Drop D tuners and strings

[GaryMcT]

I now have drop D tuners (from Anderson) on both of my Anderson guitars. I'm really loving them! We end up playing a lot of Drop D tunes, so this is especially handy.

I normally play with .10-.46 Elixir strings. Do other folks find that they need to beef up the low E string to something bigger when playing with Drop D?

[sylvanshine]

Anderson makes a drop D tuner?

[GaryMcT]

It's the same brand as the current Anderson locking tuners (I believe), but with the Anderson logo on it.

[Edit: Doh. . I'm completely wrong. . . read Tom's post below.)

[sylvanshine]

picture picture?

[GaryMcT]

I'll try to get some pictures up soon.

[tom]

we had gotoh make us some locking tuners with the haft longer so it would be at the right height when the backing plates are attached. we then sent them to hipshot to have them mounted. i did it mostly because i can't live without them, and laurie indulged my whining about moving the one i had from guitar to guitar. it was a pricey endevor, retail ended up being $150 each, but they are how they should be.
chrome only.

[tom]

i am using .010-.046, and it would be nice with a .049, but i'm lazy and don't want to break up the sets here. i've learned to work around the low tension of the .046 at D.

[GaryMcT]

i am using .010-.046, and it would be nice with a .049, but i'm lazy and don't want to break up the sets here. i've learned to work around the low tension of the .046 at D.

What do you do to work around it? Pick much softer? Tune a bit flat?

[GaryMcT]

we had gotoh make us some locking tuners with the haft longer so it would be at the right height when the backing plates are attached. we then sent them to hipshot to have them mounted. i did it mostly because i can't live without them, and laurie indulged my whining about moving the one i had from guitar to guitar. it was a pricey endevor, retail ended up being $150 each, but they are how they should be.
chrome only.

That explains why they work so well. . didn't realize that you guys put so much work into them.

On a barely related note, I'm tempted to get a set of locking tuners for my Atom because:

1) They'll match the Drop D tuner.
2) I can change strings much faster/easier with the locking tuners (don't need a winder, don't necessarily have to have wire cutters).

How much is a set of your locking tuner?

PS: I'll try to take pictures of these tuners tonight if someone else doesn't get to it first.

[sylvanshine]

Wow, $150 each! Gotta see these. Gary, take a long lunch break and go home.

Gary, my band does around 10 of our 40 song set in drop D. The E on my set of strings is a .044, and while you have to be gentle on the open string, you can hammer away when fretted. I tune at the 5th fret with my index finger fretting the 6th, 5th and 4th strings (a G5 chord I guess) so I get the pressure right. Sure, the open D is a tad flat but it works for me.

[tom]

i do tune my open d slightly flat, and check the 5th fret G to be right on, also with light pressure. i probably have the D engaged 50% of the time. any song in G,D, or Em gets the drop. sometimes i'll even drop the D for a single d chord in a song if the D gets hung on for any length of time, them flip it back up for the rest of the song.
we don't charge more for the locking tuners although they do cost us more. if yours are pretty, which i'm sure they are, we'll trade you.

[GaryMcT]

Thanks Tom! Who should I contact about the details of trading?

Also, thanks all for the tuning suggestions. I was tuning the open string, not the fretted notes. Doh! I'll give that a try.

Tom, I have also been switching to drop D and back in the middle of songs. . works really well.

[GaryMcT]

http://home.comcast.net/~g.mctaggart/drop_d1.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~g.mctaggart/drop_d2.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~g.mctaggart/drop_d3.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~g.mctaggart/drop_d4.jpg

[sylvanshine]

Thanks Gary. You are da man. Did you have to drill any additional holes or modify the guitar in any way?

[tom]

jay, come on. would i go through all that effort so you had to drill another hole ;)

[sylvanshine]

:o :o :o :o :o :o

[GaryMcT]

I'm finding that my Atom is much better at playing in tune with drop d than my Drop Top. Specifically, the open string and fretted string are more in tune with each other. Is there something inherently better about the scale length, etc, for this sort of thing, or am I just lucking with the Atom?

[tom]

no, i'd say the shorter scale would makes things worse normally. it is hyper critical that the open D not be tuned sharp. i tune mine just a shade flat. also when tuning, here's my whacky proceedure. tune the E open. flip the lever a couple times. the E may come back slightly sharp. if it does, tune down to the E, do not go past it. then drop to the d and tune that interval with the thumb screw. i tune the D so that the green light is flickering on the dt7. go back and forth a few times. you may need to repeat to get it right. once i've done that, i'm good for the weekend. it may seem like a lot to do, but the rewards are worth it.