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Author Topic:  Extended C6 bass notes: Low A & D
Ben Feldman


From:
Spokane, WA
Post  Posted 28 Jul 2022 10:36 am    
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I am wondering if anybody here has experimented with adding more bass notes to an extended c6 Copededent. Chalker had that low A and low D on his (and no low C!! Whoa! ). Have any of you found use for these?

Im currently dreaming up a 12 string-extended C6 Copedent. I like the idea of including both a high D and high G string, but I'm questioning the utility of another string up top. Wondering who here is a fan of more bass notes on extended C6
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John McClung


From:
Olympia WA, USA
Post  Posted 28 Jul 2022 1:10 pm    
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I originally had a G as string 3 in my Mullen D12, string 2 the D, F as string one, but eventually took the F off, made slapping to strike the D note much easier, and no big loss to the tuning. I did love having both the G AND the D up top.
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scott murray


From:
Asheville, NC
Post  Posted 28 Jul 2022 1:11 pm    
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I raise string 10 to D by itself and use it a lot. I know Buddy Emmons also dropped his to A without raising the Cs on some of his later setups.

I haven't delved much into the Chalker style of playing but I'd love to have a guitar dedicated to his tuning.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 28 Jul 2022 9:49 pm    
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I've been toying with the idea of B as the 2nd string (like Bobby Black's S-11 lap steel) and low A as the 12th. The advantage is that the low C wouldn't need to be lowered to A on pedal 8, so its tuning would be more stable.
Tab:
      p5 ... p8
D
B
E
C
A
G   -F#
E
C           +C#
A
F   +F#     -E
C   ++D     +C#
A

Maybe even lower the 12th string down to F on P6. Whoa!
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Brett Lanier

 

From:
Madison, TN
Post  Posted 29 Jul 2022 9:03 am     Re: Extended C6 bass notes: Low A & D
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Another option would be to put a D string in the middle of the tuning.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 29 Jul 2022 12:26 pm     Re: Extended C6 bass notes: Low A & D
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Brett Lanier wrote:
Another option would be to put a D string in the middle of the tuning.

FWIW, I did that for a few years. It was great for soloing, but I couldn't rake across those big jazz chords that C6th is known for. I eventually abandoned the idea for that reason.
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scott murray


From:
Asheville, NC
Post  Posted 29 Jul 2022 12:32 pm     Re: Extended C6 bass notes: Low A & D
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Buddy also tried something similar on a later 12-string C6 setup but with an extra C in the middle that could be raised to D.


I raise my Cs to D and drop my Es to D, both of which come in quite handy.
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 30 Jul 2022 8:52 am     Re: Extended C6 bass notes: Low A & D
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scott murray wrote:
I raise my Cs to D and drop my Es to D, both of which come in quite handy.

Me too, except that I don't lower the high E.*

Apologies for the topic drift.

*I tune everything a step higher, though. I'm in D6th, so I'm actually raising D to E and lowering F# to E.
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Ben Feldman


From:
Spokane, WA
Post  Posted 3 Aug 2022 8:24 am    
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Hey all, thanks for the input here.

Quote:
I've been toying with the idea of B as the 2nd string (like Bobby Black's S-11 lap steel) and low A as the 12th. The advantage is that the low C wouldn't need to be lowered to A on pedal 8, so its tuning would be more stable


B0b, I see a lot of use to having B & D on the C6 neck, like those top 2 strings on e9. In terms of tuning stability, are you talking about less cabinet drop?
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b0b


From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
Post  Posted 3 Aug 2022 3:21 pm    
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b0b wrote:
I've been toying with the idea of B as the 2nd string (like Bobby Black's S-11 lap steel) and low A as the 12th. The advantage is that the low C wouldn't need to be lowered to A on pedal 8, so its tuning would be more stable

Ben Feldman wrote:
B0b, I see a lot of use to having B & D on the C6 neck, like those top 2 strings on e9. In terms of tuning stability, are you talking about less cabinet drop?


No, I'm talking about eliminating hysteresis on that bottom string. When you lower it, it returns sharp. Or when you raise it, it returns flat. It's pretty pronounced on some models. (Not on my Sierra S-10, though. Ross Shafer's new finger design took care of that.)

The 11th string (low C) would have only raises, because P8 wouldn't have to lower it. In fact, P8 could raise the 11th string C to C#, completing the low A chord.

(A C# E A C# E on the low 6 strings.)
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Jay Jessup


From:
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Post  Posted 9 Aug 2022 9:27 am    
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Here's my somewhat contrarian thought which starts with this question, What are you going to use them for? Doug Jernigan and others have created some great solo steel pieces that make very good use of those low strings so if that's where you are headed then keep on.
However, if that is not where you are headed there are two things to consider. #1 I've found it difficult to get a punchy tone out of those real low strings without messing up the tone of the rest of the guitar. #2 You are in bass player territory. I once heard someone playing Hold It live and it sounded like a low end cat fight with the bass player, not something I'd want to emulate.
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