Tuning down to B or C

[Jimi2]

I’ve written a song in BADF#AD tuning, and also play in variations on open C sometimes, but I find my intonation up the neck on the sixth string to be terrible when going that low. So I’m thinking of getting a .060 sixth string and having a setup done to dedicate a guitar to those very low tunings. I’m assuming this would solve my intonation issues? It would also be nice to be able to tune up to D on occasion, if this is feasible.

[jaymarsch]

It’s definitely feasible but if you’re going from a .54 gauge on the low E to .60, you might need that nut slot altered. Most nuts are cut to accommodate light to medium gauge sets. Some players have a whole other nut cut for specific string gauges and then swap in the original nut if they want to go back to the original gauges.
You also need to know if the guitar was built to handle heavier gauge strings. String makers like GHS and D’Addario have string tension charts on their websites and you can calculate overall tension so you are not overloading the stress on your guitar top.
Best,
Jayne

[Jimi2]

Yeah, I didn’t think about the nut. I’ve got a .056 on there now, but may need the slot widened to go any bigger. It’s a Larrivee L I’m thinking about using, so I believe it should be fine tension wise; I know it can handle mediums at standard pitch.

I guess I’ll inquire with my tech about getting this done; that guitar has a really well defined bass presence, so it may work out nicely.

[Larrison]

I had a song for a Christmas gig that was in CGCGCE- I was also using a Larrivee L (L-05MT).

I ordered a custom string set from Stringjoy after a whoooooole bunch of fiddling with their tension calculator. If I remember right, this set got me within just a few lbs of standard tuning. This worked out PHENOMENAL once I widened the nut on the low C and low G strings.

String 1:
.012

String 2:
.015

String 3:
.024w

String 4:
.034

String 5:
.048

String 6:
.070

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by Larrison

I had a song for a Christmas gig that was in CGCGCE- I was also using a Larrivee L (L-05MT).

I ordered a custom string set from Stringjoy after a whoooooole bunch of fiddling with their tension calculator. If I remember right, this set got me within just a few lbs of standard tuning. This worked out PHENOMENAL once I widened the nut on the low C and low G strings.

String 1:
.012

String 2:
.015

String 3:
.024w

String 4:
.034

String 5:
.048

String 6:
.070

Nice, did you have to work on intonationg for those gauges?

[Larrison]

Originally Posted by Jimi2

Nice, did you have to work on intonationg for those gauges?

I didn’t notice any issues playing up to around the 7th fret. And I didn’t need anything higher than that [emoji28]

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Jimi2

I’ve written a song in BADF#AD tuning, and also play in variations on open C sometimes, but I find my intonation up the neck on the sixth string to be terrible when going that low. So I’m thinking of getting a .060 sixth string and having a setup done to dedicate a guitar to those very low tunings. I’m assuming this would solve my intonation issues? It would also be nice to be able to tune up to D on occasion, if this is feasible.

Hi Jimi2

I play in Dropped D more than 50% of the time on acoustic, and was having the same issue with intonation on the 6th string. I also play occasionally in alternated tunings.

Two things were happening -
1 - the 6th string was it just wasn't intonated as well when dropped to D or C
2 - the 6th string (and 5th in some tunings) was much more slack, therefore it was easily overdressed and playing sharp when I pressed it normally.

So I talked with my luthier who built my last guitar (Michael Bashkin in Fort Collins, CO) and ended up having him do a full setup on my two main guitars, and tuning the 6th string down a step while intonating the guitars.

This helped on several fronts:
1 - My main guitar needed some fret dressing which when done allowed a more precise setup
2 - Both of my main handbuilts from that point on have played more in tune on the 6th string both in standard tuning and altered tunings.

Since I had that done (around 2010) I've heard of many players devoting a single guitar to alternate tunings, and having the guitar setup and intonated while tuned to the altered tuning.

One important thing Michael pointed out was strings start to play out of tune as they age (and I string with Elixirs which last forever), so I supplied him with fresh strings for him to string it fresh while doing the intonation segments of the setup.

Just because strings 'last' a long time (or I'm just too lazy to change them), doesn't mean they continue to intonate properly throughout their life. I'm a dedicated 'bender' of strings (particularly strings 1 & 2). This also takes it's toll on intonation.

My Intonation has been far better for over a dozen years now…ever since I had this work done. My ear has gotten better over that time, and the accuracy of tuners has improved as well. So I'm glad I had the work 'done'.

One final thing…
I practiced for a few months (while performing for others) to learn to fret the 5th and 6th strings less vigorously. It takes very little 'extra' pressure to press harder than necessary and bass strings go sharp…noticeably sharp.

I discovered I play more intensely when performing than when practicing.

[Earl49]

My experience with using heavier strings and lowered tunings came from trying to get a pseudo-baritone with a shorter scale length, because of a left hand injury. Any minor intonation issues that exist at standard tuning became very noticeable the more you push it. There is value in a custom setup for a dedicated guitar, and the nut should probably be done too.

I play Hawaiian slack key in several lower tunings, and use either medium gauge (56-13) or bluegrass gauge (light trebles, medium basses) for most of the those. I've also had good results with these sets:
https://juststrings.com/jps_3260.htm...hoCtGAQAvD_BwE
https://juststrings.com/jps_3210.htm...ia&kw=jps-3210

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by Earl49

My experience with using heavier strings and lowered tunings came from trying to get a pseudo-baritone with a shorter scale length, because of a left hand injury. Any minor intonation issues that exist at standard tuning became very noticeable the more you push it. There is value in a custom setup for a dedicated guitar, and the nut should probably be done too.

I play Hawaiian slack key in several lower tunings, and use either medium gauge (56-13) or bluegrass gauge (light trebles, medium basses) for most of the those. I've also had good results with these sets:
https://juststrings.com/jps_3260.htm...hoCtGAQAvD_BwE
https://juststrings.com/jps_3210.htm...ia&kw=jps-3210

So I’m going back and forth in getting the Larrivee set up for this, or selling it- I need to make room for another guitar I just bought. Assuming the nut is ok, I could probably have my tech work on a new saddle for tuning down, and then just swap that out back to a standard one if/when I move it on, right?