How do you E-flat guys get around?

[jcmark611]

I love the sound of my guitar when it's tuned to E-flat but, I can never keep it there since it seems no one else I know wants to play that way. How do you guys get around these problems?

[Lewkk]

Move your hands up a fret

[davejeon02]

Have another guitar for standard tuning. Or, capo 1st fret? Sorry I can't be of more help, I don't use Eb too often.
Or if you're using power chords, unless you are playing open strings in them, you should be good.
Leads, however, just move everything up one fret.

[Bill Brasky]

Find different people to play with.

[Pedro Bogus]

Tell everyone that you jam with - "You need to retune, I just paid $150 to have my guitar set up, otherwise I take my ball and go play elsewhere"

[mtlin]

I used to play a strat tuned to Eb. I would capo at the first frets for tunes where I needed to play in open position. I never did feel/sound quite right though.

[stoob0t]

I suppose it depends how much you use your open chords and strings really. I play tuned to DGCFAD, but the bassist and other guitarist in my band both tune to standard E, there are a couple of songs that i capo in, and a couple that the other guitarist capo's. The bassist just has to suffer

[re-animator]

I play in Eb..... the best strategy is to tell the lead singer she sounds better in Eb

[UMT]

Eb works well for singers who have to sing ALOT of tunes in the course of a nite. Just that little half step makes it much easier if you only have one major vocalist and are playing 4 hours. Little harder to do if you have a keyboardist who is using keys that require fixed tuning.

Example: Check out some of the videos for the 'Eagles' while they are on tour and then play the original recordings. The live stuff is tuned a half step down.

[CitizenCain]

I used Eb tuning before I knew that other people did the same thing, back around '76-'77. The reason? The singer couldn't hit the high notes in std tuning. I thought we were weird back then! No Internet to mess my head up

[DavidE]

Find a singer like mine with a lower voice. He requires Eb.

[walterw]

move to southeast virginia and join a cover band. i think there's a state ordinance requiring us to all play in Eb.

i don't like it, as i prefer 10s in standard but have to use 11s in Eb. it's sorta the same, but it's not the same.

[HoboMan]

Originally Posted by Pedro Bogus

Tell everyone that you jam with - "You need to retune, I just paid $150 to have my guitar set up, otherwise I take my ball and go play elsewhere"

[DGDGBD]

you could reset everyone's tuner to Eb when they're not looking

[ZachariahG]

Originally Posted by dave r.

you could reset everyone's tuner to Eb when they're not looking

i actually did that! in my old band, i always wanted to tune down and the rest of the guys didn't, so one day while they were out of the room, i reset the tuners and when we got done with practice, the bass player made a comment about us sounding more full than usual that day, i told them what i did, and we used Eb from then on.