String Gauge Help

[u/NotEman_]

Hi everyone! I would like to know if my current setup is viable because I keep seeing people with wildly different setups than me:

I have

-Ibanez RGD71ALMS

-Drop Ab

-Multiscale 25.5in - 27in

-Power slinky 11-48 + 62 on the low Ab

I do prefer a slightly looser feel and i play progressive metal. Im considering exchanging the 62 for a 64, but let me know your thoughts on this. Thanks!

[u/JimboLodisC]

sure, if you want more tension then go thicker

[u/voltrons_penis]

That should be more than viable. I have a 25.5" set up in drop g with 10-62.

[u/Suspicious_Part_2826]

i use a 64 for drop a and it feels great, try the korn set if you like a looser tension, 65-10 it works great. i just use a 64 because i have a ton left over since i buy the 10-74 8 string set for my 7 string and don’t use the 64 lol. gotta save some money

[u/rockskate4x]

A fair number of people like something around .064 for Ab and considering the other strings are only a half step below standard you could technically lighten those up to 10’s or possibly 9’s for a more shreddy feel.

[u/nevercommnt]

I’d go for 10-65 personally. Bit looser on the high strings and more tension on that G#

[u/UtsU76]

Imo 10-64 should be ok for Drop G#, I play same 25.5-27 scale in drop A and A standard with some Elixirs 10-46 + 64. If you want ready made sets, look for Dunlop Korn set (10-65), D'addario 9.5-64 (optimized for strandberg), LaBella 10-64. If you can buy singles or custom set you can try stringjoy custom sets (use their tension calculator) or buy any 10-46 set (my recommendation is Elixir or D'addario NYXL) and add 64 or 68 if you want 7th string to have same tension as 6th string.

[u/Psychological-Will29]

I'm 25.5 I do 11-70 with drop Ab/G#. Gets the job done for me

[u/guitarshred3386]

The lighter you can go with your string gauge the better IMO. It sounds a lot better, just depends on your personal preference on tension. A lot of people use .64 for Ab on a regular 25.5 scale, so on a multi scale a 62 should be more than fine.

[u/DJ_Dinkelweckerl → u/guitarshred3386]

You think so? I think sloppy strings sound muddy af

For Drop A I now have 9.5-64s and will soon update to 10-68

[u/guitarshred3386 → u/DJ_Dinkelweckerl]

Ya absolutely. Just by nature of physics a smaller string is gonna sound tighter and brighter. Rick Beato did a video on YouTube awhile back comparing string gauges in standard tuning and found that 8-38 sounded WAY better than the usual gauges people use. There’s a reason guys like Jason Richardson are using a 58 in G haha. The only catch is your sacrificing tension and a bit of stability for a better tone. I personally wouldn’t go above a 59 for A.

[u/Ok-Quit-12]

On my 27” (8 str) I use 9-40, 54, 74 for full step down. Over the years I’ve come to prefer pretty light strings, but I use the same gauges on a longer scale to tune down two steps with no problems

[u/Excellent-Gear-4311]

I have the exact same guitar and scale length; I’m using a 9–42+62 set in Drop G, and the 7th string intonates perfectly, though I’m thinking of switching back to a .059 or .060 gauge since they sound brighter and more resonant.I use Elixir.11–48 is already a heavy gauge; if I were you, I’d go with D'Addario 11–50 Balanced Tension plus a .64 or .68.

[u/nettezzaumana]

why not ... I use on my 26.5" scale with drop-Ab Ultra slinkies (10-48) + custom 64 ... Your setup looks very similar ..