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Is tuning up to open E safe on acoustics?


theflyingturtle

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Just tune down to open D then capo 2 for open E without the worry

 

Ditto. Even though a Gibson acoustic with a steel truss rod is built to withstand standard tuning with medium strings, I don't see any reason to tune it to open E even with light gauge strings. Just tune to open D and capo. I do that for my favourite open E song "If I Laugh" by Cat Stevens even though the Cat recorded it on his J200 in open E tuning.

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So many votes for open D?! Okay, I will look into it. I was just interested at seeing visually how the open tuning changed the "caged" blues patterns. I eventually just grabbed an old MIM Telecaster, tuned that to Open E, and fooled around with a backing track just to see what it was like. It was fun.

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if you want to tune up to E (I'm happier in D, less stress on the guitar equals less stress on me!), try round core Newtone strings. They have lower tension than hex cores and are kinder to the guitar.

 

I have a 1935 Fiddle-Edge Dobro M32 which I string with round core 15-56s, it usually lives in D but occasionally concert pitch happens and it's fine. Round core 12s would go up to open E with few probs in theory.

 

One major caveat with round cores is that you HAVE TO string the guitar up, tune it, stretch the strings in and retune before snipping the excess ends off at the machinehead capstan...if you cut them before they're at full tension the wrap wire will slacken and the strings will sound dull and horrible.

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This is one of the main reasons I prefer the versatility of 14 fret blues boxes over 12 fretters. To play open E, I simply tune to open D and put a capo on the 2nd fret. Same thing for all of the Robert Johnson tunes in open A - tune to open G, and then capo 2. With capo on 2, the guitar essentially becomes a 12 fretter.

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Ovations are perfect for altered tunings....particularly the cheap ones.....:blink:

 

I've got mine in 'Nashville' tuning at the moment....which is surprisingly taut for such thin strings....

 

The other option is to drop a string gauge...then tighten up to open 'E'....[thumbup]

 

I saw Jeremy Spencer with Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac....and he played in open 'E'....

 

And jolly good it was too....[biggrin]

 

V

 

:-({|=

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Ovations are perfect for altered tunings....particularly the cheap ones.....:blink:

 

I've got mine in 'Nashville' tuning at the moment....which is surprisingly taut for such thin strings....

~snip~

:-({|=

 

That's exactly how David Gilmour played both "Hey You" and "Comfortably Numb"; with an Ovation in Nashville tuning.

 

I've got my old Yamaha beater in Nashville.

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This is one of the main reasons I prefer the versatility of 14 fret blues boxes over 12 fretters. To play open E, I simply tune to open D and put a capo on the 2nd fret. Same thing for all of the Robert Johnson tunes in open A - tune to open G, and then capo 2. With capo on 2, the guitar essentially becomes a 12 fretter.

Are we opening the Robert Johnson debate again? lol It would be hard to play his stuff on a 12 fret guitar capoed at the 2nd fret. The recordings that are slowed down on youtube make a compelling case for the recorder to be too fast and in actual fact he recorded in open d and g.

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Back in my neophyte days I saw Leo Kottke on Soundstage (I believe it was). I immediately tuned my B45 to open E...I would never push my luck like that again...

 

Ford should have their truck commercials say, "Built Gibson tough"...

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Are we opening the Robert Johnson debate again? lol It would be hard to play his stuff on a 12 fret guitar capoed at the 2nd fret. The recordings that are slowed down on youtube make a compelling case for the recorder to be too fast and in actual fact he recorded in open d and g.

 

You seem to want to open the Robert Johnson "debate". I was just saying what I do to play his tunes, and why I prefer 14 fret guitars. :)

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An ovation ??

Kind of like biting on tinfoil unexpectedly - I got a 'zing' reading that, too

Ovations are perfect for altered tunings....particularly the cheap ones.....:blink:

 

I've got mine in 'Nashville' tuning at the moment....which is surprisingly taut for such thin strings....

 

The other option is to drop a string gauge...then tighten up to open 'E'....[thumbup]

 

I saw Jeremy Spencer with Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac....and he played in open 'E'....

 

And jolly good it was too....[biggrin]

 

V

 

:-({|=

That's exactly how David Gilmour played both "Hey You" and "Comfortably Numb"; with an Ovation in Nashville tuning.

 

I've got my old Yamaha beater in Nashville.

Well, what can I say besides that I really love me a high-end Ovation—a perfect example of what progressive American engineering can do. While I wouldn't pick my 1990 Ovation Legend for comfortable playing on the couch (for that she's way too heavy and the bowl too deep), I'd take her over most anything for any kind of recording work or in live performances, which I do. I'm also really digging the more balanced, lighter A bracing over the traditional X brace, but that's just my preference.

 

CsEcGRN.jpg

Ovation Legend L717 (1990, A bracing, OP-24)

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Sharing some Ovation love.....[thumbup]

 

Agreed they were a bold piece of 'engineering' in the late 60's....created to be a robust gigging guitar with a bright, projecting sound...

 

This was proved from the outset....and their piezo pickups were amongst the first.....

 

Played by Glen Campbell, Paul McCartney, Brian May, Joan Armatrading, Peter Frampton, Al Di Meola et al...

 

Continuously developed until today...with entry models MIK and excellent VFM

 

Onboard pre-amp, EQ and compressor really work....[thumbup]

 

Deep bowl, shallow bowl and contoured deep bowl....

 

Great guitars

 

And their ukulele takes no prisoners.....:blink:

 

V

 

:-({|=

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