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Topic: Possibly a stupid question: tuning down a half step |
Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 3 Mar 2024 8:42 am |
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This may be a dumb question but that has never stopped me before. 
I just got a Sierra universal tuned to David Wright's Bb6 tuning but tuned up a half step to B6 universal.I want to lower it back to Bb6. Which will also probably include changing string gauges.
Is there any "setup" issues I might encounter when detuning the instrument a half step or does it not matter: just tune the keys, levers, and pedals down a half step.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Robert Simms
From:
Austin, TX
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Posted 3 Mar 2024 9:52 am
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You'll definitely need patience. You'll most likely have to change the travel of the levers and pedals and the location of the rods in the bellcranks. What is the advantage of tuning it down?
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Robert "Mike" Simms
www.jesseraubjr.com |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 3 Mar 2024 9:57 am
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Ah...that was what I was afraid of. Advantage is: 1. Good enough for Reece, David Wright and Junior Knight. 2. Bb is a better key for jazz.
I'll keep it as it is for now. Thanks Robert.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 3 Mar 2024 1:15 pm
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I don't necessarily agree with Robert. I started playing on a D10, and I soon decided I would swap to universal. So in preparation I tuned the back neck down from C6 to B6 to get used to the geography. Apart from adjusting some of the changes very slightly it was no problem. A semitone is not a significant distance. I certainly didn't have to swap gauges - in fact they already corresponded to the equivalent E9 ones.
So Bill, I would just lower everything a half step and see what happens. The only thing that's stopping me doing the same is the thought of having to relearn my fretboard geography again after ten years! If I were starting afresh I'd go for Bb.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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David Higginbotham
From:
Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2024 4:43 pm
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| I agree with Ian. Half step will require only slight adjustments that will likely be remedied with the tuning nuts. If any string gauges were changed, you may want to consider going back to a standard gauge. But I’m willing to wager that wasn’t the case. A whole step is a different animal and some rodding and string sizes need to be addressed. Particularly the small strings. As mentioned….tune it back and see where you’re at. Pretty sure you’ll be successful with minimal intervention. 🙂 |
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Fred
From:
Amesbury, MA
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Posted 3 Mar 2024 6:00 pm
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| I tuned my E9(ish) universal down to D one time. That’s basically B down to A. The strings were too slack going down a full step. Especially the low B which is already too light. I was able to get tuned without changing any rodding or travel stops. |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 3 Mar 2024 9:33 pm
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| I tried tuning my '78 Super Pro's C neck down a half-step awhile back. It worked out OK and I'd take it out if my Mullen U-12 were unavailable. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 4 Mar 2024 1:29 am
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This is a slight digression, but I advise anyone starting out on D10 or moving up to one from a single E9 to tune the rear neck to B.
Even if they never play a uni 12, it still makes the two necks relatable instead of seeming like different worlds.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 4 Mar 2024 4:31 am
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| Bill McCloskey wrote: |
Ah...that was what I was afraid of. Advantage is: 1. Good enough for Reece, David Wright and Junior Knight. 2. Bb is a better key for jazz.
I'll keep it as it is for now. Thanks Robert. |
1. Reece, DW, Junior and others all have had specific reaons for tuning down a half step, as have countless others over the years, often entire touring bands simply to minimize string breakage mid-show. To do so simply because someone else did is not necessarily to your advantage unless it serves your actual needs, which brings us to...
2. While most horns are most easily played in the keys of Bb, F, Eb, and Ab, tuning your steel to place the tonic chord at the nut is not necessarily a positive, e.g. in the E9 tuning I prefer the possibilities in the keys of F and Bb using the first fret to working around the E and A major at the nut.
I agree that playing in the key of Bb is similarly inconvenient in a B6 tuning, but I question if it represents enough of your playing time to change everything else around that one key, and then where are you when the song is in the very popular key of A major?
One can literally go in circles about this... |
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Bill McCloskey
From:
Nanuet, NY
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Posted 4 Mar 2024 8:17 am
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Thanks Dave for your thoughts. The practical reason to detune it is to get rid of the G# which I'm having trouble tuning to because of the keyless system. I figured G would be less likely to break strings and would be easier to tune.
_________________
Check out the Steel Guitar Union Hall Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@steelguitarunionhall
Last edited by Bill McCloskey on 4 Mar 2024 8:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 4 Mar 2024 8:42 am
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| Bill McCloskey wrote: |
| I figured G would be less likely to break strings and would be easier to tune. |
And there you have it 😎 |
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