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For my next build, I would like to pick a guitar body style that is most ideal for finger picking with altered tunings. What body style and design features best accomodate altered tunings? The low E-string will frequently be tuned down to C if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

John

John I play a lot in altered tunings and build guitars specially for it. To me the body shape I have settled on is the 14 fret OM, with "parabolic" bracing, mahogany or walnut B&S and of course a Euro top (or Lutz would be a substitute). Going to Low C tuning (CGDGad) pushes a standard string set a bit so it may be better to use a more balanced set. I usually go a string gauge heavier for each tone dropped. Saddles would also ideally need to be intonated for that string and tuning.

Dave White recently made a fan fret guitar that he likes in dropped tunings, may be an idea.

Here's the thread on the last one I made:

DADGad guitar

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Wow Colin, your walnut guitar posted above is a real beauty, and I never realized you had those killer chops outside a lute, your soundclip rocks! I'm a big fan of mahogany but I might have to try walnut this time around. In your example, since I'm dropping the low-E two full steps to C, would you recommend going two gauges heavier? That makes sense although I have no idea why I haven't tried it yet. I guess on a guitar dedicated to altered tunings a mixture of different string gauges would be best. Time to hit the drawing board!

Merry Christmas!

John

John,

Lots of players have used different guitar body styles for playing altered tunings - from parlour (especially in Open D and Open G) to GC, OM, SJ and up to dreadnought sized. It depends a lot on your preference and playing style. If you are going to be using C tunings a lot then you need a body size that has a big enough body-depth to support the low notes but with choice of scale length and string gauge you can easily use a Grand Concert size. OM is a very popular size with altered tuning fingerstyle players - and fan-fret scale lengths work nicely too - longer scale length for the lower strings that are tuned down. As Colin said I like the fan-fretted guitar I made and play it a lot in CGCGCD and CGDGCD tuning as well as DADGAD. This is a real "strange one" though - 26"-24.8" scale length, 15 frets clear of the body, 16" lower bout width deep body but with a Manzer wedge. The thread on it is here. I use 12-52's on this guitar and they work well for my style of playing.

For 25.5" scale length then for the bottom string a 0.059" would be a good compromise for mostly C with the occasional trip up to D, and if you were going to be permamnently in C then maybe even a 0.062" or 0.064" would be worth considering.

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
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