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  #16  
Old 01-31-2017, 02:52 PM
woldsweather woldsweather is offline
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I cant forget the low C tuning as I have learnt 30 or more songs from tab and that's the way they are played. However realising my mistake with the electric guitar strings and now with my old D'Addario mediums on thing are much better back to normal where I have learnt to (mostly) just cope with the slack C string. I did try the heavier bottom strings all the way up to .059 some years ago but didn't get any benefit. If I can find them I get the D'Addario optimised for DADGAD.
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  #17  
Old 01-31-2017, 04:34 PM
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RodB RodB is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woldsweather View Post
?.....If I can find them I get the D'Addario optimised for DADGAD.
You might also consider something like D'Addario EJ19 Bluegrass strings rather than the DADGAD ones to avoid too much tension in the tuned up 2nd string and have a fatter 5th at the same time?
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  #18  
Old 02-01-2017, 02:36 AM
woldsweather woldsweather is offline
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Another tuning isn't an option as I have learnt from tab (not chords) over 30 songs written in this tuning and I really enjoy playing them. Now I have found the culprit with the electric guitar strings things are back to normal (ie string still yoo slack but I cope). I have used .059 in the past a long time ago and I didn;r find any improvement as I remember.
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  #19  
Old 02-02-2017, 09:08 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by woldsweather View Post
I cant forget the low C tuning as I have learnt 30 or more songs from tab and that's the way they are played. However realising my mistake with the electric guitar strings and now with my old D'Addario mediums on thing are much better back to normal where I have learnt to (mostly) just cope with the slack C string. I did try the heavier bottom strings all the way up to .059 some years ago but didn't get any benefit. If I can find them I get the D'Addario optimised for DADGAD.
I use an 11-53 set for both EADGBE and occasional retuning to drop D or DADGAD. They work fine. (Acoustic legend Bert Jansch - I discovered later - used the same gauges, for the same set of tunings.)
The 53 is just OK for tuning down to C but does cause intonation problems, in that I have to very careful when fretting it - the lightest of pressure.
IOW, you can get away with tuning those gauges down a whole step (or the B string up a half-step, in your case), but for a low C I'd go 60 or thereabouts, as the others suggest. 59 should be OK, IMO. (What benefit you did you not get?)
Of course, I wouldn't want to tune that up to G! (I wouldn't want to do that with my 53 either, although I'm sure it - and the guitar - could take it).
You can get sets designed for drop C tuning, which ought to work, but I've only seen them for electric guitar. For acoustic, you may need to mix sets (light top, heavy bottom).
You might find some tips here: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=124906
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  #20  
Old 02-18-2017, 09:14 PM
Seby Seby is offline
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Hi Woldsweather!

You are correct. Tuning is often a compromise. Especially if you have highish action, as the fretting of a note will pull the string "out of tune" if you are in tune when the string is played openly, or "into tune" if the string is slightly flat when played openly.

The trick is finding a happy middle ground given your fretting hand habits, string gauge, fret height, and playing style.
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  #21  
Old 02-18-2017, 09:36 PM
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JeffreyAK JeffreyAK is offline
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I often use a close tuning, C#-G#-C#-G#-C#-D# (a drop-D variant of "Open Page", shifted down a half-step, which is almost open-C shifted up a half-step), and I don't notice intonation issues compared with standard or anything else. What changes intonation, as it looks like you've found, is not changing tuning so much as changing gauge. This affects where the saddle point should be, and also can make it easier to squeeze the string down too hard if you go very thin.
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  #22  
Old 02-23-2017, 03:55 PM
Seby Seby is offline
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Also, Open C Low - CGCEGC is lots of fun
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