Compare two tunings

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

I am crossing over from PSG to 8 string Resonator..

My Res came with G6... bottom top

EGBDEGBD. Transposed to PSG C6 this would be Strings 8 to 1 inclusive...assuming a G at S1.

ACEGACEG

I hit the jazz side of c6 maybe a bit more than many. . But really probably still more swing ish than bonafide jazz.. never played bluegrass. .. i like listening to it in moderation. . .. I make abundant use of the S9 in my PSG playing and I get the sense many don't really use it alot. ... thus had been thinking to tweak the tuning to.

FACEGACE... which is a step plus or minus higher than the G6 tuning.

My sense is the tradeoff is the G6 dobro is a swing bluegrass cross with a hint of jazz whereas my proposed tuning is a Jazz Swing cross with a hint of bluegrass.

I don't know how well this will all translate without pedals.

What are your opinions on these two different options?

Andy Volk · From: Boston, MA

FACEGACE is the standard pedal steel C6th minus 2 strings. The late Bobbe Seymour played this tuning and you can hear it on many videos of his videos on YouTube. I would say there's nary a hint of bluegrass in the tuning because the 6th note is always in the way for that genre.
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Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Yes...its the standard PSG tuning. .. but how conveniently does it translate to Res with no pedals.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

It's the standard pedal tuning but also just about the most common on lap steel too. I understand that many pedal players use it without touching the pedals much so Id say it translates pretty well.

I play the closely related A6 tuning on various styles of music (I also tune my 6 string Dobro to A6) and with a bit of practice it's easy to avoid the 6th note (the Hawaiian bomb) when you don't want it.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Thanks Jeff.

Been jamming around on this thing for about an hour since I got it... the timbre of the top 3 strings of the G6 tuning sound pure classic bluegrass dobro and my fingers seem to find what I want with an upbeat swing attitude. I think I would miss the top string timbre and who knows what setup issues happen when you change tuning. . So I think I will leave in G6 and enjoy it as it was made. Very cool instrument and very intuitive.

I guess I like the swing meets bluegrass character of this thing. More than I expected anyways.

L. Bogue Sandberg · From: Chassell, Michigan, USA

Tom,

You also might try tuning that bottom E up to F for a G13 version. I believe I got the idea from a post by forumite Olli Haavisto years ago and never went back to G6. Pros and cons to both, of course, but I've kept it tuned to F for 8 years. There's a partial 13th passing chord on strings 4, 6, and 8 that I use a lot.

Scott Duckworth · From: Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies

NOTE: THIS POST HAS BEEN EDITED. SEE MY OTHER POST BELOW.

I use this E6 tuning on my 6 string lap steel. Works well for playing melodies.

Top down:
B
C#
E
G#
BE
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Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Hi Bogue... I remember that suggestion from my Dobro Primer thread a few months ago. . And when I tried it. .. I def prefered the F to the E so it will probably stay... I will need to find a way to get the guitar to sustain a bit more on that string when barred.. .. any suggestions? String gauge or heavier bar?

Pretty neat 6 string tuning Scott. I will get a six string at some point and will check it out.

Scott Duckworth · From: Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies

I told you wrong on my tuning. E6 in on my lap steel. I use a modified D6 on Dobro, with the Open G strings...

A, B, D, F#, A, D low to high.
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it

I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus!

L. Bogue Sandberg · From: Chassell, Michigan, USA

Tom, I use the GHS 1600 pure nickel resonator string set plus a .030 on the 4th string E and a .058 on the bottom F. Those bottom strings have to be fresh to sustain at all.

Most dobro players prefer phosphor bronze, but my skin chemistry destroys them after one gig. The Paul Beard 8 string bronze set uses a .060 on the bottom, intended for E. It should work fine a half step up.

L. Bogue Sandberg · From: Chassell, Michigan, USA

Oh, regarding bars, heavier is better for sustain, but not for moving up and down the neck all night. I settled on a bored out 21 mm x 70 mm at about 156 g from Jim Burden of Bullet Bars. I like the short "Jerry Byrd style" length for doing forward and reverse slants and the bullet nose for cheating the three string slants that add some cool chord options.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Thanks

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