Will tuning back and forth between standard and open tunings destroy my guitar?

Question

I just bought a new Martin and i don't want to hurt my baby but I love the music from fingerpicking artists like John Butler and Don
Ross and want to know what the effects will be on my guitar, like truss rod and notation issues and things of that nature.

Answer 1

As long as your truss rod is adjusted properly, I don't see any reason to think that constant retuning will have a negative effect on the guitar. The truss rod should keep the neck from warping regardless of what tuning you are in. Having said that, I find it convenient to keep at least one guitar in open tuning and at least one in standard (age is making me lazy, I think).

And I'm not sure where these folks are getting all this rubbish about retuning causing your strings to 'wear' faster. I have guitars that I keep in standard tuning and others that I am constantly retuning (usually between 'open' and other alternate tunings). In both cases, I only get about 3 weeks of 'good' tone with regular use.

Answer 2

It wont damage your guitar but the strings will wear faster, as they're being stretched repeatedly, maybe get some cheaper strings just to muck around with at the start, but obviously a better string will last longer. The strings wont neccesarily break, but they will lose tone quickly, and start to sound dull. I agree, though, it's fun to experiment with those things, I play a bit of guitar and it's never suffered from tuning, just the strings.

Answer 3

As they said, It won't destroy your guitar.
But constant tuning of your stings will increase wear and tear.
That's why performers actually change into new strings before (and sometimes during) every performance.

Answer 4

no, a martin is a good guitar and designed to be tuned.

dont worry, have fun!

Answer 5

Your strings will suffer premature death. Your guitar will be fine.