Alternate Tunings - Are They Safe???

[bbl4ck]

I have been messing around lately with alternate tunings on my acoustic.  Mostly open E and open G. 
I have one acoustic set-up for standard tuning and another that I use for alternate tuning.
I was reading some comments on alternate tunings on another forum [don't even remember the name] that I was using to nab some tabs. 

There were several folks on that forum commenting about keeping your acoustic tuned to alternate tunings.
Several people stated they would tune to their alternate tuning and then tune back to standard tuning immediately after they were finished playing for fear of causing damage to the neck related to excessive stress.
Some of the forum members questioned this theory.  Others chimed in stating they would only leave their acoustics in alternate tunings for a couple days and then tune back to standard.
Again for fear of whacking out their geetar from excessive stress on the neck. 

This seems a bit abbeynormal and paranoid to me...  In my mind, my geetar is my tool and I would expect it to hold up to what I need it to do. 
Anybody have any thoughts about this or any bad experiences from leaving their geetar in alternate tunings.
Enquiring minds want to know...
:headbang1:

 

[SustainerPlayer]

I have tuned up and down and used alternate tunings for 20 years without ever seeing a guitar neck explode or implode from that.

Sometimes a truss rod adjustment is in order to achieve perfect action.

But all in all your guitar will be safe ... oh yeah ... and more important ... your music will be much better.  :icon_thumright:

 

[stubhead]

Aww, jeez, remember back when air-conditioning was a luxury (poor hippies didn't have it) and houses went up to 110 degrees in the summer, and back even in the seventies it got really, really cold in the houses in Minnesota in the wintertime. Frost, frozen hard on the inside of the windows. What are these guitars made out of? Candy?* Better just leave it in the climate controlled safe and never play it at all, YOU'RE JUST WEARING IT OUT! AAAAHHHHH - there's a smudge, a BIG GREASY SMUDGE!!! OMG send it back to the factory smudge repair dept.! 


*(no wait that was your ass)

 

[swarfrat]

Leaving aside the question of what numbers are safe, take a look at D'Addario's String Tension Guide.
Compare open G or whatever to say running 12's in standard tuning.  I wouldn't be terribly concerned unless you're stringing something wierd that puts an unusual distribution of tension.

Most of us don't leave guitars in alternate tunings because we play other stuff on that instrument. But if this concerns you, and you want to leave one in an alternate tuning - or perhaps you just want to optimize the guitar for an alternate tuning (a better reason),  take a look at the chart and piece together what you want.

 

[drewfx]

I'd worry about the top of an acoustic (if you're using higher tension tunings) long before I'd worry about the neck.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

There is a nifty online string tension calculator here:

http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html

 

[Steve_Karl]

I suspect it's relative to the guitar.
I've got an Ovation Adamas II that I've been consistently tuning in C and B like a baritone for more than 10 years and it loves it.

 

[Jusatele]

I play slide
I do leave one of my guitars  strung in alternative tunings for very extended periods
and I do not have any trouble with most tunings
open D and open G are just fine, open E is commonly refereed to among slide players as the neck killer ( I cannot say if this is true but I have heard it a lot )
most keys are not a problem
all my necks are set up professionally to standard tuning,
If you are going to play in alternative tunings, accept the fact you are going to be twisting the neck around when you retune, or get a different guitar for open tunings, most guys do it that way and only use a few tunings. I use A, E, and sometimes D and G
my preference is based on delta country blues, and the keys of A and E are harder on the neck than D and G, Most guys play in D and G

in review, yes retuning effects the neck
You should dedicate one guitar for it, maybe have it set up for your favorite tuning
accept the fact you are twisting the neck around when you switch and deal with it or just play in regular tunings

 

[pabloman]

I think they can be very dangerous. You could end up like Kurt Cobain. You could end up singing like a screamo drop c metal guy or worse end up looking like Keith Richards.

 

[DangerousR6]

I play slide
I do leave one of my guitars  strung in alternative tunings for very extended periods
and I do not have any trouble with most tunings
open D and open G are just fine, open E is commonly refereed to among slide players as the neck killer ( I cannot say if this is true but I have heard it a lot )
most keys are not a problem
all my necks are set up professionally to standard tuning,
If you are going to play in alternative tunings, accept the fact you are going to be twisting the neck around when you retune, or get a different guitar for open tunings, most guys do it that way and only use a few tunings. I use A, E, and sometimes D and G
my preference is based on delta country blues, and the keys of A and E are harder on the neck than D and G, Most guys play in D and G

in review, yes retuning effects the neck
You should dedicate one guitar for it, maybe have it set up for your favorite tuning
accept the fact you are twisting the neck around when you switch and deal with it or just play in regular tunings

I keep my acoustic tuned to open E or open C, slide is fun on an acoustic in open E. I also keep Billy Bo tuned to open E... :icon_thumright:

 

[bbl4ck]

I play slide
I do leave one of my guitars  strung in alternative tunings for very extended periods
and I do not have any trouble with most tunings
open D and open G are just fine, open E is commonly refereed to among slide players as the neck killer ( I cannot say if this is true but I have heard it a lot )
most keys are not a problem
all my necks are set up professionally to standard tuning,
If you are going to play in alternative tunings, accept the fact you are going to be twisting the neck around when you retune, or get a different guitar for open tunings, most guys do it that way and only use a few tunings. I use A, E, and sometimes D and G
my preference is based on delta country blues, and the keys of A and E are harder on the neck than D and G, Most guys play in D and G

in review, yes retuning effects the neck
You should dedicate one guitar for it, maybe have it set up for your favorite tuning
accept the fact you are twisting the neck around when you switch and deal with it or just play in regular tunings

I keep my acoustic tuned to open E or open C, slide is fun on an acoustic in open E. I also keep Billy Bo tuned to open E... :icon_thumright:

Thats good to hear because open E [aka neck killer] is the one I have been using the most and keeping my extra guitar tuned to. 
Thanks for everyone's comments and it sounds like I am generally safe...
:headbang1:

 

[erogenousjones17]

Alternatively, if you're concerned about open E being a "neck killer" (first time I've heard that term, but I like it), you could always tune to open D and use a capo. I know lots o' guys do that.

 

[Superlizard]

They're safe if you stick to Jimmy Page tunings.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

According to the calculator at http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html

using the "Gutar Light"-preset standard tuning will pull 60,69 Kg (Approx 134 lbs) - where open E vil pull 68,07 Kg (approx 150 lbs) in total tension. That is a only 12% difference in pull.

To compare the "medium guitar"-preset pulls 80,67 Kg in standard tuning.

So unless you string up using ultra-heavy bass strings - open E tuning won't kill any neck. But yes - you need may need to adjust truss rod to compensate. 

 

[AutoBat]

apparently my 09-42's tuned to Eb pulls 77.24lbs.  by itself that doesn't seem interesting at all, until i put in my brother-in-law's 13-56's tuned to E at 176lbs
despite having similar bodies & necks, they (obviously) don't play like one another.