One guitar for each tuning? = how many guitars?

[agfsteve]

I've recently been dabbling in alternate tunings for the first time, and I've kind of settled, for now, in playing in the following tunings:

Open G (DGDGBE) on a recently-acquired resonator
DADGAD
Open D (DADF#AD)
Drop D
and Standard tuning

So I am starting to see in person what I've been told about wearing out strings quickly from changing tunings frequently, so I'm thinking of getting into the "one guitar for each tuning" thing (more guitars for me!)

What do you all think of trying to keep to this scenario?:

One guitar for Open G (capo 2 for Open A)
One guitar for DADGAD / Open D (DADF#AD) -- and interested in Open Dm (DADFAD)
One guitar for Standard / Drop D / Double Drop D

Would the above approach be a good compromise between how many guitars are required versus how quickly I wear out strings from re-tuning one or two strings?

I guess I could keep the last one above tuned one step down (DGCFAD) and capo 1 or 2 for half step down and Standard.

So how does everyone else approach this "one guitar for each tuning" thing?

I guess it's only fair for me to expect a lot of "whatever works" answers, but I'm interested in your various experiences.

[TBman]

I do something similar:

1. DADGAD Larrivee OM-05 and Seagull
2. CGDGAD Guild D-120c
3. CGDGCD Avalon L2-320c
4. Standard - Gibson, Martin, Alvarez, Guild D-55, Washburn

I'll go on a tangent sometimes and play a few tunes in DADF#AD so I'll usually use the Larrivee or bring the D-120c up. If I'm not hearing what I want to hear then I'll put the big gun into the tuning (Avalon)

I think this saves strings and time. Doing this allows me to work on multiple tunes during the week if I want.

[nrand]

For practical reasons I need to keep the number of guitars I carry to a minimum - this is why I only have three acoustics.
As a singer who uses the guitar primarily for accompaniment the key issue is the live presentation, as much as possible free of delays caused by me retuning in the middle of a set. I like to keep a steady flow of music for the work I do.
If I was well funded and could afford a touring guitar tech my answer would be different.

My local guitar tech will set up my guitars according to the criteria I give him.

So this will depend on your needs whether at home or for live work, and money.

Are you worried about the expense of strings? Because I can assure you that you’d have to go through a whole bunch of them before you ever approached the cost of two new guitars.

I have one guitar that’s in standard all the time, and another that’s for any and all alternate tunings. And honestly, I haven’t found that I’m burning through strings any faster on one than the other. And if I did, I’d just buy strings in bigger quantity to keep the cost down.

[justonwo]

I know people say that you go degrade strings more quickly if you change tunings frequently, but I’ve never heard a correlation . . . And I change tunings pretty often. But far be it from me to dissuade you from getting new guitars!

[agfsteve]

Originally Posted by TBman

I do something similar:

1. DADGAD Larrivee OM-05 and Seagull
2. CGDGAD Guild D-120c
3. CGDGCD Avalon L2-320c
4. Standard - Gibson, Martin, Alvarez, Guild D-55, Washburn

I'll go on a tangent sometimes and play a few tunes in DADF#AD so I'll usually use the Larrivee or bring the D-120c up. If I'm not hearing what I want to hear then I'll put the big gun into the tuning (Avalon)

I think this saves strings and time. Doing this allows me to work on multiple tunes during the week if I want.

Interesting. Sounds like you've got enough guitars to cover a few more tunings, should you so choose. I need to catch up!

[agfsteve]

Originally Posted by nrand

For practical reasons I need to keep the number of guitars I carry to a minimum - this is why I only have three acoustics.
As a singer who uses the guitar primarily for accompaniment the key issue is the live presentation, as much as possible free of delays caused by me retuning in the middle of a set. I like to keep a steady flow of music for the work I do.
If I was well funded and could afford a touring guitar tech my answer would be different.

My local guitar tech will set up my guitars according to the criteria I give him.

So this will depend on your needs whether at home or for live work, and money.

I am a strictly at home hobbyist, but ironically my idea of covering a wide range of tunings with few guitars seems to match yours, albeit for very different reasons.

[Al Acuff]

When I worked in a Venice Beach guitar shop we worked for a famous female singer songwriter who had 8 identical George Benson model guitars. Each one was set up and intonated for a different tuning. She used all eight guitar for her show. If you continue down this road you'll probably end up with about eight guitars too.

I play quite a bit in alternate tunings and I change strings often so I don't worry about alternate tunings affecting string life. Strings are cheap and changing them only takes a few minutes.

[semolinapilcher]

You could get a terz...

GCFBbDG

[agfsteve]

Originally Posted by Willie Voltaire

Are you worried about the expense of strings? Because I can assure you that you’d have to go through a whole bunch of them before you ever approached the cost of two new guitars.

I have one guitar that’s in standard all the time, and another that’s for any and all alternate tunings. And honestly, I haven’t found that I’m burning through strings any faster on one than the other. And if I did, I’d just buy strings in bigger quantity to keep the cost down.

No, not within reason. I just don't fancy changing strings any more often than I have to--I've always found it to be a bit of a chore.

And as much as I'm starting to get a bit more used to changing tunings, I still tend to be easily put off playing seriously upon discovering I'm in the wrong tuning. E.g., I might pick up my guitar with serious intention of learning a specific song, realise I'm in the wrong tuning, then just noodle around instead of focusing on the intended song. Hopefully I would be more encouraged if all I had to do was grab a different guitar, although I'm so lazy that that might even be too much effort.

[agfsteve]

Originally Posted by Al Acuff

When I worked in a Venice Beach guitar shop we worked for a famous female singer songwriter who had 8 identical George Benson model guitars. Each one was set up and intonated for a different tuning. She used all eight guitar for her show. If you continue down this road you'll probably end up with about eight guitars too.

I play quite a bit in alternate tunings and I change strings often so I don't worry about alternate tunings affecting string life. Strings are cheap and changing them only takes a few minutes.

Changing strings for me right now probably takes me something like half an hour (wild guess), and it's not a comfortable time. I'll probably be a lot happier if and when I can get it down to five or ten minutes, and also feel more relaxed about it.

[tdq]

I like the idea of a guitar per tuning. But on most of them I use standard and open D, often G, and occasionally others like DADGAD and open C. So that's 5 tunings X (lets say) 4 guitars = 20 guitars. Sounds great, lets do it.

But seriously - I like new strings anyway so the occasional break is a good excuse for a new set.

[Al Acuff]

Changing strings should be easy to do in ten minutes with a little practice. I have never understood why some folks hate to change strings. I enjoy doing it and I love the sound of brand new strings. Surely other folks here enjoy changing strings too? It's a chance to check over your instrument and give it a quick polishing.

Start by watching this video. Pay attention to how he locks the strings. FWIW I disagree with the way he locks his low E. I prefer to use the same over under and around lock that he uses on the other strings but then I'm using light gauge strings 12-52. If you are using medium or heavy strings his low E string wrap method might work better.

Originally Posted by agfsteve

I might pick up my guitar with serious intention of learning a specific song, realise I'm in the wrong tuning, then just noodle around instead of focusing on the intended song. Hopefully I would be more encouraged if all I had to do was grab a different guitar

I'd question how serious your intentions are if simply tuning your guitar sidetracks them. No offense, but the whole thing sounds like an expensive alternative to just practicing a little self-discipline.

[agfsteve]

Originally Posted by Al Acuff

Changing strings should be easy to do in ten minutes with a little practice. I have never understood why some folks hate to change strings. I enjoy doing it and I love the sound of brand new strings. Surely other folks here enjoy changing strings too? It's a chance to check over your instrument and give it a quick polishing.

Start by watching this video. Pay attention to how he locks the strings. FWIW I disagree with the way he locks his low E. I prefer to use the same over under and around lock that he uses on the other strings but then I'm using light gauge strings 12-52. If you are using medium or heavy strings his low E string wrap method might work better.

Yep, I just need to do it more often.