[greekdude]

Hello ppl,
So I got this Ibanez uv70p, green-dot (25.5" scale, Blazes 7-string), which I love, plays great, low action, great tone, sustain, but lately I started wanting to drop tuning. So I changed the low 0.054 (tuned to B) with a 0.059 (what the shop had closest to 0.062 which I had calculated by tension), and dropped to A. Guitar had a little less over all tension, but no biggie, no changes in setup, no severe buzz. But didn't like the tone on low A. Not the definition and heaviness I'd expect. With standard B-tuning it sounds better. Not great but good.
So, I wonder : is the guitar? or the pups? Should upgrading to D-activator set or Blackouts solve the problem (while retaining the green dot looks) or should I just sell this guitar and get some guitar with bigger scale and more low-tune friendly pups?

[DarthPhineas]

Of the selections mentioned, the D Activator is a good option ( https://www.facebook.com/darthphineas/posts/728929107203074 ). Very precise/articulate/focused low end that lends itself well to low turnings. Although some comparisons were made to active pickups in some of the marketing material, I found them more natural-sounding that I was expecting.

[greekdude]

Thanx!

[greekdude]

Ended up its the rig and not the guitar exclusively.

I think I nailed it: I used the Boss/Roland metal amp, with gain at 20%, and also added a compressor, all settings at 50%, vol at 55%, which acts like a booster most of the time for distorted tones, and a T-screamer also at 50% with vol at 55%. MUCH BETTER THAN THE R-ctifier!! To such an extend that I hardly play with the R-ctifier or the 5150 setting any more! It is like R-ctifier or the 5150 just cannot amplify that low. Due is the change of the 0.059 to 0.062 (if I ever get the chance to get one lol), and it will be just perfect!
Also I found that in drop A many phrases across the 7-string's board are more convenient than in drop-B.

What I take out of this, at least based on the results by testing out things on the Boss me-25, which I find a reliable emulation multi-effect, and I guess in real life it wouldn't be much different:
1) traditional amps cannot amplify that low (Drop B and below)
2) modern metal amps are the thing
3) low A may sound too bassy in a bad way, especially with my 25.5" 7-string RG-like w. Blazes which are too bassy.
4) builtin-gain of the amp might work wonders for 6-strings in std tuning or drop B but not for drop-A (in combination of the pups). Sound was hollow without volume, if I tried to get rid of the extra bass of 3)
5) compressor helps solve some of 3)
6) Aggressive distortion pedals may sound too muddy
7) Light gain pedals like Tube Screamer seemed to work, at least on this occasion