Drop-Tuning a Mustang to D Standard

e17 · Post by **e17** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 1:54 pm

Hi all. This is my Mustang - a Classic Player that's been modded from P90s to Single Coils, with the switches bypassed and the control plate set to a 3-way toggle and master volume. Simplicity! My friends playing a Cyclone and the bassist has a shortscale jag bass. Offsets all the way.

We play in Eb standard, but I've been considering switching to D standard to ease the strain on my voice. I play 12's, but I'm not sure if the guitar would handle it. It's fine in Eb and is intonated nicely, but I figure I'd need 13s to make the guitar work in D Standard. I have other guitars I could use, but I really want to keep using this one.

Anyone in D standard on a Mustang? Any advice?

Any advice for our bassist too?!!

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:42 pm

People's obsession with and assumption of need for heavy strings always astounds and amuses me. I have three Mustangs with 9s. They work fine. Some of the best Les Paul players like Jimmy Page or B.B. King used 8s on a 24.75" scale. Jaguars might need heavy strings because of the stupid bridge but Mustangs don't. If you play with any sort of finesse and properly set up your guitar, you should be able to tune to D Standard with 10s or heavier. Worrying that 12s can't handle D Standard is frankly needless. Set up your truss rod and relax your left hand and you'll find your guitar is perfectly equipped for D Standard with the current strings.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:44 pm

Frankly the only instrument you need to worry about is the bass. D Standard starts to test the 30" scale a bit. You will probably need at least 45-105, and 50-110 might be safer.

e17 · Post by **e17** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 3:58 pm

It's more an issue of the strings feeling flappy and pushing out of tune easily. Heavier strings definitely help to combat that, but there's no question that heavier strings suit downtuning better for stable tuning. D Standard on my Tele with 11s is unbearable.

Also - I can't relax my left-hand - I'm not a particularly deft player

Fakir Mustache · Post by **Fakir Mustache** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:42 pm

I actually have/had a .038-.010 on my Squier HH Jag, but switched the low E to .042 or .046 because of buzzing, standard tuning. I don't see why you would need that thick strings for D. Depends on how you hit the strings though.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Mon Sep 14, 2015 6:19 pm

12's will be fine for D standard, I used to use 10's in that tuning without any problems.

The only time I used 13's was for A standard.

e17 · Post by **e17** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 10:19 am

Cheers everyone. After Fridays gig we have some time to experiment a little and I'll give it a shot.

This is a song we did - all the clean guitars are my Mustang and most of the Dirty as well. The rest is a blacktop Jag. All the bass is a shortscale jag bass.

http://myelinldn.bandcamp.com/

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:36 am

honeyiscool wrote: If you play with any sort of finesse

Post by **dots** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:33 pm

Fran wrote:12's will be fine for D standard, I used to use 10's in that tuning without any problems.

The only time I used 13's was for A standard.

11's here. much lighter, and the difference between that and my acoustic feels to off.

e17 · Post by **e17** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 9:47 am

robroe wrote:
honeyiscool wrote: If you play with any sort of finesse

Haha finesse isn't exactly my forte. I like heavier strings because its harder to for my badly-gripped chords to yank it out of tune too.