I Droped The Tuning Down One Step

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I have an extra guitar and after playing a baratone guitar, I droped the tuning down one whole step on my guitar.

The results have been a blast!

I love to sing John Denver's songs, but many of them are in a key that is too high for me.
Many of these songs just don't sound very good when put into a different key arrangement.

By lowering the guitar a step, these songs are now a lot easier for me to sing and I can still use the correct chords, so the songs sound right.

I do have a very slight buzzing with the lower tention but if I decide to keep the guitar tuned lower, I will get a taller saddle.

I'm using medium PB strings with this guitar.
It's a Recording King RD-227 Rosewood Dred with a spruce top.

The guitar sounds very different but I like it.
It rumbles with a lot more bass than it had in standard tuning but hasn't lost any of the highs.
I like the tone on this guitar even more than the baratone guitar that I played before.

I know that a lot of 12 string guitar players do this but has anyone else ever tried this on a 6 string guitar?

 

[danerectal]

I do it all the time. I love the way the Cmaj (Bbmaj) sounds with the 5th tacked on the bottom. It really changes the voice of an acoustimator.

 

[kydog]

ok I have a d4 12 that I will be picking up on friday and this might be a stupid question but could I capo one fret down and tune to standard is this what you would call droping the tuning down? I have always tuned my yamaha 12 to standard 440

 

[taabru45]

Sure, go for it. It'll take pressure off your bridge. I've usually tuned to 440, but with light, or extra light strings. 1 fret= half step down. 2 frets=whole step down. You'll love the 12 string. A hint for tuning is to tune the high octave string to the 12 fret harmonic of the other thicker string of that set. They should be the same note. Steffan

 

[sparks]

I keep my Guild JF30 tuned down a whole step to do songs like McCartney's Yesterday.
I love the way it sounds and don't lose any highs either. I found that mediums buzzed and heavys were just that, too heavy! I oppted for a custom guage of strings by ordering them as singles from Juststrings.com. It's a little more expensive but makes my Guild tuned down perfect, with no buzzing! Give it a try! Edward Sparks

http://mysite.verizon.net/emsparks/index.htm

 

[killdeer43]

ok I have a d4 12 that I will be picking up on friday and this might be a stupid question but could I capo one fret down and tune to standard is this what you would call droping the tuning down? I have always tuned my yamaha 12 to standard 440

I tune my D4-12 down to D (DGCFAD). Then, I capo at the second fret and I'm in standard E tuning. Works for me and mine, and it should for you as well.
Also prolongs the life of your bridge, neck, etc.

Enjoy that 12 string,
Joe

 

[William63]

I have an extra guitar and after playing a baratone guitar, I droped the tuning down one whole step on my guitar.

The results have been a blast!

I love to sing John Denver's songs, but many of them are in a key that is too high for me.
Many of these songs just don't sound very good when put into a different key arrangement.

By lowering the guitar a step, these songs are now a lot easier for me to sing and I can still use the correct chords, so the songs sound right.

I do have a very slight buzzing with the lower tention but if I decide to keep the guitar tuned lower, I will get a taller saddle.

I'm using medium PB strings with this guitar.
It's a Recording King RD-227 Rosewood Dred with a spruce top.

The guitar sounds very different but I like it.
It rumbles with a lot more bass than it had in standard tuning but hasn't lost any of the highs.
I like the tone on this guitar even more than the baratone guitar that I played before.

I know that a lot of 12 string guitar players do this but has anyone else ever tried this on a 6 string guitar?

I am a HUGE John Denver fan and I am in the same position you are. Hopefully very soon I will be purchasing a Guild F512 to tune down a whole step so I can stay in the same chord progressions but sound a whole step lower.

I also found that with light strings and a professional set up there is no buzzing and still a warm tone with a lot of projection.

 

[nutmegger1957]

Of course, ya'll can leave your axe at 440 and capo UP to be able to sing the song; but heck.......that's like listening to Moody Blues on a 78, rather than 33 1/3......