D Standard ?

[Paddy1951]

Hi everybody. I am a new member of AGF, though I have read it off and on for years.

I would like any advice, comments suggestions on tuning to D standard. I had a stroke in February. I have made a good comeback. Still, my fretting hand is a bit weak.
I had tuned a guitar to D standard to better accomodate my aging voice. I have discovered I really like the sound f standard D tuning and just may go that way permanently with all my guitars. I do have some intonation issues with one guitar, even with medium strings. Also, more frequent use of a capo may be necessary when playing with others.

Thoughts on this?
Thanks.
Patrick Roe

HD28
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Seagull S6 spruce
Guild OM 150
Alvarez AD 66 SB

[Goodallboy]

Paddy, I sure hope you continue to improve.

I’d suggest going to light gauge strings. I’ve played dreds and now a Grand Auditorium style guitar for over 40 years and tried mediums only once in my life. I’ve never lacked volume in any guitar.

It seems like that might help at least a little with your fretting hand strength. Good luck!

[Paddy1951]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Paddy, I sure hope you continue to improve.

I’d suggest going to light gauge strings. I’ve played dreds and now a Grand Auditorium style guitar for over 40 years and tried mediums only once in my life. I’ve never lacked volume in any guitar.

It seems like that might help at least a little with your fretting hand strength. Good luck!

The medium strings are pretty necessary because string tension in Standard D is so much less. They are actually as easy to play as lights, tension-wise.

[rmoretti49]

Originally Posted by Goodallboy

Paddy, I sure hope you continue to improve.

I’d suggest going to light gauge strings. I’ve played dreds and now a Grand Auditorium style guitar for over 40 years and tried mediums only once in my life. I’ve never lacked volume in any guitar.

It seems like that might help at least a little with your fretting hand strength. Good luck!

Really, I haven't experienced significant problems with tuning to D standard. Not every guitar sounds great with this, but it is very easy to throw a capo on the second fret. On a 12 fret guitar you will then run out of real estate quicker, though.
To avoid intonation issues when using a capo, keep it very close to the fret.

You also might consider using low tension strings, such as Newtone Heritage. But be prepared. Low tension strings tuned down are more likely to result in fret buzzing.

Best wishes for your continuing recovery.

[MC5C]

I have pretty much decided the acoustic steel string guitar was always meant to be tuned to D - D. I think the hold-over from E - E dates back to gut strings and classical guitars. I don't have a single acoustic steel string that doesn't wake up and come alive when tuned down that full step. I use light strings (.011 - .052) up to mediums (.013 - .056") depending on the guitar, but usually the lights or .012 - .052's. I play lightly, often fingerstyle or just thumb, and jazz up the neck, rarely if never open chords or strumming.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Paddy1951

The medium strings are pretty necessary because string tension in Standard D is so much less. They are actually as easy to play as lights, tension-wise.

Hi Paddy

It certainly makes Med strings play a whole lot easier, and if you are going to make this permanent or long term change, please indulge me a few moments of nerdish discussion…for your consideration.

My suggestion is if you decide this is a more-or-less-permanent change, to have your guitar(s) setup and intonated with the mediums strings…tuned to D-standard. Luthiers and techs often intonate with strings strung to standard pitch.

Setting them up with the lower tuning may well improve the intonation (if it's been properly intoned in the past) as well as the action. I have a friend who plays in DADGAD so his main guitar was setup while tuned to DADGAD, and it improved the intonation of his instruments greatly, as well as it cut down on the buzzing (he like you switched from light strings to medium-tuned-down).

We often don't consider that tuning a guitar down an entire step might throw the setup off, but it can very well change either the height of individual strings, or the intonation of a particular string, and certainly modifies the pressure exerted on the neck which affects not just action but often truss rod settings.

Lowering the strings (.013-.056 D'Addario Bronze strings) by one full step will lower the amount of tension from 188.8 lbs of pull to 143.1 lbs of pull. Whereas a set of light gauge (.012-.053) tuned to standard are pulling 156.42 lbs of pressure (according to D'Addario's string tension calculator). So it's not an exact trade off, since the mediums dropped a full step have less tension yet than the lights tuned up to standard. And often when you remove that much pressure, if the truss rod relaxes too much, buzz can occur.

I had my luthier set all my guitars up with the 6th string tuned to 'D' (since I play about 80% of the time in Dropped D) and it really helped my intonation on all of my guitars.

I had also begun stringing the 1st string on my instruments one weight heavier (to even out volume and tone in solo passages where the same notes occurred on string 1 and string 2) so the setup included that change as well.

Thanks for indulging me…I'm inspired by your willingness to adapt.

[Ceabeceabe]

You should check out martin medium/light guage which is in between light and medium gauge and running from .0125 to .055. This will help lower the tension but not be as heavy as mediums. I use them in a variety of altered tunings.

You might also think of having a setup done on the guitar.

Keep recovering!