Tuned down half a step

Rocker

on my Gibson Melody Maker and it sounds great.  Initially the reason for tuning down was to try to learn a song by Don Williams, a song that did not use the EADGBe tuning.  Very happy with the result.

guitars4you

I've tried it a few times but never settled on it - For whatever reason that might be

brucegill

Have 2 electrics and one of the acoustics all down half a step to Eb standard. The other acoustic and electric are both open D. Have tried going back to standard and just don’t like it anymore. Really odd. 

TTBZ

I go between standard and D standard/drop C. Feel like my SG is a lot better acoustically in the lower tuning, not sure why everything just seems to ring out nicer and sound richer - it's a bit plain in standard.

brucegill

My wife plays piano and teaches, her thinking on it is all the flat notes introduced when your playing open strings. She did try to explain but kinda goes over my head. She then showed me some chords on a piano only/mostly using the white keys, then chords only/mostly using the blacks (Debussy used lots of these chords), and I had to admit, I MUCH preferred the black key chords. 

Rocker

The Don Williams song I tried to get a handle on is 'Heart of Hearts' from the And So It Goes album.  In standard tuning I capoed at the first fret and played G shape chords.  Sounded not too bad but in the one step down tuning, I can play A shape chords which sound closer to the recorded sound.

But the strange thing is that the guitar sounds heavier and fuller  in the flattened tuning.

jonnyburgo

My Tele is generally always half a step down, and my Jag which makes the 11s on it a bit slinkier.

LastMantra

All my guitars and bass have been like this for years. Just sounds and feels better to me.

skullfunkerry

All my guitars are in drop C & have been for years. It's great: all the grunt, but still tight & defined. I find anything lower can very easily start to get mushy

starwarsnosebleed

Half step down on all my guitars always. Standard doesnt seem right now.

liamon

Big in the 90s. Green Day, Nirvana, Weezer, Smashing Pupmkins all were half step down on a lot of their big records/songs. 

hotpickups

Of course SRV tuned down too didn’t he. Maybe because he used heavy gauged strings I believe. I think the guitarist Aynsley Lister does the same. It’s a tone thang  

Neil

I tuned my acoustic down half a step, only because it makes it easier to play. I leave the electrics standard. 

Jimi always tuned down. 

dc77

Strat down to Eb. Just seems to suit the guitar. Plays nicer and faster and seems to fatten the sound up a bit.

Everything else in standard. 

midlifecrisis

i have an acoustic and an electric which are permanently de-tuned 2 semitones ie to D simple for performing and singing some songs that would otherwise be out of my range.

hassleham

Massive fan of this! I also love the sound of an acoustic or classical in d standard

jfraze5150

Have always done it. A lot of my favourite bands when I was younger played this way. Guns n roses, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Hendrix and SRV of course. I’ve got 11s on my tele and having them down a half step is just perfect. Love the action and sound. 

Edit to add, it helps for singing too if your range isn’t that high. I’m pretty sure Paul Simon tunes to E flat for this reason. 

smudge_lad

My band have played in Eb for about 10 years now, and my Les Paul also has the low E tuned to C#. I moved string gauge up to 11's with a heavy top to keep this feeling tight. My Tele is "standard" Eb tuning.

I've recently started playing with another band, and that's in standard E. I use a different Telecaster for this.

I don't really have a preference, but for the really shit attempts I make at singing backing vox, I can pitch better when playing in Eb

Headphones

Not a great fan myself, offers more ways to trip yourself up!

However, I find a Strat, detuned a semi tone, is instant Hendrix!