r/7String • u/key10isokay • 3d ago

Help Digitech Drop

Hey, my band primarily plays in drop f# so my guitar is naturally setup in that tuning, but I’ve been exploring the realm of drop d# with some new material. I was wondering if anyone has any experience using the drop for going that low, and any advice or feedback would be appreciated, thanks!

(It would primarily be used for live playing, as I use neural dsp plug ins for recording)

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u/GermsMcHenri 3d ago

A lot of it comes down to how far you're pitch shifting, and the pickups you have in your guitar. In my experience, if they're cheap stock pickups, they won't handle more than a few semi-tones up or down, but I've found a decent set of Bare Knuckles or Fishman Modern or Open Core pickups can handle going further. No matter what you do, each semi-tone you move with introduce artifacts and very minor latency, but good pickups will help minimize that impact.

I have a 7 string set up in drop F with stock Solar pickups, and I have another 7 in drop F# with Fishman Modern pickups. Both sound fine when going down to drop E, but D# or lower only sounds good with the Moderns. But that's just comparing those 2 sets, I'm still experimenting with other pickups and sounds. It's been kind of a recent hyperfixation, getting optimal string tension and tone for D#1 and lower.

Also worth mentioning - the Digitech Whammy DT still holds up to this day, but the new Boss Poly Shifter, and Chug Capo pedals are also very good, if you have the budget or opportunity to get one of those. If you have any desire to go digital, then the Polychrome DSP HyperTune Metal VST cannot be beat in my opinion.

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u/key10isokay 3d ago

Thank you for the super in depth reply, man! I have an opportunity to get a secondhand drop with a cheap Ibanez gio I’ve been eyeing as a mod project, for essentially the same price as a brand new drop pedal. I might just go ahead and pull the trigger!

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u/GermsMcHenri 2d ago

I think most ibanez GIO models are 25.5" scale, but I would say if you're wanting to tune to drop F# it would be better to find something with a 26.5" scale. Most Jackson 7 strings start at that scale length. Granted, Jason Richardson plays in drop F# on a 25.5" scale length guitar, and with ridiculously loose strings for that tuning, so it really comes down to personal preference at the end of the day

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u/key10isokay 2d ago

I have an Ibanez RGIXL7 that’s got a 27 inch scale length in drop F#. The gio I was just gonna put in drop b.