Capo Tele to play short scale Gibson songs???

[freddie]

Hi all,

This is a dumb question I'll bet, but it's plagued me for a long time. Do I need to put a capo on a 25.5 guitar to play a song recorded on a 24.75 neck ala gibson sg..les paul...etc.?????????

What does it mean to tune down a half or full step for hard rock (like Ac/dc Highway to hell etc..)? Is that for 24.75 guitars only? How do I do it with a tuner?

I'm trying to learn lead here on my Tele and I'm confused .


thanks,

freddie

[Axis29]

Putting a capo on your tele won't change the scale of the neck... it'll just change the lowest notes you can play. i.e. on a concert pitch tuned instrument with a capo on the 3rd fret, the lowest note you can play is a G (on the sixth string) 5th fret, an A... 7th Fret a B, 11th fret an E flat, etc.

To tune down a half step or whole step: You're tele is presumably tuned to concert pitch. This means the A string is tuned at 440. Your strings are tuned EADGBE from thickest to thinnest. By tuning down a half step, you tune them to E flat, A flat, D flat, G flat, B flat, and E flat (thickest to thinnest) a whole step would be: DGCFAD.

The difference between a 25.5 scale Fender instrument and a 24.75 scale Gibson instrument has a lot more to it than just the scale length of the neck, there are different pickups, construction, etc. These things all contribute to the differences in sound you hear. However, to learn a song recorded on a Gibson Les Paul on your Tele, all you need do, is learn the notes....

Funny thing, I never realized Highway to Hell is one of those tuned down songs (though I guess I've never played along with the album... or even tried to learn it, I think) Hendrix and SRV mess me up because they play down a half step and half the time I just don't feel like tuning down to play one or two songs.

[pbenn]

I see one scale-related situation that might come up, depending on the size of your hands. Full-chord Chuck Berry-style parts (six-string barre chords) in F, F#, and G, played from the first, second, or third frets, are a lot harder to maintain on the Fender scale neck, and relatively easier on the Gibson scale.

[Joe K]

Freddie, as you can see, there is no need to change things to interpret or paly a Gibson song on a Fender or vice versa. The manufacturers take care of neck lenth adjustments with where they place the frets. So a low "E" on on a Gibson is the same low "E' on a Fender.

The biggest reason that some people tune down to Eb (Jimi) or use a capo is if their singing voice works better in a particular key.

SRV may have either tuned down because of his voice, because Jimi did, or to make his heavy strings easier to bend. I don't know.

[DavyA]

Originally Posted by Joe K

Freddie, as you can see, there is no need to change things to interpret or paly a Gibson song on a Fender or vice versa. The manufacturers take care of neck lenth adjustments with where they place the frets. So a low "E" on on a Gibson is the same low "E' on a Fender.

The biggest reason that some people tune down to Eb (Jimi) or use a capo is if their singing voice works better in a particular key.

SRV may have either tuned down because of his voice, because Jimi did, or to make his heavy strings easier to bend. I don't know.

I wasn't aware of Jimi tuning down, but may well have. SRV Tuned down just like Albert King from whom he borrowed heavily. Because he used heavier strings (13's) to help get his tone, he lowered the tuning to make it easier to play. That is, there was less tension. This made it easier to bend strings etc.

[charlie cash]

Freddy,
If you tune all yourstrings down 1/2 step (E flat, Aflat, D flat, etc.), then put a capo on the first fret, you will be back in standard tuning and the scale length will feel like its a 24 3/4 neck. It will still sound like your guitar. You don't need to do this to play AC/DC on a tele or a Strat. The notes are the same regardless of the scale length; the longer scale has higher tension on the strings to make the pitch the same.

[freddie]

Thanks!!!!! That clears THIS ONE UP WITH ME.



freddie

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by DavyA

SRV Tuned down just like Albert King from whom he borrowed heavily. Because he used heavier strings (13's) to help get his tone, he lowered the tuning to make it easier to play. That is, there was less tension. This made it easier to bend strings etc.

Albert King tuned his guitar down. But he tuned it much lower than SRV. I believe Albert tuned down to C#, then he could get away with 3 or more full tone bends (six frets). SRV used Fender electric strings that are the size of the ones on my acoustic.

Some songs were recorded a 1/4 tone low or a full tone low. This can make them difficult to play along with, especially the 1/4 tone ("in the cracks" of a piano) songs. I think this was because way back in the early studios the musicians tuned to the piano in the studio. A lot of old piano's are a half tone off, and shouldn't ever be tuned up to the correct pitch. A old piano that has always been out of tune is a dangerous thing to tune, so they are hardly ever tuned to concert pitch like a new one would be.