Re: String sizes and other advice needed

[Wjguitar@aol.com]

In a message dated 01/14/2000 1:42:21 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
Kojaque@email.msn.com writes:

<< Question 1:  I decided to turn an old, standard scaled electric guitar 
of
 mine (an 80's G&L SC-3) into a lower register guitar.  I want to get down 
to
 a B or C on the 6th string.  What string gauges would be necessary to keep
 aproximately the same tension as if it were strung up in standard pitch 
with
 9's or 10's?  If anyone plays a 7 string, what gauge is your lowest (B?)
 string?  Also, I know there are some Crafty Guitarists out there:  What
 gauges do you guys use especially for your 6th string? >>


Try the following gauges available from GHS..  

6th:  C76    tune to A     (compound wound)
5th:  C52    tune to D     (compound wound)
4th:  022    tune to G  (higher octave)
3rd:  018    tune to C      (higher octave)
2nd: 026    tune to E
1st  018     tune to A

This will give you an interesting (Alto) guitar sound...and put some of 
your 
harmony in the middle strings, inverting the tone...great for fingerstyle 
work....If you get a friend to play a Requinto (mexican) small guitar 
tuned 
to the same tuning, but an octave higher...together you'll sound like a 
grand 
piano...:-)

I use this as an alternate guitar for solo work often, as it increases the 
tonal range of the instrument and covers the bottom end nicely and 
produces 
interesting harmonies, a well.....I understand the studio guitarist Joe 
Beck 
also uses a similar tuning, on a Cort Alto guitar with a 24 3/4" scale.

With this tuning you just play as you would normally...some songs sound 
better than others, of course...but you don't have to "learn" to play a 
new 
tuning or new instrument, like a 7 string...it's a good way of expanding 
your 
tone and sound, economically, and easily.  You may have to fool with the 
nut 
to get the action the way you want it, and of course the bridge.

I've got an ES-330,  a nylvon flamenco and an ES175D configured that way. 
and, my Flaquinto which is a double neck Flamenco/Requinto.

FOr the nylon string I've been using Bronze Pearse 076, and 052 for the 
6th 
and 5th...then, I use strings from a Requinto set (nylon for the two 
middle 
strings, and I use the standard (2nd and 3rd nylon strings) for the 1st 
and 
2nd strings....it works...and doesn't seem to put any "new added" tension 
to 
the neck...sounds cool, too!  I'd like to get the flamenco/classical 
string 
manufacturers to produce a standard set of strings for this 
application...I 
hate to break up so many sets just to get the strings I want, and not all 
are 
easily available as singles....

Hope this gives you some ideas....

Regards, Wayne Wesley Johnson 

<A HREF="http://www.indie-music.com/johnsonromero.shtml">Johnson / Romero 
Review ~ Indie-Music.com</A>