Thanks for all your replies. I actually contacted Guild and the response was:
Thank you for your interest in Guild Guitars!
There is no need to tune 1/2 step lower. These are made to be tuned to standard E tuning. As for changing the strings, you can remove all at once but make sure you re-string as soon as possible, otherwise, do 6 at a time.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to respond directly to this email and I'll be happy to address them - please do not modify the subject line of your email reply, as our system will not recognize it. Please do not resubmit another inquiry through our website as it will open another issue.
Have a great day and thank you for choosing Guild!
Thank you for your interest in Guild Guitars!
There is no need to tune 1/2 step lower. These are made to be tuned to standard E tuning. As for changing the strings, you can remove all at once but make sure you re-string as soon as possible, otherwise, do 6 at a time.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to respond directly to this email and I'll be happy to address them - please do not modify the subject line of your email reply, as our system will not recognize it. Please do not resubmit another inquiry through our website as it will open another issue.
Have a great day and thank you for choosing Guild!