Herb Steiner's tuning?

David Cook · From: Florida, USA

Anyone know what his tuning is for his lap Shobud 10 String
Thanks!!

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

I believe Herb Steiner has the pedal C6th steel tuning on his 10 and 8 strings, so always with a D on top:

d
E
C
A
G
E
C
A
F
C

I really like that reentrant D string.
On E based tunings it is the same as having an F# on top.

David Cook · From: Florida, USA

Rght now I have Tom Morrell's E13 tuned down to C
I was wondering if anyone else does this
I have the top 2 strings with the d on top not like Morrells

Joe A. Roberts · From: Seoul, South Korea

David I am curious, why did you decide to move the string?

I have been using a similar tuning on 8 strings (but a step up, in D, highest string F#, so halfway between the C and E tunings.)

E
D
C
A
G
E
D
Bb

I used to have the D on top because it seemed like a no brainer not to mess up that classic top 3 strings C6th 9th chord slant.

I realized that with the tip of a bullet nose bar, this slant is not that hard to play (top 4 strings):
10
x
9
8

And with the D on top, that slant gives you a 1 3 5 major chord, giving the benefit as if having a G string on top.
I eventually realized that the reverse would be true with the other D string order.
i.e. if the D was not on top, but in regular order, then that same slant shape above would give the C6th forward slant 9th chord.

So for me it started to make less sense to have that D on top.
Without a pedal steel background it is always kind of strange to use with it being out of order.

One reason I can think of it to be on top is if someone is so used to the normal C6th that they don’t want it in the way which makes sense.

I would assume the main reason that the D often put on top was because C6th pedal steel originally had a G on top, and by the time Buddy Emmons switched it to a D string in the late 70s or early 80s everything was already standardized.
Maybe it wouldn’t be on top if he came up with it in the 50s, I don’t know enough about the playing pedal C6th/ the copedent to know if that would mess things up or not.

And obviously guys like Zane Beck, Tommy Morrell and Ray Noren decided they wanted that 9th in order below the high 3rd.

David Cook · From: Florida, USA

Sorry, it took me a while to get back
I play pedal steel l and have the G on top for my C6
But on lap steel,even though I don't play out with it, I like to get the scale run like the E9 neck especially for country
I have several lap steels and a Shobud maverick that I took the pedals off.
I like the D on top for that reason you mentioned of being able to play the 9th Chord with a slant
I can't decide between Morrell's tuning and Herb Steiner's

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Hey David, howya doin'? Smile

I think the choice is with what the individual is most familiar

My choice for an 8- or 10-string C6 for non-pedal was easy; I was already so familiar with the pedal changes on C6, plus where my non-pedal melody pockets are, that boppin' along on that tuning was a no-brainer.

For a player with only E9 experience, maybe Tom's tuning would make more non-pedal sense. It's been so long since I've seen the Morrell tuning that I can't compare the two. Is it based on the McAuliffe E13 with added strings?
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

David Cook · From: Florida, USA

Hey Herb!!
Hope you and yours are doing fine!
I think this was Morrell's tuning
G#
F#
E
C#
B
G#
F#
E
D
E
He used that low E for Boot Scootin
Of course he was beyond beyond but I wasn't so enamored with the slightly "tinny" sound from that E tuning. Maybe part of it was his steel

I really shouldn't say anything. His playing defies belief

Keep on boppin'

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