String experiment/altered tunings.

[Kulyeh]

For a while I've wondered what happens when you take a guitar with a floating bridge setup for a particular string gauge and move up one size as to what tuning you end up with the bridge in the optimal (or close to optimal) position WITHOUT changing anything.

Well, if you keep the EAD strings the same gauge as before and only increase the GBE strings one gauge size its close enough to a 1 whole step drop to be useable. For instance, on my guitar I used and had it setup for GHS Boomers Custom Lights, Due to the guitar shop not having a nickel version of either the GHS or SIT 1046 set, I ended up with SIT Power Steel Stainless 1046 set for my experiment. The tuning I ended up with was roughly between D and Eb (a couple of cents above D). It was reasonable close to D tuning to be useable for the stuff I play in that tuning. This way, I didn't need to re-setup the whole guitar (because of the floating bridge) and I can use this guitar for standard E tuning or D tuning... just requires to change 3 strings. :)

In any case, its an intersting tidbit of information that may prove useful to some people.


Edit: Perhaps I should have posted this in Trade Secrets...

[spoonbadger]

i tried this "experiment" once by accident with acoustic strings on my super light gauge electric.i have the whole thing strung up and im tuning in when i notice that it keeps going our of tune,so i keep tuning it.after about 3 mins of this i notice that my bridge is not only floating but its at a 45 degree angle!so i carefully detuned and unstrung it,then kept my distance from my angry tremolo.if your only changing around a few strings to a different tuning then it shouldnt be too much of an issue.it will definately change the tremolo a little bit but it wont have much effect on your playing.as long as you dont change more than 3 strings and you keep the same guage strings it shouldnt be a problem,but it might be easier just to switch to a lower gauge before chaning the tuning.

[Kulyeh]

The whole idea behind this was that when you switch a heavier gauge strings on a floating bridge you absolutely must reset up the guitar for the new gauge strings (heavier gauge strings require more tension to get the same tonal sound as lighter gauges). So I had sort of loosely wondered what tuning I would end up if I didn't do this setup but instead just tune the guitar until the bridge is sitting at the correct position (i.e. your not worried about getting the E string to E, or A string to A etc.) with the new gauge strings. This way, the new gauge is exerting exactly the same tension upon the bridge as before, but your in an drop tuning. For my test, I only changed the DAE strings due to the guitar already setup for 0946 (which is 9's with the wound strings from a 10 set). So the logical choice for my test was 1046's and as it turned out it gave me exactly one whole step drop in tuning (which is fine, since I often play stuff in D tuning anyway). It basicly saves me the setup work when I want to use a D tuning or an E tuning on the same guitar. Its just a matter of deciding what tuning I want the guitar to be when I change strings. I can just as easly put the 0946 back on it without touching anything and be in standard E tuning. In theory you can do the same thing going the other way with 8 gauge strings and tune to Fb (perhaps even F). Mainly the idea is to match string tension, instead of a tone.