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Topic: Working an alternate Tuning for Weissenborn (G6 ?) |
Mark Evans
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2024 11:22 am |
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Greetings
I play Weiss exclusively (tho I ponder acquiring a slab lap steel now and then while browsing the ads). I have 4, with standard JP weiss strings (.058-.017 or so). One is in CGCGCD, baritone in C, teardrop in open D… and I have another… and I’m kicking around options.
I fell upon a page with a G6 tuning DGDGBE. I guess a David Gilmour tuning? This works with my string gauge, is familiar, but really only differs with the E high (tho provides a minor group, major and power chord group.
The G6 i see most often here is DBGEDG. It seems my standard Weiss strings would be a’ snapping if I tuned them up this way. I realize it may be lazy, but I’m not sure I want to be tweaking gauges down to suit that… plus those heavier gauge low strings on Weiss really help it to rumble.
Opinions? Suggestions?
Tanks
Mark
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Larry Pogreba Baritone 'Weissenheimer
Lazy River mahogany standard Weiss
Lazy River ‘Tear Drop” weissenborn
2017 Richard Wilson Style 1 Weissenborn |
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Joe A. Roberts
From:
Seoul, South Korea
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Posted 9 Jan 2024 11:44 am
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Why not tune down a step so it is the same but in F? .017 sounds pretty heavy for E and even if it is not snapping that must be a lot of pressure!
You also could probably keep the other strings the same but just use lighter top strings, say, .014 or .015 for the top E if you want it to be in G.
Tunings with the 6th of the chord on top are rare, though not deservedly so, as I am sure you can hear. |
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Mark Evans
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 9 Jan 2024 11:55 am
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Ah, so CAFDCF?
(Pardon my stuck in open D/G/C brain set)
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Larry Pogreba Baritone 'Weissenheimer
Lazy River mahogany standard Weiss
Lazy River ‘Tear Drop” weissenborn
2017 Richard Wilson Style 1 Weissenborn |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 9 Jan 2024 2:06 pm
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If you want to use the same gauge strings, the best option would be a G tuning DGDGBD. If you want to go with a little bit lighter strings, I would try a G6 but spelled BDEGBD. Of course, there are thousands of other options.
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Kevin Maul: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Decophonic, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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David Knutson
From:
Cowichan Valley, Canada
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Posted 9 Jan 2024 3:47 pm
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I’m with Kevin Maul on the G6 he suggested, especially if you want to play some swing. That 6th tone is so much more useful in the middle of the tuning. You do lose the big power chords, but I imagine you’ll be keeping one in open D anyways.
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David K |
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Mike Harris
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2024 4:44 am G6 tuning options
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For what it's worth, Cindy Cashdollar suggests:
D B G E B G
16 18 26 34 46 56
If you like to go back and forth between the regular G tuning and the G6th, keep the 34 gauge string on. |
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John Christian
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Jan 2024 6:58 am
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| I use that tuning you mentioned Mark DGDGBE. I didn't know it was the David Gilmore tuning but that makes sense. Good for blues and rock, same top end as a guitar so you don't have to relearn anything if you play guitar, and you can play 6ths. I actually use open G DGDGBD mostly, and then just raise top string to get the 6th tuning. The open G sounds more country to me, and the other more rock. |
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Mark Evans
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 9:17 am
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| K Maul wrote: |
| If you want to use the same gauge strings, the best option would be a G tuning DGDGBD. If you want to go with a little bit lighter strings, I would try a G6 but spelled BDEGBD. Of course, there are thousands of other options. |
I’m going to take a flyer on the BDEGBD tuning with 6th in the middle. Really switch it up from open D,C and G (with some familiarity on the treble side)
Current string set is 58, 48, 38, 27, 18, 15
An old thread shows a Paul Beard string set with gauges 17, 19, 27, 30, 35, 45, (56, 59).
I got a big box o’ misc strings… should I swap the entire low end 3 strings out?
Thanks for all the sage guidance here, folks!
Mark E in Denver
_________________
Larry Pogreba Baritone 'Weissenheimer
Lazy River mahogany standard Weiss
Lazy River ‘Tear Drop” weissenborn
2017 Richard Wilson Style 1 Weissenborn |
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Mark Evans
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 11 Jan 2024 12:10 pm
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Never mind. Figured it out. Now I have ‘figure it out’ how to play a new tuning. Will look for tabs and tips
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Larry Pogreba Baritone 'Weissenheimer
Lazy River mahogany standard Weiss
Lazy River ‘Tear Drop” weissenborn
2017 Richard Wilson Style 1 Weissenborn |
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 14 Jan 2024 12:42 pm
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| Mark Evans wrote: |
| K Maul wrote: |
| If you want to use the same gauge strings, the best option would be a G tuning DGDGBD. If you want to go with a little bit lighter strings, I would try a G6 but spelled BDEGBD. Of course, there are thousands of other options. |
I’m going to take a flyer on the BDEGBD tuning with 6th in the middle. Really switch it up from open D,C and G (with some familiarity on the treble side)
Current string set is 58, 48, 38, 27, 18, 15
An old thread shows a Paul Beard string set with gauges 17, 19, 27, 30, 35, 45, (56, 59).
I got a big box o’ misc strings… should I swap the entire low end 3 strings out?
Thanks for all the sage guidance here, folks!
Mark E in Denver |
Keeping your current strings the Cindy Cashdollar tuning makes the most sense. I would NOT tune a 58 gauge up to B on Weissenborn.
I like DGEGBD.
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Current Tunings:
6 String | G – D G D G B D
7 String | G9 – D G B D F A D
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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Miles Lang
From:
Venturaloha
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Posted 22 Jan 2024 5:43 pm Re: G6 tuning options
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| Mike Harris wrote: |
For what it's worth, Cindy Cashdollar suggests:
D B G E B G
16 18 26 34 46 56
If you like to go back and forth between the regular G tuning and the G6th, keep the 34 gauge string on. |
I use that tuning on my Weissenborn copy, except I substitute a 32 for the 34. I rarely tune the E down to D
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Santo Fan Club - from the island of Coney to the sands of Rockaway
Jill Martini & The Shrunken Heads
All aloha, all the time |
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Brooks Montgomery
From:
Idaho, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2024 6:00 pm
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Lately I’ve been playing my Iseman weissie in D6/Bm and it’s quite fun and stays intuitively familiar (for my limited “60’s were hard on me” brain & fretboard ability). I play most all my laps and dobros now in open D. For D6: I just tune the second string up a step. Easy-peezy. There’s a small collection of slants and string pulls that make it pretty cool.
Low to hi: DADF#BD. And I use the same strings that I play on my dobro, Asher, and others (open D=DADF#AD) String Gauge: 56-46-36- 26 -17-15
Greg Booth (and family) did a great version of Boot Heel Drag with this tuning
https://youtu.be/qlPRUt6KneE?feature=shared
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first. |
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