it’s a shame that the 7 string market seems to almost exclusively be chugga chugga brootz’n’shred-oriented stuff. Definitely post a full thread once you get it!

jcpst said:
I had been wanting to explore M3 for a while. And then I got the 7-string and tuned it M3 E to E. The drummer in my band writes in drop C#, so I lowered it and transposed his riffs. I like it for the reasons you mention. It’s easy to get more unusual and atonal harmonies out it.

So basically, weird rock stuff. And maybe some jazz in the future.
Click to expand...
Awesome! If you’re interested in the jazz side of the tuning, I’m sure you’re familiar with Ralph Patt, but if not definitely check him out!

jcpst said:
I would love to have a non 12-tet neck. Fifteen would be good, I also really like 19-tet. I feel like 31 would be too cramped.
Click to expand...
It’s a bummer it’s not easier to do. Those movable fret necks are awesome, but quite the financial commitment. There are a few companies making non 12-tet necks, but mainly just the King Giz selective quarter-tone fret configuration, which is honestly pretty unexciting to me without full 24-tet frets. Otherwise it’s down to building your own pretty much. 19 and 22 tet are both really cool. I love 21tet, because like 15tet’s 3 equipentatonic scales, 21tet has 3 equiheptatonic scales. 31 has a ton of fun stuff you can do in it— a selective 31tet (31-tet-derived non-edo) neck that has maybe every-other fret in 31-tet (or starts in 31-tet and moves towards select frets past the
18th fret/perfect fifth or 25th fret/subminor seventh)
jcpst said:
There was a suite I wrote in college for microtonal guitar. Using an unmodified nylon string. Here’s one movement:
View attachment 98098
View attachment 98099
Click to expand...
This is rad! I need to save this for later, and try playing this at some point! I was (much to the chagrin of my classmates) the one nerd for that kind of stuff (and weird harmonic, polytonal. and metric stuff) in my theory and composition classes in college. We always had to sight-sing all of the classes compositions together in class, and the professor was a prog nerd masters-candidate who would make us redo it until everyone got it right.
 
jcpst said:
I find this 7-string ES-175 style kit intriguing. But still hasn’t made it on to the YAP (yet another project) list.

guitarkitworld.com

E75 Hollow Body 7-String Guitar Kit with Florentine-style Single Cutaway

Build your own 7-string E175 semi-hollow guitar kit with a mahogany body, ebony fretboard, F-holes, and Florentine-style single cutaway. Shop Now!
guitarkitworld.com guitarkitworld.com
Click to expand...
DO IT! DO IT!

If I, as a certified dingus, can put together a kit, then you most definitely can


(Is the peer pressure working?)
 
Acoustic stays in Eb, and at some point I went back to E on my paranormal tele, but prefer C#.

After I got that tele the next set of new strings went right to C# / drop C and didn't really know why, until 1) subconsciously because Alice in Chains—hadn't tried seriously playing their catalog before that; 2) other favorite songs that were in standard tuning were now more in my range and easier to sing 🤣.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top