I dropped my acoustic guitar to A tuning

[Nola]

The strings felt too tense like they were bowing the neck so I loosened them a lot and A felt good on the E string. So the tuning is A-D-G-C-E-A.
Has anyone heard of this?
It sounds weird but cool.

 

[Robus]

Sounds like a truss rod adjustment might be in order. Not difficult, but you should read up before doing it.

 

[Nola]

thanks robus. it's only a $100 guitar from like 20 years ago so i don't want to bother messing with it and will just play it like this. i just wondered if anyone ever tuned down an acoustic that much because i can't find anything about it on google. it makes all my songs sound so different and is actually inspiring creativity with the new sounds.

 

[mjbphotos]

What gauge strings are you using? They must be loose as hell. $100 guitars are good as wall decorations!

 

[Track Rat]

Hell, I'm sure guitars have been tuned down to DC. I enjoy dropping the E to D but that's about it for me.

 

[Chili]

I couldn't imagine the guitar would be playable tuned that low. Eh, I just tried and no way could I deal with the string slap all the time.

 

[Farview]

Wait. Somehow you think it's easier to relearn all the notes and chord shapes for your new alternate tuning than it is to stick an Allen wrench in the sound hole and turn a screw? (And/or buy lighter strings)

 

[Nola]

Wait. Somehow you think it's easier to relearn all the notes and chord shapes for your new alternate tuning than it is to stick an Allen wrench in the sound hole and turn a screw? (And/or buy lighter strings)

i play the chords the same as always and they just move to a new key, so that way i don't have to learn the new notes. it's a pain once i add other instruments, but usually i only use the acoustic guitar for stuff that is just one guitar. i kinda know how to transpose things though so i can do it if i have to

the strings don't slap at all i guess it's the gauge. i think they're medium. and i think the guitar was build for light. so i guess they hold pretty firm. the only thing i don't like is the b string gets a metallic ring to it, but the other strings sound cool. maybe it depends on the guitar. i dunno about $100 guitars only being good for walls i saw an orchestra that made their guitars from free trash at a landfill and they sounded awesome, and then Beck plays $50 parlor guitars on grammy records so i think it just depends what you do with the piece of junk not what it cost. so far i haven't done too much with it so that's the bigger problem.

 

[Robus]

It doesn't matter the price of the guitar. Staying on top of setup is worth doing on any instrument that you play. If you keep up with it, small tweaks are all you'll likely ever need. Seriously, check your neck relief. If you've got too much bow, give your truss rod an eighth of a turn clockwise, then check it again. If you keep it to small adjustments and keep checking as you go, you're unlikely to damage anything.

 

[JimmyS1969]

What gauge strings are you using? They must be loose as hell. $100 guitars are good as wall decorations!

I have a couple of $100 wall decorations myself (and they are hanging on the walls). Though I will say I had one great sounding $100 Mitchell that must have been a prize in a pool of shit. It sounded great. Not a Taylor by any means but it did sound quite good for what it was.

BTW, some ass exchanged it with a lesser piece of crap while I was recording their band. I still am not over being pissed about that...

Anyway, even a low end guitar can benefit from some simple tweaks. I myself would surely experiment on a $100 guitar before even attempting an adjustment on an expensive one.

 

[Nola]

i think the gauge is .13 - .46. is that heavy?

maybe that's why it works ok.

i dunno i think people should get a cheap guitar and try weird tunings i wrote two new songs just 'cause the tuning sounded so different and it made me hear things differently

 

[Farview]

.13 is pretty damn heavy. Mediums are .10, light gauge is .09

Yes, .13's are going to be really tight and hard to play tuned normally. They will probably pull the neck out of shape, if it isn't set up for them.

Put a set of .10's on it and you will probably be good.

 

[Nola]

they're actually .13-.56
i think it used to have .10 on it years ago. if i tune these to pitch they kinda sound like they're ripping the saddle plate apart. so that's why i started tuning lower and i wound up really liking it. they're slack when tuned to A so do you still think they're pull the neck out of shape?

 

[Farview]

Not if you have them tuned seven semi-tones down. I'm surprised there is any tension at all. Another 2 1/2 steps and it would be a full octave down, i.e. a bass.

 

[Nola]

Not if you have them tuned seven semi-tones down. I'm surprised there is any tension at all. Another 2 1/2 steps and it would be a full octave down, i.e. a bass.

yeah it's crazy i actually had it down to a G and it got a little too slack so i went up to A and it was okay. i posted a song in the mix clinic recorded on my iphone played with that guitar but took it down because i'm redoing it on better equipment. darn.
i'll try to record something so you can hear it it's weird and eerie sounding. i wanna do a beck cover so maybe i'll use it for that. i like "hollow log" and "going nowhere fast" by Beck and he tunes down 1 full step for those and it sounds interesting. an acoustic guitar to me sounds more like old blues when it's tuned down and more like country when it's tuned up standard

 

[Farview]

I used to tune all my guitars down a full.step. it is a slightly darker sound. But that is very common, even Motley Crue has been doing that since the early 80s. Van Halen and kiss were 1/2 step down. Black sabbath were a step and a half down.

 

[RFR]

Generally for an acoustic 11s are considered light, 12s medium, and 13s heavy.

Most common is 12s. Most acoustics intonate best with them and it's s good gauge for the neck

13s on a cheap acoustic tuned to pitch can be a disaster down the road.
The neck can be adjusted to handle the tension, but over time it's possible for the top to bow and you even run the risk
of the bridge pulling off.

I'd go to a more conventional tuning and use 11s or 12s

 

[Tadpui]

I've been a fan of .013 on acoustic for a long time now. Something about that extra tension makes it louder and woodier sounding.

Was the guitar maybe intended for nylon strings? I learned to play guitar on an instrument that had steel strings, but was intended for nylon strings. Jeez, the action on that thing was like 3/4" off of the fretboard at the 12th fret. At the time I didn't know any better, and it tore my fingers to shreds. The first time I played an electric with more reasonable action, I was amazed.

 

[Nola]

I've been a fan of .013 on acoustic for a long time now. Something about that extra tension makes it louder and woodier sounding.

Was the guitar maybe intended for nylon strings? I learned to play guitar on an instrument that had steel strings, but was intended for nylon strings. Jeez, the action on that thing was like 3/4" off of the fretboard at the 12th fret. At the time I didn't know any better, and it tore my fingers to shreds. The first time I played an electric with more reasonable action, I was amazed.

that sounds like my guitar the action is so high and awful. it came with .11 strings not nylon so i should go back to those. i'm just kinda addicted to this weird sound. the guitar has water damage and all kinds of other problems. it's a real hot mess.

 

[mjbphotos]

13s are standard 'medium' gauge for most acoustics - it's what my Taylor has. Bitch to get used to when you've been playing lights all your life!