Do you detune your acoustic?

RVA

RVA

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I have read a lot about this. The answers are all over the map. Some detune after every play, some if it will be more than X days or weeks or months, and some feel that detuning is bad for the guitar.

My opinion was always that wood acclimates to tension, so I do not want to tune up right before I play and have the guitar fighting the pull any more than it should. So I always kept it tune.

However, the topic of belly bulge appears to be something that is not much debated. The school of thought seems to be that it can either be secure and stiff or resonant and prone to bellying, so that ultimately, the guitars worth hearing will belly. Some attest that they have a holy grail guitar that sounds amazing and has never bellied, so we even have the exception (internet unicorn) that proves the rule!

I have now decided to detune unless I am likely to get back to it in "X" days. So...I am not totally decided. I need to fill in the "X"

So what do you do?
 
RVA said:
I have read a lot about this. The answers are all over the map. Some detune after every play, some if it will be more than X days or weeks or months, and some feel that detuning is bad for the guitar.

My opinion was always that wood acclimates to tension, so I do not want to tune up right before I play and have the guitar fighting the pull any more than it should. So I always kept it tune.

However, the topic of belly bulge appears to be something that is not much debated. The school of thought seems to be that it can either be secure and stiff or resonant and prone to bellying, so that ultimately, the guitars worth hearing will belly. Some attest that they have a holy grail guitar that sounds amazing and has never bellied, so we even have the exception (internet unicorn) that proves the rule!

I have now decided to detune unless I am likely to get back to it in "X" days. So...I am not totally decided. I need to fill in the "X"

So what do you do?
Click to expand...

I don't have an acoustic now, but I have owned many and I never detuned one. I have not done extensive research, but I see no real harm in leaving the guitar tuned up unless there is going to be a drastic change in humidity.

I'm going to take a look into this, but I doubt anything will change my mind...
 
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Sp8ctre said:
I don't have an acoustic now, but I have owned many and I never detuned one. I have not done extensive research, but I see no real harm in leaving the guitar tuned up unless there is going to be a drastic change in humidity.

I'm going to take a look into this, but I doubt anything will change my mind...
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Research "acoustic belly bulge". Interested to hear your thoughts
 
To be candid, I do have an old Epi acoustic with very little bulge, and tuned to pitch for years. Therefore, I cannot say that my experience matches my concern.
 
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Good question sir!
As someone that has experienced this belly phenom, I still keep my acoustics tuned to pitch(so to speak).
I tune to E flat with my electric guitars and basses;), so that’s about as high as I go in tension level.
My old Fender has a bulge that appeared about 10 years after I got it. I trimmed down the bridge, and opted not to do anything further. Though I like the guitar, I never really bonded with it for much…other than the occasional live/campfire use.
My Martin, on the other hand, is about 11 years old, and no significant sign of a belly. It’s always near accurate E flat(it wanders a few cents with the seasons). I’ve only ever de-tuned it to change strings, and set the bridge to my liking. I have bonded with it enough to occasionally contribUte to writing/arranging/learning songs with it.

That said, the belly phenom is shocking to find for the first time. It can alter intonation, on top of the action disaster….this can be a massive bummer. I consider myself fortunate to have not had to address this problem with anything other than a bridge touch up.
 
Thatbastarddon said:
Good question sir!
As someone that has experienced this belly phenom, I still keep my acoustics tuned to pitch(so to speak).
I tune to E flat with my electric guitars and basses;), so that’s about as high as I go in tension level.
My old Fender has a bulge that appeared about 10 years after I got it. I trimmed down the bridge, and opted not to do anything further. Though I like the guitar, I never really bonded with it for much…other than the occasional live/campfire use.
My Martin, on the other hand, is about 11 years old, and no significant sign of a belly. It’s always near accurate E flat(it wanders a few cents with the seasons). I’ve only ever de-tuned it to change strings, and set the bridge to my liking. I have bonded with it enough to occasionally contribUte to writing/arranging/learning songs with it.

That said, the belly phenom is shocking to find for the first time. It can alter intonation, on top of the action disaster….this can be a massive bummer. I consider myself fortunate to have not had to address this problem with anything other than a bridge touch up.
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I think the HALF step detune to E flat (see what I did there?) helps a lot. I am going to switch to 11s, or maybe 12s on the GS Mini to reduce tension. FYI @Thatbastarddon , I think the GS comes with 13s
 
I have an Ovation. It has a plastic back. I’ve never detuned it unless I was changing strings. Regardless Winter or summer. Dry air or humid. It never changes once tuned. Not that it doesn’t go out of tune…. But it’ll stay in tune to itself. I do feel the composite back adds some rigidity to the guitar as a whole.

Regarding belly bulge. It comes that way. :pound-hand:

And yes. I know we’re not talking back side of the guitar bulge. Just couldn’t resist.
 
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RVA said:
I think the HALF step detune to E flat (see what I did there?) helps a lot. I am going to switch to 11s, or maybe 12s on the GS Mini to reduce tension. FYI @Thatbastarddon , I think the GS comes with 13s
Click to expand...
Yes:) The thing I’ve always done with the Fender, since the belly thing, is tune by feel…sort of…it lives close to D these days, because that’s where it feels right to me. If I’m playing with others(or recording with it-almost never), I tune it to whatever is acceptable to the group…but I back it down to my comfort zone the rest of the time.

Taylor, and Sweetwater, have the GS Mini (currently)listed as being equipped with Elixer .011-.052…I will let you know if that seems right upon receipt.(edit: Taylor actually says medium…so yeah…013s)
I would like to avoid belly on the Taylor, if possible. If it’s livable, like my Fender, so be it.
:cheers:
 
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Thatbastarddon said:
Yes:) The thing I’ve always done with the Fender, since the belly thing, is tune by feel…sort of…it lives close to D these days, because that’s where it feels right to me. If I’m playing with others(or recording with it-almost never), I tune it to whatever is acceptable to the group…but I back it down to my comfort zone the rest of the time.

Taylor, and Sweetwater, have the GS Mini (currently)listed as being equipped with Elixer .011-.052…I will let you know if that seems right upon receipt.(edit: Taylor actually says medium…so yeah…013s)
I would like to avoid belly on the Taylor, if possible. If it’s livable, like my Fender, so be it.
:cheers:
Click to expand...
Please let me know if it has a belly out of the box.
 
Cadorman said:
I actually find this interesting. However, I will never own an acoustic guitar. It is so effing cold and dry here that walking on snow sounds like Styrofoam. I don't think I could deal with it.
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they have excellent case humidification systems now. The same system can even dehumidify

 
 
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