7-string guitar with high-A string

[DeadPool2099]

For a fun experiment I tried tuning my RG 7421, to have a high A string instead of the low B. For a little while I got curious about how it would sound on my guitar to tune higher. I ordered a set of 8's Ernie Balls and a 007. My guitar was tuned
E A D G B E A.

At first I was scared of tuning it to E, I tuned it up to Eb. I tuned it up to E standard.I played my 7-string in this tuning for a couple of months, it felt easier to do major arpeggios. It opened up a new way forward. More sonic possibilities the tension on the string felt too high. I could slide on the high A string and do Vibrato. When I would try to do half or whole bends it would work. Yet the high A string would Snap after awhile. I gave up trying to tune my guitar this way. Now I just keep my 7-string in B Standard.

Has anyone else tried doing this to one of their 7-string guitars for fun?

 

[Given To Fly]

Yes, there is actually a big thread about it somewhere on this forum. I managed to do it with an 8 string tuned like standard 7 string guitar with the A on top. However, "managing to do it" and saying "it works" are two different things. I had to slowly tune the 1st string up to A over the course of 3 days. If I tried to tune it fast, the string would always break. I'm glad I tried it, but I never felt confident the string would hold (even though it did) which is never a "fun" feeling when playing guitar. It sounds like you had more success over a longer period of time.

 

[DeadPool2099]

I sort of had success Keeping the guitar in tune for a couple months. I ordered a few extra 007 strings just in case they broke. The first time I tried it it worked but the string broke after i bent it. I got carried away playing it for the first time trying to sound like David Gilmour doing blues bends.

The Second time I strung up the guitar I just did you what you did I let the string settle for three days. After that I tuned it up and it worked. I just did slides on it and didn't bend it. I got the idea of tuning my 7-string guitar with a higher string when I was listening to Scale the Summit, the album Carving Desert Canyons.