madoman

hmm, my jtv is tuned a half step lower due to the inability of it to stay in tune( need to upgrade tuners!). Also when I do baritone tuning on it and do harmonics that doesn't work well- it won't track, but I notice when I do the same harmonics with the 1 step lower tuning it works! I want to tune it down with string guage like to 12's to 52's(?) I highly doubt there would be problems. It would be tuned lower, less stress on the neck- at least a step and a half lower. I have taken my jtv down in tuning mechanically, sort of alt tuning and then took it to baritone on the computer part of it and it has had no problem tracking. My main guitar is a YB1 alvarez acoustic tuned baritone or d to d depending on string set. my motivation on this? if you write music on a guitar you are going to use d form and end up with melodies above a d in tuning. my voice sounds like crap above a d. baritone fixes that.

actually I screwed up here- I dont want to mess with my current JTV but if I purchased this shukiryen, I would go with a heavier string guage and take the tuning down to Cto C (how does that goe- from C to shining C!!!)

I have a variax- the les paul model and an hd500. it is amazing. I would like to get heavier strings to at least take this down two full steps to a C to C range. I don't see why that wouldn't work. Randy

I started working with the variax 59 and my hd500 connected through the computer. I noticed at church (next day) that I would try to change the tuning it would switch off in about 3-4 seconds. I haven't tried to put all the cords together again with the computer and I sent in a work tag and haven't heard back (did that yesterday). The guitar is 90 days in my possession (it was a 'b' stock when bought). aside from this everything is really good, the push part of the knob that turns it to a 5 way still works. Anyway. any ideas or history? RAndy from Ks