Drawbacks of tuning a halfstep down?

[high-strung]

I wouldn't do it. You mess with your ear in relation to the guitar if you play in other tunings for too long and you will start to hear stuff shifted down a semitone.
Not a good idea if you are serious about guitar.

Sorry, perhaps I'm misunderstanding your meaning but that's nonsense. Different tunings just mean different sounds. There's several guitar masterpieces composed in alternate tunings. And the OP wasn't even talking about an alternate tuning, but tuning the entire guitar a half-step down. What does "hearing stuff shifted down a semitone mean?" Perhaps you meant something else?

I do agree with earlier posters that it is better to stick with normal tuning and build up the strength (if that is the only reason to downtune).

[ragasaraswati]

I can do easily a nice ~1 semitone vibrato but I want to be able to do 1+ tone vibratos with ease and without that eating my stamina to play fast in between.

Also I'm going to buy an electric guitar with a fat neck that I love but the fast wide vibratos I want to incorporate fully into my style seem all the most forciful.

[high-strung]

1+ tone vibratos?? That's Zakk Wylde territory perhaps.

[ragasaraswati]

1+ tone vibratos?? That's Zakk Wylde territory perhaps.

Without the squeels every now and then.

More like the Malmsteen one that is wide but perfectly controlled and rhythmic.
He plays concertos with an Orchestra in Eb. Why so ? Maybe to do the same with me?

[high-strung]

Without the squeels every now and then.

More like the Malmsteen one that is wide but perfectly controlled and rhythmic.
He plays concertos with an Orchestra in Eb. Why so ? Maybe to do the same with me?

Yeah but doesn't Wylde also do them sometimes with the right hand behind his fretting hand? If you're into Yngwie vibrato, have you tried his signature Strat with the scalloped fretboard? The concept of high profile frets taken to the extreme (like a sitar?). Definitely easier to bend/vibrato on it but VERY hard to play with proper intonation, have to be very precise. I hated it.

[ragasaraswati]

Hmm...I'd be nice to find one in the first place. You can also do some wide grace note from India without a whammy I guess!

[Obivion]

Sorry, perhaps I'm misunderstanding your meaning but that's nonsense. Different tunings just mean different sounds. There's several guitar masterpieces composed in alternate tunings. And the OP wasn't even talking about an alternate tuning, but tuning the entire guitar a half-step down. What does "hearing stuff shifted down a semitone mean?" Perhaps you meant something else?

He means that it messes up your ear. For example if I listen to the intro to "Paradise City" and Slash plays a Gmaj a half step down, it is really a Gb major and it is not the same sound as the Gmaj in, say Bob Dylan's Knockin on Heaven's Door. So if I play by ear, it's gonna be difficult.

My advice is just to work on your vibrato slowly and work up to some thick strings.

[high-strung]

He means that it messes up your ear. For example if I listen to the intro to "Paradise City" and Slash plays a Gmaj a half step down, it is really a Gb major and it is not the same sound as the Gmaj in, say Bob Dylan's Knockin on Heaven's Door. So if I play by ear, it's gonna be difficult.

Still not seeing a problem. Yes if you're just starting out, it can mess up your interpretation of the chords, but once you figure out how the open chords are sounding and that you can't replicate them, you can deduce that it's tuned down. I was disagreeing with the contention that "if you're serious about guitar, don't tune down." I guess what I was trying to say was that tuning down is not a bad thing, obviously Slash does it and I think he's serious about guitar.

[ragasaraswati]

I have perfect intervalic tone, so no problem reckognizing progressions and melodies. But I'm considering the strength factor that maybe I should work harder, play more classic/acoustic guitar. I can't use >9. gauge strings though because my current cheap guitar won't take it.