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Topic: general lap steel question |
Joseph Barcus
From:
Volga West Virginia
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Posted 20 Sep 2007 5:54 pm |
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| I was needing to know what was the most common lap used in the 50's hank thompson, hank williams and so on. was it a 6,8 string? if one was to take up a interest in playing a lab for that kind of material what would be the best tuning? and of course a 6 or 8 string guitar? I would also need to know the gauge string and sequence of tuning if at all possible. thanks in advance |
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Ron Randall
From:
Dallas, Texas, USA
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Posted 20 Sep 2007 7:21 pm
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Well,
The first "Liar" ain't gotta chance, so here I go.
The great majority of those sounds work very well on a 6 or 8 string steel tuned E6. Just keeping things simple here...and going for the 80% solution.
Hi
G#
E
C#
B
G#
E
lo
Many of Hank Sr songs were done in key of C.
There is some magic in that E6 tuning, and playing the licks and phrases in C. This puts the bar fairly high on the neck. The minor key intervals are also right there in the tuning.
Ron |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 21 Sep 2007 9:13 am Talkin' about olden days music...............
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Well, how about this?
I recall some of Hank Thompson's steel players having 8-strings; most Bigsby's and Fenders.
Later, Noel Boggs came thro' with 8 string triple and quad FENDERS.
Hank Williams, Sr., however, JERRY BYRD used a 7 string; C6th tuning, and it sounded good to my ears. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Sep 2007 10:04 am
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| After Jerry Byrd, Hank Williams had Don Helms playing steel and he used a D-8 Gibson Console Grande. |
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Eddie Cunningham
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 26 Sep 2007 4:53 pm Mostly D-8 Fenders in these parts !!
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| Around this area in the late 40s , early 50s pretty much everybody had D-8 Fenders, they were readily available in the stores where Bigsbys had a year or two waiting plus cost more $$$ ,then players went to T-8s and quads and after 56 or 57 when pedals really came in players went to Fender 1000s or early 8 string Sho-Buds and all the Fender D-8s wound up in the pawn shops !! Eddie "C" |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 26 Sep 2007 7:36 pm
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For beginners, Don Helms has a book of tablature out. It can all be played on 6 strings. It can be played equally well in Don's E6, G#-E-C#-B-G#-E from top to bottom or low C6 E-C-A-G-E-C from top to bottom. A low C6 set is available in 6 strings from the string section of the forum.
Most, if not all of those players did use 8 strings in those days. But most 8 string players even today do most of their playing on the first 6 strings.
_________________
Amor vincit omnia |
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Roger Shackelton
From:
MINNESOTA (deceased)
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Posted 26 Sep 2007 10:05 pm
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Bob White went to work for Hank Thompson in 1953. By about 1955 he was playing a triple neck Bigsby psg with 2 ten string necks and 1 eight string neck.
His major tuning was Bb-6th.
Roger |
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