Any acoustic guitar experts willing to help me out with some info?
I would like to have an acoustic guitar tuned down a step and a half (C#F#BEG#C#, and at times open Bsus2 BF#BEbF#C#) for a big warm sound and a key that suits my voice on bad days. I tried a baritone acoustic and it was a bit too deep and dark for my purposes.
I have been tuning this way with the medium gauge string set on one of my back-up guitars (an old Yamaha) and it sounds alright, albeit a bit rattly and weak. I am sure a heavier gauge string set would fix this problem. What I really want to do is set up my Taylor grand auditorium in this configuration, but I worry about putting tensions on the neck that might damage the balance of this perfectly crafted guitar.
What gauge of strings should I use to maintain the same tension as light gauge in standard tuning on this guitar? If there is no way to avoid warping the guitar, what would be an ideal guitar/string combo to set up in this tuning? My Yamaha, albeit a workhorse, has no electronics or cutaway, and is also very old with sentimental value so I don't want to hurt it much either. What is a relatively inexpensive guitar built tough enough to handle this abuse I have planned while retaining enough tone to please the ear? Would the tone be better on a jumbo or a dreadought?
Any advice would be much appreciated!