String gauge for Drop C# tuning on CU22

[Dennyz]

I want to change the strings on my CU22. It came with .010 i believe, tuned to E standard. Planning to use this guitar for Drop C# tuning 80% of the time and occasionally tune it up to drop D.

Im between these sets:
Skinny Top Heavy Bottom .010/.052 (wound strings a bit on the thick side/high tension)
Mega Slinky .010,5/.048
Ultra Skinky .010/.048

Ive installed a set of Burly Slinky (.011/.052) on a PRS Mccarty 594 Singlecut and that set was a no no. Really thick strings that killed all de zing and high end on that guitar. Maybe suitable for Drop C tuning (D standard with the 6th string dropped to C).

I have a set of Skinny Top Heavy Bottom on a LP Trad Pro with top wrapping. The wound strings are a bit on the thick/high tension side too. A bit stiff.

Any recommendation? Thanks!

 

[xxxadixxx]

For Drop D I just use my normal 10-46's, though Drop D is not a common tuning for me and I find the 46 too loose for the tuning. Most of my guitars are in D-Standard or Drop-C with the 11-52 set you mention not liking. I have a Les Paul Custom in Drop C with the 10-52 set and it feels really good as well. I would expect tuning it up to Drop C# to still feel pretty good. With all of that said, if it were me, I would start with the 10-48 set and really play the for a while to see which way you need to go as it seems like a perfect middle ground/starting point.

I look forward to hearing which way you end up going. Good luck.

 

[DISTORT6]

For a dedicated Drop D guitar I use these


Drop C# I use a regular set of 10’s.
Good enough for Jerry Cantrell, good enough for me.

 

[littlebadboy]

On my S2 tuned to drop C, I use String joy with
0115 - .015 - .019p - .030 - .042 - .058 and loving it. It may do C#. But, if I were in your shoes, I would email them to ask for a custom set suggestion.

 

[jbird]

I always figured, to keep string tension consistent...Every 1/2 step you tune down, you increase string gauge by one...I like 10-46 for standard/dropped D, so Id go up to 11's for dropped C#...

 

[Mentalo87]

I can definitely recommend the "Mega Slinkys" (10.5-48). In my band we play everything in Eb-standard and sometimes drop to C#. On the 25" its the perfect in between.

 

[Juan Luis Vidal]

Most of my guitars are in D tuning, and the ultra slinky (.010-.048) are the usual choice.

The ones using drop C tuning sport the Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Slinky (.010 - .052)

 

[MarcWink]

For my Custom 22 Stoptail that's setup for Drop C#, I use Elixir Optiweb 10-52.

 

[littlebadboy]

For drop D, I used to buy a 7-string set 10s, discard the 6th and use the 7th in its place tuned to the low D. I liked the tensions.

 

[jkornel]

I recently started stringing my core Mira with the Slinky top/Heavy Bottom sets. I use it for Standard, Drop D, and one song tuned down to B. In B its still a bit floppy but much better than when I had a regular 10-42 set on there.

 

[show_a_little_faith]

I use 10-52's on my Holcomb, I keep it tuned down a whole step, with occasional dropped C. That gauge works great, but it's also a slightly longer scale (25.5), and ships with those strings so the nut is already cut to accommodate them too

 

[swede71]

Check out the Stringjoy string tension calculator.

 

[KentuckyBoiledChiccan]

Check out the Stringjoy string tension calculator.

Daddario has a calculator, too

I'm 11-49 Eb type of a guy, same for the drop, but I used to sub the low E (C# string) to 54 or 52, depending what I had on hand. No longer bothered

 

[DECEMBERmusic.org]

D'Addario String Tension Pro and Stringjoy Tension Calculator.
Look up what the tension is of your preferred set in E standard, then change the notes and find the gauges that have similar tension in the alternate tuning you're going for. The values are specific to these manufacturers' strings, but they can still give you a good enough idea of the difference between gauges of any strings.
For drop-C @A=432Hz on my PRS 25", I have NYXL
58 42 30 22 17w 12p (Optima gold-plated for the plain), but I like heavier strings, prefer wound strings for every gauge that can be wound, and the drop to 432Hz is the equivalent of another 1/3 of 1 semitone down.

 

[Canadian_PRS]

The Holcomb SE comes with 10-52 but it is 25.5” scale. For 25” scale I always tend to go with either 11-54 or 11-56. Be mindful of choosing this in case you need to widen the low string nut slot if the gauge is too heavy for the current setup.

Edit: just relalized OP said drop C#. The Holcomb is drop C.

I’d totally recommend 10-52 then formDrop C#. Strings won’t feel too beefy and likely won’t need to make any adjustments to the nut.

 

[Maertl513]

Thanks that you came up with the Holcomb.
Since that procurement .010-.052 became my standard gauge.
Therefore I jump on the same horse to recommend this gauge, although I prefer meanwhile a seven string with standard tuning, instead of sloppy Drop-C tuned strings.

 

[DECEMBERmusic.org]

sloppy Drop-C tuned strings

"Sloppy"??? If you use the right gauges, the strings will feel the same as standard tuning.
The 10-52 set doesn't make any sense. Only the 3 bottom strings are heavier, while the top 3 are the same as in a regular 10-46 set for standard tuning. So if you tune the 17 13 10p down a whole step, they will be way too loose. No one ever drop-tunes just the 3 bottom strings, so I don't know why they make this set.
If E standard gets 46-10, then D standard should get 52 40 30w 19 14 11p to have the same tension, and dropping to C would require a 58 to achieve the same tension as a 52 at D and a 46 at E. And 19p is when plain strings really start to get gross, so an 18w would be ideal.
58 40 30 18w 14 11p in drop-C has the same tension as 46 36 26w 17 13 10p in E standard. 52 42 32w 17 13 10p will definitely be "sloppy" in drop-C on all the strings but the 42 & 32.
Use the tension calculators to find the right gauges. Match your drop-C tension to the tension of the strings you prefer in standard.
tension.stringjoy.com
https://www.daddario.com/string-tension-pro

 

[Maertl513]

I use the genuine gauge and even brand (because PRS strings are made by D'Addario), but in comparison I prefer the lower chords and intervalls on the sevenstring (.010-.056).
For me playing the Drop C Holcomb feels like playing a guitar with a very light gauge set (.007-...). It's subjective.

 

[Juan Luis Vidal]

"Sloppy"??? If you use the right gauges, the strings will feel the same as standard tuning.
The 10-52 set doesn't make any sense. Only the 3 bottom strings are heavier, while the top 3 are the same as in a regular 10-46 set for standard tuning. So if you tune the 17 13 10p down a whole step, they will be way too loose. No one ever drop-tunes just the 3 bottom strings, so I don't know why they make this set.
If E standard gets 46-10, then D standard should get 52 40 30w 19 14 11p to have the same tension, and dropping to C would require a 58 to achieve the same tension as a 52 at D and a 46 at E. And 19p is when plain strings really start to get gross, so an 18w would be ideal.
58 40 30 18w 14 11p in drop-C has the same tension as 46 36 26w 17 13 10p in E standard. 52 42 32w 17 13 10p will definitely be "sloppy" in drop-C on all the strings but the 42 & 32.
Use the tension calculators to find the right gauges. Match your drop-C tension to the tension of the strings you prefer in standard.
tension.stringjoy.com
https://www.daddario.com/string-tension-pro

you might be on the "heavier" side of things. Or the calculator is not telling all the story.

First of all, before entering the numbers...no way I would play a guitar with 11s or thicker gauges on the unwound strings. My soloing would be DOA...I have tried several times, both in 24,75 and 25,5 length and suddenly everything I play feels like an insurmountable task.

Going to the numbers, you set 46-10 for E standard, but we have guys like Steve Vai that use 9-42 on a 25.5 scale for standard tuning. Using the stringjoy app, that brings us to 92.1lb.
I change settings to my EC1000 24.75 scale (the most problematic one for downtuning), drop C, and a 10-52 gauge...total tension is 94 lb. If I'm using one of my 25.5 Ibanez it goes up to 100lb

My bottom line: 10-52 makes a lot of sense, depending of course on your preferred feeling.

 

[Dennyz]

Update:

Installed a set of Ultra Slinky (.010/.048). The wound strings are a bit floppy, specially when dropped to C#. The unwound strings feel very slinky (no pun intended), a tiny lil bit loose or thin. If i tune to Eb, the tension on the wound strings gets corrected.

There's this fine line between 10s and 11s when you start to loose high end and the bends get harder to pull.

My conclusion is that the Skinny Top Heavy Bottom set (.010/.052) is what im lookin for, or even an hybrid .010,5/.052.

It would be great if a .010/.050 set exist lol. The Hetfield set is pretty much that (.011/.050).