The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Following on from discussions about favorite Mat, favorite strings, etc, a quick question about what tuning(s) you use for your guitars.

Personally, I have standard tuning (EADGBE) on my VP, open-G (GGDGBD) on my Westone (for Keith Richard chords and blues slide) and open-E (EBEG#BE) on my Ibanez (non-Mat, sorry) for more rocky slide work.

I've heard good things about DADGAD and may use it on the VSH 455, if I ever get it finished, or as an excuse to get another guitar.

Your experiences and preferences gentlemen?

Tony C

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1983 Vantage VP820 Lefty
1983 Vantage VP825B Lefty
1984 Westone Thunder 1 Lefty
1981 Vantage VSH-455 Lefty
1973 Ibanez 2354S Lefty (made on the other side of Matsumoto)
(plus a couple of Yamaha acoustics)

I use primarily standard, because im mostly chord rhythm for my churches praise team, but i ocasionally throw in drop d, and i have one guitar in the family set up speciically for slide in open c..... Thats CGCGCE i think...LOL i forget off hand.....

Depends on the instrument; I used to have guitars tuned to Em, G and standard on stage later on in my "career", lap steel in E9 or C6, banjo is in G and a mandolin in violin tuning.
That said, there weren't that many songs that required guitar changes once I'd learned how to play slide in standard tuning!
Love the sound of a lap steel in Em with echo, reverb and overdrive....

I've never felt the need to detune as I've never played anything that required it, though I have used drop-D occasionally.

Standard Tuning, DGCFAD for 12-strings, Open E on the resonator: EBEG#BE, mandolins: GDAE

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All vantage-branded guitars were lower-priced instruments aimed at the beginner-to-intermediate market. It has no interest to collectors and very little demand among players! (www.allexperts.com)

Very boring throughout my "career"...standard 440Hz / EADGBE.
Never really had the need to use anything else as a rhythm guy, although I do confess to going wild on acoustic once in awhile and using a drop D or (gasp) double drop D in support of some Neil Young tunes.

As a side note though, I have been getting a lot of setup requests in the shop lately for alternate tunings like drop B, and full step lower, as well as drop D. All from younger players. Also a lot of 5 string basses and even a 7 string guitar lately. Something in the water methinks.

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"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com

I have one guitar with standard tuning (PE-R60) and the rest are 1/2 step down.
Now that I think about it, one (RS600) is a whole step down.

Now I'm just a basement hobbyist/woodshedder. I tune to whatever track I'm playing along with. Mainly standard, but the EVH trick of flattening the B string a little bit works (there are a number of "microtweaks" that work pretty well IFF you're playing a song that confines you to certain positions--& there's an overall "tweak" system--see below). I don't bother much anymore, but if the beating gets too annoying, I just trust my ear.

Check this out:

http://www.guyguitars.com/eng/handbook/Tuning/tuning.html

Back when I played out, (depending on the singer & other instrumentalists), usually flat "standard".
With a keyboard player, I'd have one guitar standard, at least one flat--if more than one, they were in different keys (so the keyboard player didn't have to accommodate the limitations of a guitar tuned to standard pitch).
Usually played slide + fingers in "standard", played around with G a little bit.

I tried to avoid alternate tunings (mental block against learning nomenclature)--often revoicing chords &/or rearranging parts--but sometimes, there's no way around it; in that case, whatever the big shot did on the original. Where did the "shrug" emoticon go?

Standard EADG. My five string has the low B. What is this for guitarists?

OK mostly standard with e minor for slide. I recently tried a minor for slide and it was kind of cool.

My 5 has a low B as well.

Several of the emoticons have disappeared. . .

Same, usually.

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"A little song, a little dance. A little seltzer down your pants." -Chuckles the Clown
Guitars: https://legend.barryeames.com
Music/Pix/Videos: https://getback.barryeames.com