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Topic: String gauge suggestions for multiple tuning dobro? |
Mike Harris
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2009 7:05 am |
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After much fact-finding and soul-searching I decided to try alternate tunings on my dobro (Goldtone Beard PSRM) instead of a 7 or 8 string conversion (by the way, many thanks to Howard at Beard for his information and unbelievable patience).
The three tunings I'm switching back-and-forth are
G B D G B D
G D E G B D
G D F G B D
To be perfectly clear, I want to be able to switch tunings without switching out strings in the 5th string slot or 4th {can't do that in a "live" situation)
So I need a gauge on the 5th which isn't too slack on the B or too tight on the D.
Same deal on the 4th, going from D to F. Presently it's a .032, which may be the best bet. The rest of the set is standard D'Addario J42, with the D string in the 5th slot, so overall it's
56 35 32 26 18 16
Does anyone have experience with or thoughts on this situation?
thanks,
Mike |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 26 Mar 2009 7:13 am
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I don't have any experience, but this being the internet, I have lots of opinions. 
I think you're asking too much of a set of strings to be able to switch between those three tunings without some serious compromises. What's your thought behind having these particular tunings available to you rather than sticking with one tuning and optimizing your playing on it?
If you kept the fifth string as a B, but continued to change your fourth string to D, E and F, you'd have pretty much the same versatility. Another suggestion might be to use low bass D tuning:
D G D G B D
D G E G B D
D G F G B D
Good luck.
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Mike Harris
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2009 8:01 am
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Brad,
Here's the reasoning:
I do want to play some basic bluegrass tab of fiddle tunes and such, and I like the standard tuning when doing fills and solos in that style.
The G6 is great for "swingier" things and gives me more of what I'm used to when playing 8 string high C6 tuning.
The G7 I like for blues
I'll try the 5th B, though I doubt I'll like the b to f gap in the middle, I think I'd prefer the g to d gap at the bottom. The same goes for keeping the five lower strings in standard dobro tuning with a 1st string that floats from d to f.
I guess the bottom line is that you feel a minor third is too great a distance for a single string to move without suffering tonally--and you're probably right. |
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John Drury
From:
Gallatin, Tn USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2009 5:14 pm
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Mike,
I know the feeling.
_________________
John Drury
NTSGA #3
"Practice cures most tone issues" ~ John Suhr |
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Mike Harris
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2009 6:13 am
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John,
that's an impressive-looking bunch of instruments. Part of my problem is, I'm in the same boat. I've got a wall of guitars, fiddles, mando, etc. and we've got cases stashed in closets, under the piano, in corners, etc.
I think the real issue here is: what gauge string will best serve in the 5th slot, going from b up to d? It's curious to me that D'addario uses a .045 for the b string but a much thinner .035 for the d. If anyone can shed light on this I'd appreciate it mucho. |
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John Drury
From:
Gallatin, Tn USA
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Posted 27 Mar 2009 8:43 am
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| Mike Harris wrote: |
John,
that's an impressive-looking bunch of instruments. Part of my problem is, I'm in the same boat. I've got a wall of guitars, fiddles, mando, etc. and we've got cases stashed in closets, under the piano, in corners, etc.
I think the real issue here is: what gauge string will best serve in the 5th slot, going from b up to d? It's curious to me that D'addario uses a .045 for the b string but a much thinner .035 for the d. If anyone can shed light on this I'd appreciate it mucho. |
Mike,
My Dobro instructor claims that cranking back and forth G to G6th, G7th, is asking too much of certain guages. If it is a must she claims .034 might be the best.
For stage work you might want to consider a 2nd axe.
I go back and forth a lot from G, to G6th, to E, (.016 to .056), one has a D tuning (.013 to .060) and one of them has the C6th tuning with the lighter guages (pedal steel guages, E on top).
I don't play professionally, and I am one of the laziest people in Nashville (wich puts me in real strong running for laziest worldwide), so rather than change things a lot, I just became a "Gear Whore", as I am known sometimes here around the house. LMAO!
Or you might try to find one of my old freind Ray Watkins creations, the RaBro, two resos back to back. Lots of luck with that, he only made 7 of them and they rarely surface. Ray passed on a while back.
_________________
John Drury
NTSGA #3
"Practice cures most tone issues" ~ John Suhr
Last edited by John Drury on 27 Mar 2009 11:22 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 27 Mar 2009 9:02 am
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Ah, good old Ray Watkins, rest his soul.
If you're insistent on giving this try, go for .032 on string 4 and a .042 on string 5. Although I tuned to open E with my Tricone, I occasionally raised my 5th string to D for an E7. I used a .030 for string 4 tuned to E, so .032 should be a nice balance.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Mike Harris
From:
Texas, USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2009 12:22 pm
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Mike,
thanks for the info--I've been doing this for some weeks, but the 5th string is rather slack when I tune the D down to B. I would not have been brave enough to try a .042 tuned up to D without your recommendation. It still sounds a little scary. |
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