Low C Tuning

[Gill]

Hey Guys,

I don't usually tune this low, but some new guys I'm playing with want to write and play songs in the low C tuning...

As far as setup goes, I'm thinking of switching to a higher gauge string (.12 instead of .11) and getting a proper truss rod adjustment.

I'm wondering, however, if I tune down to a low C for a couple hours once a week and then back up to E the rest of the time, will this F up my neck in any way?  I play a '59 Jazzmaster.

Thanks!

Gill

[pullover]

I wouldn't think it would hurt, but I wouldn't recommend it. You're talking about resetting up your guitar like once a week. Truss rod adjustments are meant to be a set it and forget it type thing. I recently tuned my Squier 51 down to B using Beefy Slinkys (11-54) and the strings are really slack, I will probably move up to Not Even Slinkys (12-56) if I keep it that way. I mainly did it to try out the tuning and see if I like and can incorporate the baritone sound into my band. Why not use it as an excuse to buy a new guitar. Have you seen those new Jaguar Baritone H-H's?

[Pumpkin]

You don't need to adjust the truss rod at all IF......you put on 12-54,12-56 strings because the extra tension in combination with being tuned in C will balance it out.I know from personal experience this will be fine.
But you will have to adjust it if you use the same (54,56) strings tuned in Eb. as there will be too much tension on the neck and it will be too concave.

So you can just wack a set of new strings on a guitar and thats it dude.

[Gill]

Cool, that's actually what I figured!  I'll just slap a set of .12's on there for the C tuning and slap a set of .11's on when I bring it back up to E.

Thanks!

Gill

[Pumpkin]

Glad to help!

[momunist]

i kinda agree with the artist formerly known as corona, but only up to a point.  i do that kind of stuff to my les pauls and some cheaper guitars i have all the time.  if you're  not too picky about the intonation and you play a fairly high action, you can get away with just about anything in terms of changing guages and retuning all the time.  but i REALLY wouldn't recommend doing that to a 59 fender neck.  guitars of that age and value deserve to be set up well and left stable.  to be set up well, any guitar of any age takes some time to settle into changes in gauge and should be allowed to do so before necks are adjusted.  i definitely would not be adjusting the neck constantly on an instrument that old.  if you were talking about a newer, less expensive instrument i'd say do whatever, but i wouldn't do that to your 59.  just my humble opinion, but i do own a 59 JM and i am the guitar tech for a band that tunes to c, take my opinion as you will.

[fuzzking]

I agree with momunist. I'd rather not do this to a fine instrument like that.
I mean, get real, a band that tunes down to C probably needs cheesy
humbucker guitars, anyway.

[Pumpkin]

I agree with momunist. I'd rather not do this to a fine instrument like that.
I mean, get real, a band that tunes down to C probably needs cheesy
humbucker guitars, anyway.

That would include Sonic Youth then.


Seriously Gill,there is nothing extraordinary about tuning in C,If you are needing C do what i said and your guitar will be fine.
My 66 gets the same treatment and it's just  ridiculous to think it will some how harm it!

What do people think is going to happen? It cant hurt it,the overall tension it's about the same therefore nothing is happening to the wood that wouldn't be happening with lower gauge strings tuned in E anyways.
I wouldn't recommend it if there was risks involved.

As for intonation,suggesting it to be a problem is silly,you would set it as you normally do when you put a new set of strings on.Same goes for the Action,it's irrelevant....but you will in fact have less buzz at a lower action with these strings.

Also,the nut will be fine going from 52 up to 56,it will not need anything done to it,then when you go back to 52 it will still be fine,i do it all the time dude.

[mynameisjonas]

i agree. IF the tension is kept the same, there should be no risk of hurting the neck. although i would imagine restringing the guitar several times a week would be quite a pain, but as long as you only remove one string at a time when changing, you should be fine.

[Gill]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Just for the record, Fuzzking, tuning to C is not cheesy and guitars tuned to C have produced some of the most interesting sounds in rock, aka, Sonic Youth, Earth and Sunn.  Perhaps you should "get real" and expand your music collection a bit? 

I'm thinking of, instead of using the '59, buying a cheap barritone guitar or a strat or tele to tune down.  Seems like, to be on the safe side, this may be the best option.

Gill

[mynameisjonas]

yeah, getting another guitar would definitely be the most practical solution. i´ve been toying with the idea of getting a HH jag baritone and replacing the pups with duncan phat cats. the HH bari jags are 27" scale, so they should handle low C perfectly, while still feeling more like a standard guitar than a regular bari jag, or a dano.

[LeonDanger]

I used not even slinkys on my jazzmaster before I changed to flatwoulds and played the jazzmaster mostly in standard but would go down to C when my C tuning guitar had snapped strings (also used not even slinkys). I would say to most people just go for it. Fender necks and bodies are strong (as seeing any given Sonic Youth concert will teach you) and tuning down isn't going to be so bad for it. But then you have not only a great guitar there, but also a little bit of history... I guess you should treat it nicer than my CIJ.
For tuning down to C I would reccomend just a regular guitar scale guitar (25.5 or 24.75) and putting some heavy strings on it. Some of the best sounding low tuned stuff is a normal guitar with heavy strings. Also, a decent normal scale guitar is cheaper than a decent baritone.
One guy from Fu Manchu used a regular Jag with a dimarzio pickup in the bridge position and they sound pretty good to me.

[Gill]

Great suggestions, guys...thank you. 

I'm thinking of getting a mexican made tele, perhaps 50's style with a bigger neck, and slapping some nice heavy .12's on there...seems like I should be able to pick up a used one in the $300-$400 range.

The '59 will probably stay in E for now...until I experiment with the tuning I'm not going to take any chances, even though I have to assume the 48 year old Fender has probably seen worse in its days!

I'll check out those Jag HH's as well...thanks for the suggestions!

Gill

[fuzzking]

I'm thinking of, instead of using the '59, buying a cheap barritone guitar or a strat or tele to tune down.  Seems like, to be on the safe side, this may be the best option.

Gill

that's what I meant. and wrote. cheap guitar with HHs.

I know all the bands you mentioned, but I doubt you
really need a fine '59 JM for that kind of sounds -
it just sounds wrong to me, but no offense.


have fun, m

[mynameisjonas]

that's what I meant. and wrote. cheap guitar with HHs.

no, you wrote cheesy. cheesy and cheap aren´t the same thing. and Gill never said anything about humbuckers. he said cheap baritone, strat or tele.

I know all the bands you mentioned, but I doubt you
really need a fine '59 JM for that kind of sounds -
it just sounds wrong to me, but no offense.

so using a JM to play SY sounds seems wrong to you?