#16
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#17
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I like medium strings tuned down a whole step or 12.5-55 medium-light strings down a half step. I don't sing or play with an accompanist, so it's not an issue.
I love what it does for the bass strings... |
#18
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#19
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To add to the chorus of “me too”s, I have one full-scale, 14-fret dreadnought that I keep tuned D-d, and it sounds really good like that. I picked a full step instead of a half-step for a reallly silly reason: The fret dots all work out when I capo up two frets. The other good reason is playing with others. It’s easy to play songs in D using E fingerings, C using D fingerings, G using A fingerings, etc., without using the capo. So it’s kind of the best of both worlds. It’s a low-tuned, 14-fret guitar, that instantly transforms into a standard-tuned 12-fret guitar with the capo.
I’m not sure I agree with the comment about not losing anything by reducing the tension, though. As a thought experiment (or a real experiment), try detuning the same set of strings further. As you reduce the tension, the loudness decreases and the reproduction of the higher frequency components of the sound also diminishes, and eventually the sound becomes a dull thud with very little volume at all. The string tension deforms the top so that it’s operating in a more linear region, and able to more efficiently respond to the strings’ vibration, and particularly determines the high-frequency components. I guess this is why some players make such a big deal about insisting on full-scale guitars (higher string tension), because they reproduce more overtones. I still like my D-d dred, though... |
#20
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I play in a cover band and we do a bunch of songs tuned 1/2 step down... mainly from Nirvana and Alice in Chains... sounds great on my JC D35... I know write originals in this tuning as it fits my voice better.
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#21
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^^^Similar to me. I have a dred and a Strat that I keep half down for "those" songs, simply because my voice works better there; were it at concert pitch, I'd sound strained.
Which also follows that as I age, it is getting increasingly more challenging to keep my voice "limber" enough to hit higher notes with comfort. So that is why I do the opposite: I keep guitars at concert pitch so I keep exercising my voice so that it doesn't continue to slip. Kind of like making sure I continue to exercise the body despite my body getting older and less capable: retard the inevitable! As to the guitar's voice, on a bass-heavy guitar half down just exacerbates the boominess so no, it's not an automatic thing. Judge each on its own voice. That said, 12-stringers almost universally benefit from going down a half or full step, at least to my ears Edward |
#22
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I keep my guitars turned 1/2 step down. They seem to sound a little mellower and rounder to my ears. It also makes me feel better about stress on the neck...though I’m sure it’s minimal!
Scott |
#23
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Thanks for all the feedback and advice. It has been eye opening and I like what is said about helping to match ones singing voice. I transpose a lot of stuff because of that issue as well.
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#24
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I only keep one of my acoustics up to E - the one I play with other musos .. just so I have less I must think about.
The others are D so I can have more mass in my strings .. more of everything except high pitch, which I don't value. A small number of guitars just don't behave well below low E but when they do it's a win! |