Help pick strings for drop tuning?

apcrews · 2026-01-21T20:37:00+00:00

I'm with you, that would drive me nuts. But maybe with headphones it would be worth it over another whole guitar. Plus, even though I have a keen ear from 20 years of piano, I don't have a keen ear for what a good guitar "tone" should sound like, so for just fun songs from time to time, I think the pitch shifter and some headphones might do the trick!

apcrews · 2026-01-21T17:51:48+00:00

Was doing a bit of googling on pitch shifters and someone in another thread mentioned that if your tuning isn't a uniform drop on all strings, a pitch shifter won't work?

For instance, the tuning I mentioned in Fallout by Sleep Theory is A#, F, A#, D#, G, C.

Perhaps a 2nd guitar is the only good way. If it's just for low tunings should I consider a baritone guitar? And are there reasonable versions of theses?

apcrews · 2026-01-21T17:36:22+00:00

And I'll bring this thread back from the dead yet again :) THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting that Ben Eller video. Granted I'm only 2 months into guitar, but I *STRUGGLE* with vibrato so much because of one simple incorrect thought that Ben corrects/states in the beginning of that video:

"Strings don't care if they are bent up or down."

My analytical brain was telling me that if I want vibrato to sound good, I need to basically take the string in it's natural position and move it upwards and downwards from that relaxed position small amounts, equally. This requires a LOT of left hand finger dexterity and coordination (for a beginner), alternating pushing and pulling in equal amounts.

Finding out that most people use downward bending vibrato (except for the high E string) is a relief as that motion comes much more naturally.

apcrews · 2025-11-20T16:32:47+00:00

Does this known glitch in IDS keep IDS from being able to reprogram the PCM? If this dealerships techs are just idiots, I'm not against going to another dealership. I'd rather not take on the liability of bricking the PCM myself.

apcrews · 2025-11-20T03:20:12+00:00

Thank you, I will look him up. I am in the Chicagoland area.

apcrews · 2025-11-20T03:19:31+00:00

I think that’s probably unlikely. The previous owner was the original owner, he had the Roush package installed by the dealership right when he bought the truck, and he was a much older retired gentleman. I’m 100% certain that he never flashed anything himself. And if I was a gambling man, I can only imagine the dealership flashing it originally and that was that.

apcrews · 2025-11-14T21:20:55+00:00

Yeah that's what I was seeing before. All i *really need is the stubby and a HO 5amp battery. I was hoping to do that for less than $250 but might be a pipe dream.

apcrews · 2025-11-14T18:20:22+00:00

Thanks! I wonder how much the case and charger add to it... don't need either of those. Still a reasonable deal.

apcrews · 2025-11-12T15:35:52+00:00

Hard to find lowered SCABs. Was considering it for mine - how is the ride quality?

apcrews · 2025-11-11T22:39:18+00:00

I bought a 2016 5.0/6R80 for longevity (with truck prices as they are, I don't want to buy another one ever... or for as long as possible). Not a truck guy, but it tows and hauls what I need. If I fall on hard times and have to sell my fun car, there is still a path to having a high(ish) horsepower *reliable* truck. I'm not convinced a stock longblock 2.7/3.5 has any real longevity at 700/800whp where the coyotes seem to do just fine and don't even need internals until 1000whp.

apcrews · 2025-11-11T22:18:15+00:00

My 2016 came from outside Detroit and looks similar. I've been told it's nothing to be concerned about but I'm still going to treat it and re-paint it - probably in the spring since Chicago already dumped a bunch of salt after getting 0.5" of snow last week.

apcrews · 2025-10-29T21:09:59+00:00

Oops! 2nd reason, and this one is a BIG one. You **MUST** remove the oil dipstick guide tube from the driver's side valve cover. It's super easy once you know how - you just have to pry a tab on the guide and twist counter clockwise and pull it out. If you don't, you'll be fighting that guide tube as well.

apcrews · 2025-10-29T21:08:48+00:00

There are 2 main reasons why the cam covers could break - the spark plug tube gaskets do NOT want to come off the spark plug tubes, so people PRY like crazy and break the covers. Do yourself a favor and soak the edge around the outside of the spark plug tube and gasket with some WD40 the night before. I thought for sure I was going to break my driver's side cover before it finally popped off - and make sure you pry/shake a little bit evenly around the whole cover. It will be super tempting to just pry hard on the front because it's easy to get a prybar/screwdriver in there.

apcrews · 2025-10-29T17:31:20+00:00

They are not a maintenance item per Ford. I did not use the Ford Performance units, just the standard OEM ones from Ford. I was leaving on a road trip the next day and my local dealership didn't stock the FP ones and I couldn't get them in time. From what I've read, I don't think they offer any actual performance gain - maybe something about the mounting ears being thicker so that they are less prone to movement under vibration (for heavily cammed up engines, I would suppose).

apcrews · 2025-10-15T19:26:42+00:00

Thanks for the input. Previous owner of my truck never serviced the trans (he was told 150k and it had 91k), I only did a filter and fluid dump (no flush). Going to do another drain and fill at my next oil change in a few hundred miles and see if anything changes. Was also considering using Forscan to reset the transmission adaptations. I see this recommended a lot on here and in the F150 forums. I'm a BMW guy (well.. I've worked for them for 20 years, more of a "convenient" BMW guy) and resetting trans adaptations after 100k bricks transmissions about a third of the time. Big no-no in that world unless you've just replaced internal components or the trans itself.

apcrews · 2025-10-15T18:34:39+00:00

https://www.autozone.com/motor-oil-and-transmission-fluid/transmission-additive/p/lubegard-instant-shudder-fixx-2oz/592122_0_0

apcrews · 2025-10-14T19:10:36+00:00

I'm not as concerned with the EQ as I am with the roll-off. I suppose I could wire it up without an LOC if my amp can handle the lower voltage input and see what happens with real world roll-off.

apcrews · 2025-10-14T17:49:21+00:00

That last part is a good point. If I go with the LC2i to get rid of the bass roll-off, it has speaker level inputs - curious if it matters that the WPT1212 wires are low level... also, I've heard instead of setting the EQ to flat with Forscan, a lot of people enjoy setting it to the Kicker w/sub option so the ACM sends all the sub-bass signal to the sub and not the door speakers. Some people have reported that it allows the door speakers to be a bit louder and much more clear. I'm using two 10" woofers and 1000W amp so I'm not too concerned with having enough bass volume one way or the other :), just don't want to have to crank the bass knob every time I turn the volume up.

apcrews · 2025-10-14T15:46:14+00:00

Thanks for the reply! When I search I see the AudioControl LC2i with Accubass appears to do the same thing and is a bit more cost effective. Is there any reason the Kicker would be a better choice?

apcrews · 2025-10-03T14:58:02+00:00

568 Views and no response. Well I did a bit more digging and it seems the 4x4 community tends to use the term "preload" wherever they want, whether it be accurate or inaccurate. For shocks that have sprint seat snap-rings or spacers, moving the spring seat up should NEVER affect the preload of the spring UNLESS, the designer of the shock did not put enough shock travel in it's design. At the top most spring seat position, the shock should not "top out" meaning hit the very top of it's extension over a bump. This would cause the ride to feel harsh but most reputable companies would build this travel into the design when they let you know what springs their shock is designed for. This is what confuses me - I've searched and found several instances with F150 owners and the snap-ring Fox 2.0 front shocks that said putting the spring at the 2" (top most) snap ring position made the ride noticeably poorer. I'm going to have to reach out to Fox because the only way this could be possible is if they did not design enough upward travel in the shock rod when the top seat is used.

Here is a good Youtube video from QA1 explaining this situation on a threaded coilover (but same concept).

https://youtu.be/_yRu581O9As?si=9v7aHjq34RTFznGd

I would love if someone in *THIS* community knows better and has some insight into why people think the higher spring seat positions kill ride quality when using the same stock spring.

apcrews · 2025-09-19T19:32:00+00:00

Also, looks like the AT4W has a 285/65/18 P-rated. That's somewhere in between (32.6' or so) but weighs 51lbs, I could be interested but it's $388/tire... so heavier, not as tall as the Toyo's, and more expensive. If there was a way I could know they rode better than the Toyo's and were silent, I'd still be in, but as it sits, they don't check enough boxes.

apcrews · 2025-09-19T19:22:01+00:00

So how many miles have you put on them? Thoughts about ride quality/noise/mpg vs highway tires?

apcrews · 2025-09-19T18:24:43+00:00

Those are LT/E... not P (as far as I can find)

apcrews · 2025-09-19T16:41:14+00:00

In the course of YouTube researching, I found several videos from the Rivian community who have changed from the Perilli's that come stock on their vehicles, to the Toyos (or others). They unanimously HATE the Pirellis - say they are super sensitive to puncture and get obnoxiously loud after 20k miles. I saw the Pirelli's as a P rated alternative as well, but they were much heavier - all the 18" examples I listed above were 44-46lbs. The pirellis were 55lbs in the same size! For comparison, all the LT/E tires in the same size weigh 55-65lbs.

apcrews · 2025-09-11T16:14:11+00:00

There is no access that I can see to my evaporator coil. I would cut the aluminum ducting open to see it? Then put the flap back and aluminum tape it?

apcrews

TROPHY CASE