Dropping Parlour Guitars down a semitone.

DavidR · June 2022

In a previous thread (Jez6345789 June10) it was suggested that the tone of smaller instruments can be improved by dropping all strings down half a tone from standard tuning.

Tried this on my new 00-sized Vintage (OK not strictly a parlour) and it has worked well. With Monel 12's on, the trebles are only slightly les bright but it has made the mid and base ranges more complex and fuller. The action, which had included loosening off the truss rod quite a bit from how it shipped, seems unchanged to play, although I haven't measured it. The natural resonant frequency of the soundbox when I sing into it seems to be G# and this might be relevant.

OK, tone is subjective and this is unlikely to work for all instruments or everyone would do it. But this suggestion of Jez's is worth a try - at least once.

Ta Jez!

Tannin · June 2022

Has to be worth a try. Good tip!

(All I have to do now is buy a few parlour guitars. Well, at least one. Marriage permitting, of course.)

sev112 · June 2022

Interesting on natural resonant frequencies, might play with that later

stickyfiddle · June 2022

This isn’t just a parlour thing. Some guitars just sound better in lower tunings- my Taylor 214 and Martin HD28 both sound better in D standard than E.

The primary factors in play are the tension on the guitar, and the frequencies themselves but I’m not sure which is more important

Mellish · June 2022

Banjo players (or some of 'em) hum into the backs of their instruments to see which note makes the head vibrate, then tap tune to that note

drofluf · June 2022

Yes, my 000 sounds better in DADGAD or Csus2. Don’t know if it’s the reduced tension or the note, but the only way to check would be a different set of strings and possibly recutting the nut

Dave_Mc · June 2022

Yep, sounds like it's worth a try. Like @Tannin , I just need to get myself one to try it on!

RocknRollDave · June 2022

I have all my electrics in Eb - ostensibly for my singing, but really I'm so used to the tension at that tuning that I'd struggle to change back now.
I have my acoustic in Eb, E or D, depending on what I am doing at the time:
E if I am learning a song and need to be in standard to be in tune with the record.
Eb when I am practising a song for a gig (as that's my gig tuning).
D when I am playing for pleasure, as I like the looseness, the pliability of the strings (I'm quite the bender) and the way it takes off some of the brightness (not a huge top end fan.)

BillDL · June 2022

I haven't had much experience with parlour guitars, having just recently bought my first one and it's a lower priced Fender (Squier) one, but I already tried tuning it down a half and full step like a few of my acoustics and I don't like the sound on this particular guitar. The bass strings sound flubby and the treble strings sound tinny. I have a couple of acoustics that respond very well to being tuned down a half step and one that sounds at its best down a whole step, but only with certain strings. I think I prefer the "tight" feeling on this parlour guitar tuned to standard E.

DavidR · June 2022

BillDL said:

I haven't had much experience with parlour guitars, having just recently bought my first one and it's a lower priced Fender (Squier) one, but I already tried tuning it down a half and full step like a few of my acoustics and I don't like the sound on this particular guitar. The bass strings sound flubby and the treble strings sound tinny. I have a couple of acoustics that respond very well to being tuned down a half step and one that sounds at its best down a whole step, but only with certain strings. I think I prefer the "tight" feeling on this parlour guitar tuned to standard E.

Interesting. Didn't think it would be better for all guitars. Thanks BilDL. Again, one wonders what the combination of tuning and the natural resonant frequency of the soundbox has on tone. Suppose this may be true for all acoustics not just small ones.

bertie · June 2022

Ive done the semi-tone before on all of my acoustics at some point, but palor-wise, on a Faith I had string with 13s - and by and large, it worked quite well so as an "experiment" I dropped the TW down a whole tone yesterday - result

fucking awful

completely lost any zing, like using 20 year old strings, was a mare to keep in tune, was like a different guitar altogether -

wound it back up to normal tuning - zingo, back to the lovely thing it was before

so - a semi-tone "might" work, a full tone ? not ever again in my life time

roberty · June 2022

Some guitars sound better with lower tension (ie lighter strings) I've found. It could be tension as much as tuning

OutOfSequence · June 2022

roberty said:

Some guitars sound better with lower tension (ie lighter strings) I've found. It could be tension as much as tuning

I tried some silk & steel strings on an old no-name parlour guitar that I used to have. It sounded fab with them on and was ridiculously easy to play.

PAL · July 2022

When you detune a string on an acoustic guitar the string as it slackens looses energy along with downward pressure on the bridge so can loose volume this becomes more apparent on less expensive guitars !
to prove the point keep detuning the low E string and you can hear this happen.
Some guitar cope with this better than others and if it sounds good to you and you like detuning your guitar use a heavier gauge of string . Hope this helps.

danowens · July 2022

I have a Vintage Viator which is parlour/Terz size. I've only recently put it in E standard as it was in G standard (Terz tuning) - if anything I feel like I've lost the chimey sound that I loved and gained more of a dull thud. I'm playing jazz and blues so I don't mind a dull thud, but the idea of going even lower (D standard) is crazy to me!

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Dropping Parlour Guitars down a semitone.

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