Hey! I'm jamming with a new metal band, doing that metallicy syncopated progressivey metal stuff. The two guitarists use 8-string guitars tuned EBEAEGBE or something similar... The demos that they've recorded are with one guitarist playing a 5-string tuned down to EBEAD (yup, E an octave down).
I had a go, but it's just impossible to get much more than metal slapping wood. I tried explaining that a string tuned that low would have a fundamental frequency around 20.5 hz, which is essentially inaudible and will be lost to 98% of people listening on their home stereos.
However, when we jammed live, I have to admit that it did sound pretty epic.
I've been told that Dick from Meshuggah matches the 8-string guitars by tuning his 4-string up half a step. I'm a 4-string man myself, but when I tried playing the riffs in standard (with a bit of added dirt) it was just sounding lacking.
Have you guys collectively got any tips for dealing with this?
High action? Fat strings? Low mid boost? Pedals?
Also- am I likely to blow stuff up with those low frequencies? At the minute, I play a Genz Benz GBE750 through an Ampeg SVT810e
Cheers!