Looking for 12string set up for blues and rock.

Chuck McGill · Post by **Chuck McGill** » 20 Apr 2014 4:56 pm

Need some ideas. I play a lot of blues and rock but would like to retain some b6 changes. My set up is 6 and 5k. Any help is good. Shoot me some ideas.

Niels Andrews · Post by **Niels Andrews** » 20 Apr 2014 5:13 pm

Look at Zane Kings tuning on. You tube. It is E9 with a 6 added.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 20 Apr 2014 5:47 pm

E9/B6, with A,B,C,5,6,7. Ideally I'd put a clustered knee, isolated from the E lowers, put P5 on it so you can have 6,7&8 with 5 on a knee.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 20 Apr 2014 7:49 pm

I played a lot of blues and rock on a 5+5 extended E9th. The most important feature for that music is the ability to play fast pentatonic scale licks. I often used the fret above the V chord, with my E's lowered to D# and strings 2 & 9 lowered to C#. It's one of the most useful positions in rock, in my opinion.

Here's what I had:
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Notice the power chord (C#) on LKL+P1+P2.

The pentatonic scale is Em at the 8th fret, with LKR+RKL (knees inward).

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 20 Apr 2014 7:57 pm

I get the better part of my blues and rock lead work on the higher pitched strings by holding my B pedal down and rocking on and off A and C pedals, and using string 1 a lot. Those are good pockets for me.

Obviously, the power chords get filled in on the big fat low strings....

I don't have it (yet) but I'm pretty sure a F#-G on String 7 would open some more stuff up for rhythm guitar work.

The multi-genre capability of an E9/B6 copedent is exciting. Its the thing that makes me slightly inclined to consider myself a Uni12 player in spite of my current collecting of D10s.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 20 Apr 2014 8:02 pm

Right, Tom. I used the vertical for that, keeping my foot on A and B.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 20 Apr 2014 8:28 pm

I have it on rkl...that e--f# is so much more useful when its not hooked into that B string...still have it on a c pedal on my D10 tho, as soon as I get another lever, c pedal is gone!

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 21 Apr 2014 3:04 am

I like the look of that, B0b, but it doesn't have the B6 changes. I personally find myself using the E9th neck for most of my blues; that tuning's flexibility is really impressive.

Chuck McGill · Post by **Chuck McGill** » 21 Apr 2014 5:20 am

Some great ideas guys thanks. bOb my open tuning is like yours now. It makes more since to me than dropping the D and having a B on the bottom. I guess the B6 thing is just foreign to me. I understand it but don't know if I can embrace it. Do we have a Robert Randolph copedant here?

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 21 Apr 2014 8:32 am

Lane Gray wrote:I like the look of that, B0b, but it doesn't have the B6 changes. I personally find myself using the E9th neck for most of my blues; that tuning's flexibility is really impressive.

It doesn't have the B6th changes, but I never ran across a chord I couldn't find on it. I had no problem getting a C6th-ish sound on it. Listen to track 4 on this album:

https://b0blee.bandcamp.com/album/quasar-steel-guitar

Then listen to track 5 for some blues/rock on the same tuning. My philosophy is that the tuning doesn't define the style of music - the musician does that.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 21 Apr 2014 8:38 am

I agree totally, B0b. I find that the changes available influence the THINKING more than the playing.
Cases in point from Emmons: Wills Point and the intro and turnaround from Houston. Sure sounds like backneck stuff, but it's all E9

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 21 Apr 2014 9:37 am

On the other hand, I played a Gram Parsons tribute show last weekend on my 8 string D6th and didn't play a jazz chord all night. Audience can't tell that it's not an E9th, and they don't care. It's all about playing the right notes, not the right tuning.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 21 Apr 2014 10:58 am

here is my setup, but I almost never use the B6 stuff. The cool thing about my tuning is all the extra bass on the E9 side.

Chuck McGill · Post by **Chuck McGill** » 22 Apr 2014 4:55 am

I love this forum. Thanks again guys for the ideas.

Lane Gray · Post by **Lane Gray** » 22 Apr 2014 5:55 am

I really think, upon fuller reflection¹ that really E9 just needs some fat power chords for strumming,and otherwise really just works fine for rock and blues.
At 6 pedals, I think I'd run Extended E9, set up thusly:
LKL: Es to E#
LKV: Bs to A#
LKR: Es to D#
P1: 1 to G#, 2 to E, 6 and the low G# to A, 7 to E, 9 to C# (6 rarely gets used when 1&2 go to 3&4, this pedal does two sets of uses)
P2:A
P3:B
P4:C
P5: 5 and 10 to A
P6: 7 to E, 9 to E or B
RKL: 1 to G, 6 to F#
RKR: 2 to D/C#, 9 to C#

¹unfortunately I can't make the mobile thing do a table, or just can't figure it out.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 22 Apr 2014 7:10 am

I had a C pedal on Ext E9th for many years. I added a 12th string lower E to D on it. It didn't interfere with normal C pedal licks, and it added a great sounding D power chord when I used B+C on strings 12, 11, 9. Basically, it extended the idea of using the 9th string as root into the low octave.

I kept the change when I ditched the C pedal. You see it on P4 on my chart (above).