Tune acoustic down half step or swapping to lighter guage - what keeps better tone?

[lfm]

The less tension the more tone you loose. It just drives the top worse if going for too light tension or guage.

And balance to playability as well as not being another universe from electric guitar. Just playing electric some weeks, going to acoustic feels heavy.
And other way around, electric feels like rubber bands.

So what is best compromise for acoustic?
a) tune down half step
b) swap to lighter guage

I used the Elixir Phosphor Bronze Nano from Elixir site has tension values also
Elixir
Custom Light Strings
Diameter (in) / Tension (lbs)
.011 / 20
.015 / 20
.022 / 25
.032 / 30
.042 / 30
.052 / 25
150


Light Strings
Diameter (in) / Tension (lbs)
.012 / 23
.016 / 23
.024 / 30
.032 / 30
.042 / 30
.053 / 26
162

Then a calculator to check different tuning. Values a little different, but they refer to their custom strings sets. So compare tension on calculator values is best assumption.

Calculator https://tension.stringjoy.com/
012-054 tuned down D# (all strings half step down)
.012 / 22.9
.016 / 22.8
.024 / 27.8
.032 / 28.4
.042 / 27.2
.054 / 25.6
154.7 lbs

012-054 normal tuning E
.012 / 25.7
.016 / 25.6
.024 / 31.2
.032 / 31.8
.042 / 30.5
.054 / 28.7
173.5 lbs

So 20 lbs difference(roughly 8 kg) as tuned down.

011-052 normal tuning E
.011 / 21.6
.015 / 22.5
.022 / 27
.032 / 31.8
.042 / 30.5
.052 / 26.3
159.7 lbs

So just 14 lbs( 5.5 kg) with lighter guage strings.

I recorded and compared these different approaches and found downtuning loose too much of tone in guitar. Those people that do, usually go up in guage.

So the 011-052 hybrid set seems like way to go, keeping more tone and gaining playability. 012-053 is playable for sure, pretty good, but always look for improved setup.

The risk on acoustics changing guage is always that saddle might need remake, to get proper intonation, but that is later subject. On electrics you've got like 3-4 times the amount to adjust, and on every saddle.

So something to do over midsummer here, raining like crazy....

[xtp]

I am relatively plebeian, I keep my guitar at pitch and in standard tuning and use similar gauge for both electric and acoustic. This makes the transition between instruments almost unnoticeable. I use Galli strings and they do a flatwound bronze for acoustic and I likewise use their flatwound chrome for electric. I have used elevens for about the last twenty years [11-50] , and am currently trialling tens for both. [10-46/7]

I have always found my hand strength adjusts, after a period of practice, to the string weight.

When I started playing back in the 80's, I used nines, but because I was quite an aggressive player, my vibrato caused the frets to act like a knife-edge and used to cut segments into the windings on the G and A strings which dramatically shortened their usuable life.

[Hermetech Mastering]

Same as above, 13s on my acoustic guitar (standard tuning), and 12s on my electric (standard tuning). Tone is great, and you get used to whatever gauge you play. Going from electric to acoustic is never a problem for me as I am playing acoustic 90% of the time.

[tapper mike]

I use the gauge that matches the instrument and almost always keep it in standard tuning.

Tuning down changes the character of the tone as does tuning up or using a capo. Tuning down a half step will give a little bit of warmth to the tone. Beyond that the tone often darkens too much for my liking. Tuning up and or using a capo brings the brightness of the tone up.

The vast majority of the songs I play on guitar are written in standard tuning. Though during the 80's and 90's I did experiment with altered tuning. I found that while altered tuning allowed me to properly perform covers I didn't have any creativity writing my own songs using those tunings.

With regards to Jazz boxes which comprise most of my playing I prefer flatwounds. Squeaky strings don't appeal to me and fastfret only works so much on reducing that. I used to play with 13's exclusively on my boxes back in the 80's and 90's when playing in swing bands. Simply because it's not about playing fast leads or heavy rhythm work. It's very choppy loud forced playing on all four (beats) It wasn't till I moved away from swing era rhythm playing that I could lower my action and lighten my gauge.

Since then I've moved down to 11's with a wound G.

With solid body guitars I started playing with 10's and 11's in the 70's and only moved down to 09's in the 90's I used to break strings like mad as I was to nervous and played with more force than required to get my accents out. Once I finally mastered how to sound louder without playing harder I stuck to 09's

I am tempted to go up a gauge (from 11 to 12) on the high E string of my Ibanez George Benson but I also may simply raise the pole piece as I notice a slight drop off in volume. On the other hand (I'm still debating this) I may go for lighter electric strings on my D'angelico EXL or replace the bridge as it can't be lowered enough for fast comfortable playing.

But really it always starts with your personality which leads to playing style which affects every choice you make thereafter.

[lfm]

My goodness - lumberjacks all over the place.

Been playing different styles for a while, and came back to doing barred chord, and had no strength in wrist. But after 2 days playing it felt like back to normal.

[xtp]

My goodness - lumberjacks all over the place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FshU58nI0Ts

[curtiscole]

Lighter gauge...
Tune it half-step down only if you wish to play tunes that are half-step down IMO.

[CapnLockheed]

I played around with this nonsense for awhile....PITA....extra$....not worth it for the novelty. I do however use a Danelectro Bass VI and 12 string, Roland GK-3 equipped guitar with a VG88 V2 for alternate tunings and Vox style Phantom Mando Guitar. No fuss. No muss. TONS of tonal options without string changes, tuning changes capos or any of that silliness.

[CapnLockheed]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FshU58nI0Ts

[fese]

I tend not to worry about such stuff, I keep my guitars with the string gauge they came with when I bought them or what the manufacturer recommends. Which is 12s for my acoustics and 10s on the electrics.
I like the sound of my acoustic tuned town a half tone, but it tends to worsen buzz on the high strings a bit, so I only do it if the song requires it somehow.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

My rule of thumb is:

12's on acoustic. Not really playing leads or doing bending. If 12's don't work for you, go lighter. This isn't a contest.

10's on Fender electrics (25.5" scale).

11's on Fender short-scale guitars (well, Jaguar) and Gibsons.

Electric bass is whatever...not like I'm changing bass strings often.

Definitely hate the sound of new strings on anything. Only change them when they smell bad.

[xtp]

Definitely hate the sound of new strings on anything. Only change them when they smell bad.

Many years ago a friend bought a new amp and he called me up to come over and see it. When I got to his house, he gave me his guitar to try it out. I could smell the strings, and the next day I got an infected finger, which from memory, the doctor told me was some sort of bacterial infection.

I never let on to my mate, and later, someone else told me, he suffered from some kind of skin condition. That was back in the 80's, and after that experience, if anyone ever handed me a guitar, I always sniffed the strings first, and if I could smell anything untoward, I handed the guitar back with a polite excuse for why I wasn't going to try it out.

[Jafo]

Tastes vary. I dislike the tone of heavy strings, and hate new strings; my preference is a low-down, swampy, funky, blue sound and feel. I use Green Slinkies (.10 gauge, nickel-wound) across the board: depending on your touch, you can still get that obnoxious steely whiny WHAM! if you want it, but you aren't limited to it.