Setup for DADGAD

[Wooly]

For those that have a dedicated guitar for DADGAD tuning, what gage strings are you using? Also, where is your relief and string height set at?

I have tried to use 11's which may be to light. My string height is at 3/32 on low E and 2/32 on high E but even with a lot of relief, I'm still getting a slight buzz on the B and E strings on the higher frets.

Any ideas?

[jim1960]

D'Addario sells a set (EJ24) specifically for DADGAD tuning.

[musicman1951]

I just tuned my Lowden to DADGAD. I didn't change anything but the tuning - no problems. I have SUS 12's on the guitar.

[Penrith Pete]

To me, one of the attractions of lowered tunings is that there is a lower string tension. Whilst this may result in the odd little buzz, it also provides opportunities for different types of playing including the sort of flick and plucks against the fretboard that you get in the playing of John Martyn et al.

I positively embrace a bit of buzz - in fact I would like a bit more! But my guitars are all too old and cheap to get the action low enough for that anyway! haha!

[TBman]

Bluegrass gauge (light trebles, medium wounds). D'Addario and John Pearse sells them.

[jomaynor]

The guitar that I use for DADGAD recommends no higher than the standard light gauges, so I fudge just a bit for this lower tuning tension and use the Martin Retro Tony Rice string set, which is a combination of medium and light gauges.

Most importantly, it gives me the .56 6th string, for noticeably more low end presence.

[Wrighty]

I’ve had my Avalon set up for DADGAD, and use mixed sets (DADGAD SETS) in the main.

Action at 5/64 low E and neck almost flat with no buzz.

[muscmp]

i've made no changes other than the tuning. works great.

play music!

[thegreatgumbino]

Originally Posted by thegreatgumbino

I’ve settled on Martin Retro Laurence Juber’s. I started playing alternate tunings and found the lights too sloppy. Stumbled upon this article, which made a lot of sense:

The Case For D Standard Tuning

That led me to this great article with Laurence Juber about his string gauge sizes and tunings.

Laurence Juber’s String Theory

I’ve been very happy with them.

I shared this in a similar thread. I don’t have setup specs, though mine is setup for D standard tuning. In the Juber article he shares his insight about DADGAD and string size.

[RodB]

Whilst I have no problem to tune to DADGAD with my normal 12-53 strings, one guitar stays a lot in that tuning and I normally use Wyres DADGAD strings that are similar gauges to D’Addario true mediums - effectively medium for 1st, 2nd and 6th and light for the other 3.

Changing between tunings on my guitars doesn’t change the relief enough to be noticeable or measurable, and even with the 12-53 strings no need to adjust. But then, I don’t go for really low action in the first place (0.075” - 0.090”).

[Larry Pattis]

For decades GHS has sold "True Mediums", which have the Low E (D!) and two plain steel strings at medium gauge, the A, D, G strings as lights.

This increases the gauge/tension for the three strings you are de-tuning. A lot of people simply use these strings for standard tuning, and/or other open-tunings...they are not "DADGAD specific", although they do seem to address the de-tuning/tension issue.

Interestingly, this set of strings was marketed *long* before DADGAD became as popular as it is today. The original use for True Mediums was simply as a regular old set of strings...not tuning-specific.

John Pearse has a similar product, called "New Mediums"...also first marketed many years ago.

One can and should experiment with string gauge in this regard.

I used Elixir HD Lights for a long time (light gauge wound, medium gauge unwound/plain-steel) for a long time, now I am using straight light gauge for my standard...and I am in DADGAD 95% of the time.

[JayBee1404]

GHS True Mediums are similar gauges to EJ24s and, to my ears, have a warmer, sweeter tone. I have them on my Collings and my HD-28V, they work fine in both Standard Tuning and DADGAD.

[Shades of Blue]

I am using Santa Cruz Mid Tension on my 000-28. Nothing else comes close to the tone I get with these. The low E is a .056, and the high E is a .013. Wonderful strings, and loads of low end and crisp highs, but not scooped sounding like Elixirs.

[westman]

regularly use 5/6 different tuning's 1 setup - there ain't an issue.
happy pickin

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by Wooly

For those that have a dedicated guitar for DADGAD tuning, what gage strings are you using? Also, where is your relief and string height set at?

I have tried to use 11's which may be to light. My string height is at 3/32 on low E and 2/32 on high E but even with a lot of relief, I'm still getting a slight buzz on the B and E strings on the higher frets.

Any ideas?

I use a light gauge set but with .013 .017 gauges for the first and second strings. Some folks do that and also use a .056 for the sixth string. I do this with guitars having scale lengths between 24.5" and 25.6".

As to action, much depends on your right hand technique and whether you play with a light touch or more forcefully. I play anywhere between those two depending on the song or passage, so I set my action higher than you have your action on the upper strings, to somewhere around 5/64" to 3/32".