Hi Corey!  i just bought a resonator because your lessons with slide guitar inspired me so much that i now play slide all the time...and i prefer this open E major tuning...but i keep hearing from others that this tuning is very bad for a guitar, what with all of the tension on the strings...what do you think about this?  i know open D is the same thing only one step down, but i don't like playing in open D so much, it's not the pitch for me.  what do you recommend doing?  also, congratulations on the new album...i've been listening to your albums a lot lately...i'm living in germany now, but i'm from south carolina, so your albums in one sense are like a slice of home for me...i remember working in the tobacco fields in 100 degree weather, and listening to my grandpa's friends play blues on their front porches.  good memories...and i feel all of that again when i hear your albums...thanks, and take care!

@craig...greetings and thanks for your comments, and sharing your memories.  about playing in open E, I been doing it for almost twenty years and I have never had a problem.  the strings will break long before your guitar, so I just learned over the years to play with a lighter touch.  like you, i don't really dig open d since the pitch is a little too low.  but i think that most guitars, if they are made well, can withstand having the strings tuned to a higher pitch.  glad to hear that you got yourself a resonator and playing slide all the time...all the best.