String Change & Tuner

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Hi I'm new to PSG and today i broke my first string today 5th. Can anyone give me any advise on what length i should cut it at,and also what sort of tuner i should purchase but preferably not too expensive and easy to understand (straight foward if you know what i mean)I'd appreciate any suggestions.Thanks Oh Well

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

Declan,
For the string cutting.....Put the string on at the changer end then stretch it to the tuning peg and cut it approximayely three finger breadths longer which is about 3 inches. The same applies to all strings with the exception of the third string which should be twice that amount.
There are a great many tuners to choose from.If You can afford the Peterson strobo flip it would be good for you since it contains pre sets for pedal steel.
Tuning a pedal steel can be a daunting task for a beginner since some of the strings have to be tuned slightly below the zero pitch in order to get the guitar to be in tune with itself.
I don't want to get too technical about tuning and confuse You.
Ted nesbitt at Rainbow Music in NI is very helpful on all things steel.
Best regards
Billy

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Cheers Billy

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Thanks Billy that peterson tuner looks impressive but i cant imagine my local store keeping one but i'll try in the morning.I know i can get one in the uk but i was hoping i could get something handy in my local music store as posstage will take a week or maybe more.I.m off work for the next 5 days so i was hoping to get stuck into practising.Also I bought my Carter steel off Ted about 3 or 4 weeks ago.Nice friendly Guy.I'll also call him up.Thanks

Billy Murdoch · From: Glasgow, Scotland, U.K.

Declan.
As I said there are many tuners which will do the job for steel.The cheapies are a no no .
You need a chromatic tuner which can give You readings in cents or hertz so that You can tune Your "offsets" properly.
If You look at the Jeff Newman site You will get some idea of tuning.
The boss TU comes to mind and Korg is also good

http://www.jeffran.com/tuning.php

http://www.bossus.com/gear/productlist.php?ParentId=252
Billy

Sonny Priddy · From: Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.

Boss TU12H Is a Real Good Tuner i Use One All Time. SONNY.

Walter Bowden · From: Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Hi Declan. If I may ask a question, do you play other instruments like guitar or other stringed instruments that need tuning? If so, you probably have a sense and ear for what sounds good or what sounds out of tune.
A decent little needle tuner will give you usable pitches like B, D, E to start with. If you go to some of the links here you will find good advice on tuning using simple tuners and your ear.
Fortunately, good chromatic tuners aren't too expensive these days and should be part of your arsenal at some point. The forum is also a GREAT place to seek advice and recommendations. Welcome!
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basilh · From: United Kingdom

Hi Declan, welcome to the wonderful world of tuning !!
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Steelies do it without fretting

CLICK THIS to view my tone bars and buyâ€”â€”>

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Cheers Thanks Sonny for that.Checking it out as i speak

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Hi Walter thanks for reply and "welcome" to the forum. I used to play the piano for about 7 years (lessons every week)but thats a long time ago.Yeah i think i have a reasonable ear for music.Also Many Thanks for advise on the tuner issue.Your comments are much appreciated and i will take heed.!!!!

Jack Ritter · From: Enid, Oklahoma, USA

Howdy, Declan.
After you get the strings tuned up, I suggest a"Grab and Tune Big Tuning Wrench" by Carl Williams for tuning the pedals and knee levers . It makes it so effortless to really do a super fine tuning job on them. An inexpensive hex nut tuning tool and very well made. I have 3 of them, and would not be without it. Just my opinion. Welcome to the great world of pedal steel!!! Jack
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Zum D10 8x5,rev pre-amp, TC M300, Split 12, n-112, IZZY, Hilton vp, Geo L, BJS Hughey, Live Steel

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Hi Jack thanks for support I'm just wondering about Grab and Tune Big Tuning Wrench i need more info on that Can you help maybe link cheers ! Gratefully Appreciated

Jack Ritter · From: Enid, Oklahoma, USA

You bet!!
Try--- carlwilliams2@att.net

Also you can go to Amps and Equipment for sale here on the Forum and scan down to "grab and Tune" post by Carl Williams and I think there is a lot of info with pics . Nice guy to deal with !
Jack
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Zum D10 8x5,rev pre-amp, TC M300, Split 12, n-112, IZZY, Hilton vp, Geo L, BJS Hughey, Live Steel

Chris Dorch · From: Wisconsin, USA

I was using a TU for a while, but it became a pain to remember all of the offsets. I went to a Peterson... They are kind of expensive for a pedal that only ensures your strings are in tune, but they are well worth their weight in gold.

Charles Davidson · From: Phenix City Alabama, USA

I agree with Sonny,hard to beat the Boss TU-12. Easy to use,easy to read,and tunes as close as the BIG dollar tuners. YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.
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Hard headed, opinionated old geezer. BAMA CHARLIE. GOD BLESS AMERICA. ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST. SUPPORT LIVE MUSIC !

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Thanks Chris

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Thanks Charles

Paul E. Brennan · From: Dublin, Ireland

Hi Declan,

as Basil said, welcome to the wonderful world of learning to tune a pedal steel guitar. You don't need an expensive tuner. You have to train your ears.

What part of Ireland are you living in ? Unfortunately Basil doesn't live in this country any more. Not to worry, there's a few of us around who got a lot of help from the great man. Feel free to contact me. I'll help you any way I can.

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Hi Paul I.m from Kilkenny.What i need is something handy easy to use.And not too expensive for the present time.From what i heard the peterson is trendy, but for a beginner €200+ is a lot.I.m sure at a later stage i will commit to something like that.Thanks Again

Paul E. Brennan · From: Dublin, Ireland

It's a pity you're so far away.

As an earlier poster said, a Boss TU-12 is really all you need. In addition to this you should get hold of Jeff Newman's tuning charts. In my early days I reduced the chart using a photo-copier and stuck it to the inside of the TU-12 case for easy reference when tuning up.

My beef with the Peterson tuner is that there is a significant danger that you will start to focus on the visual aspect of tuning at the expense of what really matters - what your ears are hearing. I've even seen people with the Peterson in circuit and switched on while they play and peer at the dial. To me this is so wrong. You're allowing a mechanical device to control you. You need to be in control of all aspects of playing and, in particular, the intonation.

I really wish there was a short cut but there doesn't seem to be. You need to put in the time really listening to every note and chord you play while constantly observing how in/out of tune you are and making the appropriate adjustments.

You need to realise that tuning the steel and playing in tune are not necessarily the same thing. I'll just say for now, get started with Jeff's chart. Play away, mess around, get to know the instrument. I don't expect your intonation will be all that good unless you've already had significant previous experience with a variable pitch instrument like a fiddle.

After about a year you can expect to get really frustrated at your intonation or lack thereof. Don't panic this is perfectly normal. It just means your ears are improving and you're starting to learn just what intonation is all about (the same thing happens to fiddle players). This will be the time to get really serious about playing in tune. Then you can start trawling through the various threads about tuning/intonation. You'll begin to understand the difference between JI, ET, etc, etc. This is all for later. Don't even begin to get into that right now. Like me, your brain may understand this stuff but your ears won't for some time. I fell into this trap at the beginning and I strongly advise you to take heed and avoid it. Just play until your ears tell you it's time for more education.

By the way, acquiring good intonation is a life long task - even John Hughey used to say so regularly on this forum

Allan Kelly · From: Watford, United Kingdom

Declan, have you seen the Carter String Changing Tutorial video which suggests cutting with two posts extra, double for third string.

For tuning I used a Korg LCA120 Chromatic tuner which is somewhat cheaper than Peterson and can be programmed with offsets to save referring to charts. I found it pretty good particularly using the focus mode.

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Hi Jack i ordered the Big Wrench from Carl.Thanks for that! Very Happy

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Hi Paul Thanks for your reply i ordered a Boss TU-12EX from Goodwins music shop in Caple street and should have it tomorrow.I also enjoyed reading article on "allowing a mechanical device to control you" how very true.I put string on today .it wasn't bad as i was dreading it.I just tuned it by ear doing the scale it sounds ok but pedal itn't raising it enough so i think adjusting it is necessary i.;;ll wait till tuner comes then try and get me head around this daunting task.I;ll keep you posted.Thanks Very Happy

Declan Byrne · From: Southern Ireland

Hi Allan.Yeah I had a look at that video clip very easily understood and educational.Carried out task without any hiccups.I ordered tuner yesterday got a Boss TU-12 ex.I didn't get to see your post till today.Thanks for that Very Happy

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