Favorite 7 String guitar tuning?

[You]

As the title would imply, what is your favorite tuning to use for 7 strings and why? What genre of metal do you use this tuning for? I made this thread in response to another thread that inquired other of their favorite 8 string guitar tuning, and I have yet to see a 7 string version of that thread.

My favorite tuning for 7 string guitars would be Drop A(AEADGBE) and B Standard fallowing on second(BEADGBE). I have found that I can make a plethora of riffs on Drop A that sounds good to me for Grindcore/Goregrind, Death Metal, and occasionally Beatdown Hardcore. I enjoy B Standard because of the familiarity of chord placements, also sounds good to me for Grindcore/Goregrind.

 

[Rachmaninoff]

A few years ago, when I still played in a Dream Theater cover band, I just used B standard, BEADGbe. We played not only standard 6 & 7 songs, but we also covered a bunch of songs in other tunings. I played 'em all with the same B standard.

 

[Masoo2]

Drop A or Drop A with the G tuned to F#

I simply find it easiest to write riffs and songs in that tuning

Good access to high and low notes.

It's also the perfect tuning for pitch shifting IMO. Close enough to get down to Drop F#/F or up to Drop B/Drop C without too much loss of tone or artifacts.

 

[You]

Drop A or Drop A with the G tuned to F#

I simply find it easiest to write riffs and songs in that tuning

Good access to high and low notes.

It's also the perfect tuning for pitch shifting IMO. Close enough to get down to Drop F#/F or up to Drop B/Drop C without too much loss of tone or artifacts.

I would rather have a 6 String for Drop B and Drop C and an 8 for F# tuning and so forth, though this is simply my own preference. I concur with your statement of finding it easy to create riffs in Drop A however.

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

Drop Ab all day.
Them After the Burial riffs tho.

Bb standard is fun too. I like my 7s flat for whatever reason.

 

[Anquished]

B standard. Same reason as you, familiarity.

 

[Leviathus]

B standard. Same reason as you, familiarity.

yup

 

[gujukal]

Drop G#, i like drop F too but i found it hard to get a good setup in that tuning since i prefer necks with normal scale length.

 

[runbirdman]

I have everything in standard dropped a half a step. When I was younger we tried to play Man in the Box in standard and could never get it to sound even close to right and since then I have tuned every guitar I own half a step down.

 

[You]

B standard. Same reason as you, familiarity.

Indeed, I have found that I am able to acquire differing chord possibilities with different tuning, drop tunings included.

 

[Anquished]

Indeed, I have found that I am able to acquire differing chord possibilities with different tuning, drop tunings included.

I've experimented with Drop A, Drop Ab and A Standard. However I always seem to gravitate back to B Standard. Personally I find my guitar just doesn't sound "right" lower than B to me.

But yeah you get some nice chord possibilities.

 

[Aymara]

My favorite tuning for 7 string guitars would be Drop A(AEADGBE) and B Standard fallowing on second(BEADGBE).

Same here

 

[Mathemagician]

I really want to try Drop-B on a 7, with either the G, or up to F#. Also up half a step to C standard. Currently just use B standard because well, 'mericuh.

 

[Reverend Chug]

My favorite 7-string tuning is Bb. I like playing Nevermore tunes, and they are almost all in Bb. And I have found that a 10-46, with a 70 is the perfect gauge for this! Nice and tight, no boomy lows, everything is just how I like to to be!

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Drop A, and BEADF#BE

 

[Casper777]

Standard B or Drop A for me... like how you can easily play major and minor triads and inverted triads in Drop A tuning!

 

[takotakumi]

A Standard and Drop A

 

[You]

Drop A, and BEADF#BE

Any particular reason for using F# in place of G?

 

[Thrashmaster]

i tune mine up a 1/2 step to C standard and string em' 10 tp 59 Daddarios ( funny im a solif ernie ball guy for everything but my 7's slinkys just dont come in that gauge set) C standard gives me a heavy tone with definition for rythym work and i can still reach as high as a standard tuned guitar on the solo end. since i often tune my sixers to C its sorta like i get more range out of the high end on my sevens. on a side nite there is one notable difference when tuning this way. with the seven strings i have them strung with 4 wound / 3 plain steels and on the sixes i string with 12 to 56 3 wound/3 plain steel. that d string being wound or plain has a profound effect on how the guitar plays and sounds, i find its the determining factor for if absong gets played on a 7 or on a downtuned 6

 

[Iamatlas]

I like Drop A, A Std and GDADGbe

The GDADGbe is great for open note staccato/hammer on/pull of style riffing, yet still allows huge chord possibilities, and the tonal progression from playing a std drop D style song/riff and then including the low G as emphasis notes/phrases only, and not the root is craaaaaaaaazy heavy.