Djent Guitar players usually use Lower tunings and guitars that have extra low strings. Unlike the everyday common six string guitars Djent Guitar players are utilizing seven and eight string guitars! The reason is because you can get extra low strings and depending on how they are set up, different pickups, string gauges and even picking techniques are crucial to getting that Djent sound.
Djent Guitars:
Lets take a look at some popular Djent Guitar players and what they use to help you get an idea on how to achieve the sound you are after. Djent pioneers Meshuggah use their signature 8 string Ibanez M8M. This guitar has a 29.4 inch extra long scale neck that helps them produce characteristic sound catered to the Djent style. Their guitars also have Hand-made Lundgren Model M8 pickup’s installed in them for tight bass response & defined highs. Very helpful for playing constant lower notes and help them cut. This is just one of many guitars you can choose from in the 8 string category. Granted Meshuggah has coined and popularized this style years ago, this is a good starting point gear wise if you choose to pick out an 8 string.
Another very popular band Periphery utilizes multiple guitarists in their band to achieve the layered sound they produce on their records live. Thats a lot of strings being played! They primarily play 7 strings tuned to drop A flat (or G sharp). You can do this by simply tuning your guitar down half a step and then lowest string down from F sharp standard down to A flat.
Periphery’s main axe man Misha Mansoor plays and assortment of guitars primarily: Bernie Rico Jr, Blackmachine, Ibanez, and others. They sometimes use Bare Knuckle War Pig pickups in the bridge position for some songs, on certain guitars, to give them that distinct Djent Guitar sound out of their guitars.
There are a number of things you can do to achieve the Djent Guitar sound if you don’t own a 7 or 8 string guitar. Before tuning, you can pull out your passive pickups and replace them with a known active pickup brand to help get faster and cleaner note clarity. Re-string your guitar with heavier gauge strings, this will help with the lower tunings and keep the notes from fluttering out too much. The last step is to pick a tuning to play in, staying in standard is fine, but most Djent Guitar players have a lower tuning to make the riffs they play feel heavier and give more impact. Some fun tunings to try are Drop C, simlpy tune your whole guitar down a whole step and drop the lowest string just as you would if you were putting your guitar in drop D from a standard tuning. You can even go as far as putting a F# string and string your 6 string as if it were a 7 string, but you will be missing the high E string.
These are just a few of many guitar settings and configurations you can do to achieve the Djent Guitar sound! But remember these are merely guidelines, experiment with your own Djent Guitar setup and who knows it might just be the next best thing!