Hm, I play most of the SYL & DevBand stuff in C tuning.... (C F A# D# G C) since my guitar has problems with keeping the tension already (damn that floyd rose) and most of the bands I like to jam on use that tuning (In Flames, Dimension Zero, etc). And I'm more familiar with powerchords anyway.

If you use tabs tho, I guess you'd rather adapt your guitar to the norms of other SYL players.

If you play SYL songs with normal power chords, you're just making it hard on yourself, because they have a few phrases with very fast chord shifting.
And most of Devin's riffs are written in and for open C tuning, which are pretty difficult to play on 'normal' C tuning, like for instance the Truth riff.

Thanks everyone, I'll have another go at drop tuning. I might have to use my trusty keyboard.... the tuner/my ears aren't being too reliable!

Uhm, If you tune via your keyboard, than you also use your ears

Lol, you know what I mean. It helps to have the notes there than to try and remember them for myself.

yeah ok, but you hear the note as you play them on your keyboard (we're talking about the instrument right, not the thing you use to type?), and than find it on your guitar. That's also basic ear-training.

Yeah, I was referring to the instrument. Ear-training, eh? Well I didn't know that!