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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | What's your opinion on tuning a 12 string to concert pitch vs tuning a whole step low? "Somewhere" long ago I read or was told to tune a step low to reduce stress on the instrument, but is this really necessary?
FWIW, the instrument in question is an Alvarez 12 string. |
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May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Can't say about the Alvarez but all Ovations are designed to be tuned to A440 and there should be no problems.
Wayne |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | NO problems with Ovations but I have heard about down tuning other brands. I keep my Guild tuned down a full note but all my O's are A440. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | I have three 12 strings,(2-Ovations & 1- Martin).
I keep them all tuned down a whole step. The Ovations should be able to handled standard concert tuning with no problem. I just like the lower tuning and it will reduce the stress on the guitar. :cool: |
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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | If it's unable to handle being tuned it needs to be replaced!
All of my Ovations are tuned to pitch. |
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November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | I kept my Martin tuned to concert pitch for 30 years until I had the neck reset and was told by the luthier never to tune it all the way up. Maybe I wouldn't have needed the reset if I had kept it tuned down? |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | One neck re-set every 30 years is not to hard to take. |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Both of my Ovation 12-strings stay at concert pitch. The older one, a 1981-vintage 1118, has some neck twist from it(happened before it got to me via eBay), but it is still a few years from a neck reset.
I use light .010"-.047" strings on my 12-strings, also.
Roger |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | One of the reasons I only have Ovation and Adamas 12-strings. |
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March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | I tune mine one fret done. I would consider that a half step. Are the rest of you saying you tune two frets down? I think I would get some rattle at that point. I was told by a luthier on my Yairi to tune it down as well.
Steve |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| You could increase the string guages to medium and tune down to D, 2 frets, and it's all about the same, maybe less tension, and the frets won't buzz...the strings may last a little longer, and that's an advantage when restringing a 12... |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | Once in a guitar shop, I heard a salesman tell a customer that, when she bought a Seagull 12 string. To me, this makes no sense. Its plain that 12 string guitars are built with added reenforcements: neck and bridge, to accomodate the added strings. There's something wrong with your guitar if you got to tune it down a whole step. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | This all goes back to the time before guitar strings were available in various guages. Back in the day you didn't have the choice of ex light, light, medium and all the hybrid guages we have now. There was basically one guage and it was pretty heavy. That's why electric guitar players in the mid 60's used to throw away the 6th string and use a banjo 1st string for the high E. Most manufacturers back then recommended tuning down a whole step basically to minimise warranty work. Just about every 12 string guitar since the mid-70's will take concert pitch using a light guage set without a problem. Personally I prefer to use massive strings and tune down to c or lower. Sounds incredible. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | I put a set of "Heavy" on a Pacemaker and tuned to C to C once. It was an interesting sound. |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 17
Location: Western, North Carolina | My 12stg. ovation has been tuned to concert pitch since it was new in 1976. It does have the Martin hump behind the saddle, which came up about 2yrs. after purchase. I detune a half step when I play alone sometimes, just for the nice sound. |
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Concert pitch tuning a 12 string
