Tuning low E up to G.. Any risk to guitar

[silvercn]

Hi. I am planning on learning to play the great song by Shawn Mullins, Lullaby. To get the great sounds on chords, he does open G tuning, except in this case the low E is also tuned up to G as well as the A going down to G.. My question is, is can that be too much tension for some acoustics? I will use a Taylor 110e, with medium strings.

Thanks in advance. Charles

[jgottsman11]

I'd be careful. I would never do that with one of my guitars

[jdto]

According to this string tension calculator: https://tension.stringjoy.com/ Standard Tuning and Open G with the bottom string tuned to G are about the same amount of total tension.

[Bluemonk]

Originally Posted by jdto

According to this string tension calculator: https://tension.stringjoy.com/ Standard Tuning and Open G with the bottom string tuned to G are about the same amount of total tension.

But does total tension tell the whole story, or would the additional tension on the bass side potentially cause problems?

[Moocheng]

not something I would risk,

you could replace the low E with another A string dropped to G

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Originally Posted by Moocheng

not something I would risk,

you could replace the low E with another A string dropped to G

Yup, replace the E string with a lighter gauge

[srbell]

Another way to reduce tension would be to capo on 2 or 3, then do the tuning you're considering.

[jdto]

Originally Posted by Bluemonk

But does total tension tell the whole story, or would the additional tension on the bass side potentially cause problems?

Not sure. It's all pretty close together in terms of where the point of tension is at the bridge, but it could cause some torque. That said, I wouldn't leave the guitar in that tuning for long periods, but to learn one song I probably would. Using a lower gauge string is probably the best idea.

[Misifus]

A rule of thumb I use is, tune down, never up.

[Brucebubs]

Not a problem.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by silvercn

Hi. I am planning on learning to play the great song by Shawn Mullins, Lullaby. To get the great sounds on chords, he does open G tuning, except in this case the low E is also tuned up to G as well as the A going down to G.. My question is, is can that be too much tension for some acoustics? I will use a Taylor 110e, with medium strings.

Thanks in advance. Charles

As mentioned, you could tune the guitar with lighter gauge strings to Open G or tune your guitar down a step with its existing string gauge and capo to Open G.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by srbell

Another way to reduce tension would be to capo on 2 or 3, then do the tuning you're considering.

Ditto.....

[Doug Young]

I've done that with standard light gauge strings. Years ago, I did a John Fahey lesson for Acoustic Guitar, and I was amused to discover that he sometimes used a double G bass, both 5th and 6th strings tuned to G. It was actually rather interesting, and I had no trouble tuning up that far. No idea if it's safe for any given guitar, and I don't think I'd leave the guitar in that tuning for long. But a string tension calculator should shed a lot of light on it - probably not as bad as you'd think.

[Wade Hampton]

Back when I was experimenting heavily with various guitar open tunings, I learned about an open G tuning that instead of dropping the E strings and A string down a step went in the other direction, tuning the strings to the notes you get when you play a first position G chord: G B D G B G, low to high.

I fooled with that tuning off and on for a few months, and on at least a couple of occasions left it there for a few days. And it’s more than likely that I was using medium gauge strings at that time, because I was more or less an intermediate player by that point, and had only used lights during my beginner phase.

But the guitar was a short scale solid wood Harmony Triple O copy, and had a massive neck on it that was as beefy as a Louisville Slugger. It never shifted or became difficult to play, however foolish I might have been to have left the guitar laying around in that tuning.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that your guitar will withstand that high open G tuning the way that mine did, and in fact I would never tune any of my guitars that way now.

But it didn’t hurt that particular guitar back then.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[silvercn]

Thank you.!! I'm sure glad I thought to ask this first. Now I'm pretty reluctant to do this for just one song. I can just use the standard chords and pull off a good song.. But you know how we want to make it sound like it was recorded...!! BTW I think Shawn Mullins is one of the best songwriters ever for someone not in the limelight since Lullaby.. Check out his song library and don't miss his The Ghost of Johnny Cash!!

Thanks all.