Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Lux84 said:
Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard, just because few favorite bands use that tuning on their songs? just to play kiss, gnr, green day, extreme, slayer, hendrix, pantera and some of judas priest... is it worth do that for learning process? i ask, because i am a bit confused, some of my favorite bands use e standard, and then comes the others with that e flat tuning... and i have an SG in standard e tuning, but now i am thinking to have the e flat tuning on my LP... is it worth do that ? i also was thinking of getting in different musical situations with different bands, so i think maybe it's good to have one guitar in e flat, if the singer or the band use it... to be honest, the e standard is good for me, and i still thinking on doing that half step down.. but more bands that i like plays in e standard, just a few plays in e flat, but i don't even know if the e flat should be something to create my own songs with. i am somehow setisfied with e standard tuning or drop d for now, so i don't know... please help, i can't decide !
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I have 5 guitars, tuned - E, Eb, D, Drop D and Drop C.

I have a 7 string in standard tuning, and I have a 6 string bass in standard tuning. Aside from being able to play just about any song from any band (while my favorite band has songs in all those tunings and many more), what really should be your reason for keeping around a guitar in any non-E standard tuning is going to be what YOU want, and what inspires you. It's almost like asking "Why would anyone play an 8 string guitar?", then you see someone like Tosin Abasi understand, master and explain it, and it just makes so much sense. It's all about the creative space you want to be in.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Agileguy_101 said:
What do you have to lose by tuning a guitar down? 30 seconds of your life?
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This. And you're only talking half a step there is no need to get it set up again and change the gauge of the strings, etc. Tune down to Eb when you need it, and then tune back up to E when you don't. I do that all the time on my Strat with zero issues.
 
Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

The primary reason why many people tune down a half step is to make the vocals easier to achieve. That's why Hendrix and SRV did it. So if you are having challenges singing the tunes then go for it

Keep in mind if you really want a guitar set up a half step down you will need to intonate the guitar and possibly adjust the truss rod
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Funkfingers said:
If you need to be in Eb, you need to carry a guitar tuned and intonated for Eb. Similarly, if you were in a Rolling Stones tribute band, you would need a guitar tuned for Open G.

My own preference would be to keep the Les Paul in standard tuning and have the SG in Eb, possibly with a step up to heavier gauge strings to compensate.

My favourite source for tuning variations is the official Joni Mitchell website. Plenty of interesting tunings. Plenty of chords that are only physically possible to play in her tunings.
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INTONATED to detune 1 step/fret/semitone??? Sounds like overkill to me.

2-4 steps across the board will start mattering, but with 1 step intonation really can't be changed without a microscope anyway... And string changes ain't needed, not that much of a difference, it's really more like light-ish strings might get crazy light is all... Ya don't need freakin 12-60's to tune to Eb. You might not like it on a thin-bottom set of 9's on a Gibson scale or a Fender offset, but hey, that was intuitively obvious already, right? Any old set of 10's should do Eb perfectly.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

I have had my six strings tuned anywhere from E standard down to C. I have settled on Eb lately since that's what one of my guitar playing friends uses most often. I do like the looseness of the strings and the lower growl of tuning down to C though.

If you're planning on learning multiple songs by different bands, it helps to have different tunings available. It makes playing along with a CD easier.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

When I first started playing I did'nt use (or have) a tuner and I'd just adjust the strings to what sounded & felt good by ear. Later when I got my tuner it turned out that I was pretty much tuning to Eb all the time and I stuck with that until a couple of years ago when I went up to E standard. But since the last month or so I've moved back to tuning down a half-step...it just sounds/better/fatter/fuller/darker to me...really fills things out without a radical departure from the 'E standard' sound.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Can anyone suggest me some more of a classic rock/blues songs/bands that play in e flat?
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

:nana:I tried tuning to E-flat - It left me feeling deflated:nana:

I just don't bother anymore - I'm getting lazy.

I'm re-taking up slide guitar these days. In standard tuning and low string height. Its one guitar out per night (a different one) and just that one for whatever I want to work on.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Lux84 said:
Can anyone suggest me some more of a classic rock/blues songs/bands that play in e flat?
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Kiss, Van Halen, Rush(I think), Aerosmith sometimes tuned to e flat, Metallica tuned to e flat for Sad But True and probably a few other songs that I can't think of off the top of my head.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Lux84 said:
Can anyone suggest me some more of a classic rock/blues songs/bands that play in e flat?
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Thin Lizzy (from about 1975 onwards)
KISS
Hendrix, SRV, Van Halen as already mentioned
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

I already know all of them, but thanks anyway. Dio records are made in e flat ? which ?
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

For me it depends on the particular guitar. C# standard is my favorite tuning but I have a couple guitars that just don't sound good in that tuning but sound great in Eb or E std. So many songs are in E std that it is always a good idea to have at least one guitar tuned to std. Personally, I don't see the need to use heavier strings when only tuning down a half step but I will when going down a full step or a step and a half.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Do it because Hendrix did it, and leave it at that. :)

I agree with Bludave ... Eb is a good key for vocals.
 
Re: Is it worth to tune one of the guitars to e flat from e standard?

Curly said:
I agree with Bludave ... Eb is a good key for vocals.
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Yeah I started tuning down to Eb when I was about 19 and figured out it suited my vocal range much more comfortably.
 
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