Do you usually leave your guitar in standard tuning?

[rllink]

Standard tuning for me. I can play anything I want to play in standard tuning so I don't have any reason to tune it down or differently.

An interesting anecdote, my wife had an inexpensive but fairly decent guitar in a hard case that she put in storage for thirty years. She didn't do anything to it, just stuck it up on a shelf. Through summer and winter it sat out there. A few years ago she got it down and took it in the house to see if it was even still playable. It was just as it was when it went out there and it was barely out of tune. It sat around the house for a year or two and then she sold it at a garage sale.

[Nymuso]

Down a half but up a gauge.

[The Bard Rocks]

Mine are normally in standard. I do keep my 12er down a full step and my National in open D. One I sold recently was also kept down a full step as I felt it sounded better that way

[rstaight]

I have always used standard tuning.

[jseth]

Generally, all my guitars are tuned to A-440... unless I'm working on something specifically in an altered tuning, in which case I might leave the guitar in that tuning over night, if I plan on working on the piece again the next morning.

Quality tuners make tuning to alternate tunings much simpler and fairly quick, too... I still remember when I first started out in the late 60's and going back and forth between tunings was really a pain in the butt; using alternate tunings on stage was nearly untenable! If you've ever tried to tune your guitar in a noisy bar environment without the help of a tuner or even being able to hear your guitar clearly, you'd know what I'm talking about!

I have to remind myself, sometimes, that it's really no big deal to tune to double drop D if I want...

[tsmith28]

I have all of my acoustics tuned 1/2 step down (Eb tuning) to better match my singing range.

Risk? None. In fact, it's very likely that the reduced tension will delay the eventual need for a neck reset. This is just a theory, however.

[Mr Bill]

I have a 1969 D-28 that has been in standard tuning since, well - 1969. No problems so far.

It has had light strings on it exclusively since the 70s: 12s to 54s.

[jaymarsch]

I keep 2 in standard, one is left in dropped D, and one is usually in either DADGAD or Orkney. I have never had a problem.
Best,
Jayne

[Wade Hampton]

I keep all of my six string guitars in standard tuning and my twelve string guitars tuned a step low.


whm

[Steve DeRosa]

Always for 6- and 12-string; baritone presently a fourth below, until my tech can do the necessary nut/bridge work to fit heavier strings for A - A tuning...

[Aahzz]

Standard for me.

[mrjop1975]

Standard tuning for me. I get horridly lost even being tuned down to D. I tried 20 plus years ago to try to learn open G, but couldn't. While I admire alternate tuning players, it's just not something I can do.

[rampix]

All my guitars were in standard for 30-35 years. At that point my vocal range was lowering so for the next 10 years I tuned 1/2 step down.

For the last 5 years I’ve been tuned down a full step to D-d. With some guitars I have to audition different strings for compatibility, but others aren’t so picky. D-d suits my vocals best and is kind to my old, arthritic hands.

I’ve never had any issues with many, many guitars from tuning down. Higher than 440 could cause problems.

If my voice goes any lower I’ll have to look into a baritone guitar.

[Rick Jones]

Originally Posted by rampix

All my guitars were in standard for 30-35 years. At that point my vocal range was lowering so for the next 10 years I tuned 1/2 step down.

For the last 5 years I’ve been tuned down a full step to D-d. With some guitars I have to audition different strings for compatibility, but others aren’t so picky. D-d suits my vocals best and is kind to my old, arthritic hands.

I’ve never had any issues with many, many guitars from tuning down. Higher than 440 could cause problems.

If my voice goes any lower I’ll have to look into a baritone guitar.

My voice has also lowered a lot ion the last few years, and I've taken to tuning down a half-step, and then all my open and alternate tunings from there, so my open G is actually an open F# and my DADGAD is C#G#C#F#G#C# etc.

I keep the heavier strings anyway (13 to 56) because I think these work even better down here!

[TBman]

I keep at least 1 steel in standard and my classical is usually in standard.