Darick Campbell SS tuning 8-string

[Brooks Montgomery]

Does anyone know Darick Campbell’s Sacred 8-string tuning? The archives in this forum talk about his #2 string is C# . But on some YouTube clips he talks about his top string is C#. ??

[Jonathan Scherer]

Maybe when Darick is talking about his tuning, he means that the C# on top is replacing the high B, in an E major tuning. Which is usually the second string.
Since he is using eight strings, he can be creative with his tuning? just a guess.

I took a couple photos from Andy Volk's Lap Steel Guitar book, where he interviews Darick Campbell, RIP Darick.

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[Bill McCloskey]

Check out this thread https://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/001861.html

[Brooks Montgomery]

Thanks Bill. Yeh, I read that thread (link) earlier, hence my confusion.

[Brooks Montgomery]

If Darik’s tuning was indeed , low to high
B-E-B-E-G#-B-C#-E
And he went allegedly as fat as .078 for the (“deep bass”) B #8 string…
Any ideas on the other string gauges for short scale lap?

I will look them up on string tensioner, but it seems like his was very unique.

Thanks in advance for any gleanings on this.

[Michael Kiese]

If Darik’s tuning was indeed , low to high
B-E-B-E-G#-B-C#-E
And he went allegedly as fat as .078 for the (“deep bass”) B #8 string…
Any ideas on the other string gauges for short scale lap?

I will look them up on string tensioner, but it seems like his was very unique.

Thanks in advance for any gleanings on this.

Aloha Brooks,

I can attest to the fact that a 0.078 string will not fit into a lap steel tuning machine. The string is simply too thick.

You’ll either have to use a thinner string, or use a drill bit to widen the hole on your tuning machine.

Darrick’s 8th string is likely a B1, the B in the first octave of the piano, which is Bass player territory. It’s an incredibly low note for steel. .

I already ventured into this territory when creating a custom string set for David “Feet” Rogers’s D tuning which has a low D2, which is a minor 3rd away from B1. I put that set on a postwar Rickenbacher Bakelite, which is a short scale.

I chose to use a thinner string rather than widening out the tuner with a drill bit. It’s such a low note, that it is barely usable. You can easily step on the bass player’s toes. Good for sound effects to make people laugh though!

Feet used to use it to simulate the sound of a saw going through wood, or a cow mooing. Good fun!

Good luck and enjoy!