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What tunings do you use?

Since I discovered the world of homemade guitars, I've been struggling a bit with what is the best tuning for a cigar box guitar. I've tried various open tunings, but they seem very limiting, for myself of course. I've finally gravitated to 4-strings or six strings, and use the standard guitar tuning for the top four strings. E-B-G-D for 4-strings. 3-string guitars I tune to E-B-G. Six-string guitars I keep with the standard E-B-G-D-A-E.

But I'd be interested in hearing from those who use open tunings, and why you do.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on May 11, 2015 at 8:22am

On the three string swamp witch I've played around with 135, 138, 148, 158. And so many more. On the four string Delta Blues I've tried so many I've forgotten most of them. : ) Currently I'm standard on 2, 3 and 4 with a drop D on the first string. Makes learning 'Brown Eye'd Girl' a breeze!

Each tuning has yielded an amazing array of possibilities.

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Permalink Reply by TN Twang on May 11, 2015 at 9:08am

Good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.

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Permalink Reply by Ice Bob on May 12, 2015 at 3:48pm

1 i use banjo tuning on 4 string (DGbd) top 4 strings drop the e to d. I do 3 variations from this tuning great to slide. tune your High D up to E your in 4 string standard like a baritone uke

2 drop the B to Bflat for minor tuning

3 (DAda) low grinding use lower strings like 2 power chords the 4 bass strings

4 (DGbb) tune the e way down to b its like the 3 strings on a six string the B is doubled and is used for 1 string leads kinda like a dulcie drop the extra b (DGb) same very familiar to 6 stringers

i can gig with 2 cbg's banjo tuning is more like standard 6 string tuning (EADgbe) it makes chords like a barre good for slide

these are my favorite tunings in order ive gigged with all of them you can tune up 2 frets to A with lite strings de-tune to C or B with heavy strings Go to (Cigar Box Tunings) Ice BOb