r/Guitar•
CardboardRhino

[QUESTION] Can high tension damage a guitar?

QUESTION

Hello there, I've been worrying over my guitar for a while now. I've always played kinda-high tension, but I've been loving even punchier, tighter textures, and thus want even more tension. I really hope it won't damage my guitar.

I've been doing some searches, and I'm still unsure. Is it possible for the neck to warp by leaving it like this for too long? Am I just stuck playing with strings that feel floppy? Most answers pertain to filing the nut and adjusting the bridge, tuners, and truss rod, but I haven't needed to make any accommodations.

For reference, I'm using a Medium Top/Heavy Bottom (11-54), plus a wound .070 on my 26.5" 7 string, so I can play in C Perfect Fourths. On a 6 string (at 25.5"), I play D Standard or D# Standard using 12-60's. For the really tight tuning setups, I just play it and tune it back up over and over again until the strings stay put.

Is it wrong to do this, or is it all good? Thanks in advance, I'd like to hear about it.

Posted Feb 22, 2016, 5:26 AM UTC

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