How to downtune a guitar?

Question

I want to downtune my guitar.. Can someone tell me how or give me a sound clip of each string while downtuned? im also wondering how to keep the strings from being floppy

Answer 1

try get tuned .com they have evry tuning you could ask for. good luck.

Answer 2

It depends on what you mean by "downtune"....if the whole song is 1/2 step lower....so your open E now equals Eb, etc. you can get a chromatic tuner or another instrument with an Eb and start tuning ...If you just want to drop the E string to D....you can match the octave with your higher D string etc.

If you want to minimize the "floppiness" of the sound -- use thicker strings...within reason. If you go too thick you'll have to adjust the tension of the neck professionally.

Answer 3

Depending on how much you want to downtune, you may have to take your guitar in to a music shop to change the neck tension. There are tension rods running through the neck of most guitars. They control the rigidity and angle of the neck. The more pressure you put on them, the stiffer the neck has to be. The less pressure, the less stiff it should be. The action on your bridge should be reset when you downtune. If your strings are still floppy, take it to a guitar shop and have them do it for you.

Answer 4

Most of the on-line guitar tuners are for standard tuning. I couldn't find any that you could modify for a half-step down or drop-D etc. You can get a decent electronic tuner for around $20 (try the Fender chromatic tuner that runs on a 9v battery). Or, if you already own any guitar effects or modeling doodads check them out -- a lot of them have built in tuners.

If you're just detuning half a step or so, you shouldn't have too much of a problem with floppy strings. In fact, it will kind of help you when you go to bend. If you go down to Drop-D or really lower the bass strings, you might get a situation where the strings start buzzing on the frets. If this happens, you can try adjusting the string height, but be careful because you can mess up the intonation on your guitar.

Good luck!

Answer 5

I assume from your question that you wish to use a different tuning for metal. A common one is "DropD" where the 6th. E is tuned down to D. Bands like Slipknot use dropC and I would recommend you look in a guitar music store for the relevant string tunings. If you are downtuning your guitar you will have to place heavy guage strings on your instrument or they will not sound in tune and will buzz. Google a search for guitar tunings and see what you come up with......Rock ON!

Answer 6

easy question, difficult answer, your guitars intonation is set for a specific tuning, these are the screws at the bottom of the bridge, if you are just tuning down to C for one song no big deal but if its a permanent change id recommend taking it to a professional, the single strings will sound ok but the chords will be all out of whack, i tune down to B and use .12 strings, thicker strings keep the tension high,

and be warned playing with the intonation without knowing what your doing and REALY screw things up BAD

Answer 7

Depends on how many strings you're downtuning and how much you are tuning them down.

Answer 8

If dropping to D, play your D string open then tune your E down by ear. You can then tune the rest by using the Fifth Fret method, (Fourth Fret for B String) If you want to go back to E tuning, no problem, just slap a capo on the fretboard where it needs to go.

Answer 9

There is a make out there that has a lever that you move and it removes the tension, then set it back to put the strings in the tune as you previously set it.

Answer 10

Try a guitar center too for help with it.