What guitars for Drop-A stuff?

[PanicProne]

Well, started a thread on this over at TGP but figured, hey shouldn't this belong a bit better at ILF?
Long stroy short. Been wanting to tune Drop A a lot lately and wonder what the best way would be, what people would recommend. Baritone or 7-string guitars..

What are the main differences between these too soundwise? Can you actually hear a difference on recording for example?
How much harder is playing a 7-string than a 6-string?

Main inspiration for this have been stuff by Thrice and The Ocean (aka Ocean Collective) and heavy stuff in general.. I really like downtuned stuff but was also wondering how far one can go with a "standard" guitar without it sounding absolutely crap..

So,
7-string, Baritone or 6-string?
Pros, Cons and the usual stuff please!

[whiskey_face]

ive gone down to G with my les paul and a good set up and it sounded great. one of these days ill get a 7. ive played 7s and even 8s in guitar stores and after 1 min of getting used to the scale on a 7 string its pretty easy. 8s are a little tougher but after about 10 mins of adapting you should be fine.

[Gunner Recall]

Part of the charm of the earth will shake is that they are using regular 6 strings tuned down to drop-A so the strings just flop all over the place when they slam down on that chord during the verse and it sounds
For this you just might need some thicker strings...like say 50-52 for vheissu stuff or maybe thicker if you are doing some chuggachugga br00tz/you find it too floppy.

As for baritone vs 7string it's mostly preference. Baritones have longer scale necks (usually 27-30, 30 is true baritone imo because it can go a full octave down).
So you can get those really low tunings while maintaining enough string tension.
Thrice started using the bari jag on the fire album, so firebeather/the messenger are a good reference. (They use the discontinued bass vi bari jag, not the current model)

7-strings usually have a much flatter/thicker neck, it's harder to adjust (unless you already like big/flat necks), but you can get more creative with your playin.
You can come up with alternative ways to play (be it tunings/chords/scales whatever) that would be near impossible with a standard 6 string.

Some people just prefer a wider neck over the longer scale.
The baritone may seem like the easier choice, but a longer scale can really throw you off, just play around and see what works.

[Nychthemeron]

Aen had a video explaining a cheap way to downtune a normal guitar. Just get higher gauge strings and that should fix your problem. You might need to have a different nut in so the strings don't pop out all the time, but it will work just as well as a baritone guitar.

That being said, if you can find one of those Baritone Jaguars, jump on it. This one looks amazing.

[Gunner Recall]

Aen had a video explaining a cheap way to downtune a normal guitar. Just get higher gauge strings and that should fix your problem. You might need to have a different nut in so the strings don't pop out all the time, but it will work just as well as a baritone guitar.

That being said, if you can find one of those Baritone Jaguars, jump on it. This one looks amazing.

Yup that's the one Teppei plays...I want so hard but it's $$$$$$
The Schecter Hellcat is much cheaper and is very much in the vein of the bass vi / bari jag custom

[Nychthemeron]

That's true, but I don't know how the pickups compare to a Bari-Jag. Some people swear by the Hellcat though, and it is a great choice for a relatively inexpensive Bass VI.

[tuffteef]

jazzmaster

[PanicProne]

cool to see allthese nice answers.. The jaguar teppei uses looks awesome. The current baritone model doesn't. I know looks aren't all in a guitar but it's still a lot. Been thinking about a baritone tele.. Maybe I should just try thicker strings.. Only thing I'm worried about is it will damage the guitar.. I'm currently doing Drop C with my 72 tele deluxe and it works great. But I really don't like the feeling of tension when replacing/changing strings...

As I really feel comfortable with 6-stringed guitar, never was a big fan of 7s and it's so hard to find nice baritone models, I might just go for a nice 6-string with thick strings then.. Thanks for the advice.. Any more comments/ideas? Feel free to hit me up!

[in2thegapagain85]

I've been downtuning stuff for a while now, drop B and some drop A. You can easily pull it off with a normal guitar, it's just all about setting the guitar up. Heavier gauge strings and adjusting the action should set you straight. On my tele I use a .56 gauge so there's enough tension.

That being said, I also have custom Baritone Jag, and it's my favorite thing in the world. I love Thrice as well and since I'm using dropped tunings I decided to go baritone. Found one in new condition for $1000, bought it and havent looked back. However, it will defintely change the way you play. The longer scale length can be tricky as you won't be able to easily play stuff that you would on a normal guitar. But it's also kinda cool for making you do somethings that you normally wouldn't.

But as with all stuff, consider what it is you wanna do, and of course if you're able, just try stuff out and see what works for you!

[bubstance]

.

[rabbit]

Aen had a video explaining a cheap way to downtune a normal guitar. Just get higher gauge strings and that should fix your problem. You might need to have a different nut in so the strings don't pop out all the time, but it will work just as well as a baritone guitar.

yea thats basically the #1 thing really, just get bigger strings.

[erik]

i have an Aria BB-500 Baritone (The Cure's Perry Bamonte Model), it was made to tune in A and i think Bamonte once said the feel and the sound is very close to a Fender VI. i have not played it a Fender IV so i cannot compare.

one thing you may want to put into account is the scale length.
to me, it is more or less like a bass rather than a guitar, i never felt like playing it like a guitar... nothing wrong with the sound, just the feeling is pretty much like strumming on a bass...... nice to do down-tune cleans and solo stuffs tho.

[Bellyheart]

When does Teppei use it? That's awesome.

[aen]

viewtopic.php?f=149&t=10239

[PanicProne]

When does Teppei use it? That's awesome.

check out: www.thricegear.blogspot.com
one of the coolest gear-blogs/pages/whatever online.. if you like thrice that is. Also, teppei himself commented on this page a while ago and said it was actually pretty accurate..