| Visit Our Catalog at SteelGuitarShopper.com |

Post new topic From Pedal to Non Pedal
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  From Pedal to Non Pedal
Tim Bridges

 

From:
Hoover, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 12 Dec 2011 4:00 pm    
Reply with quote

I'm not giving up on the PSG, but I am getting a new S8 Stealth from GeorgeBoards for Christmas...hopefully before Christmas Very Happy. A lot of what the band plays is blues, Allman Bros, Little Feat and a bunch of other R&R.

George is strongly recommending the C6 tuning, which I can understand. However, a lot of what we do works easily in the open E tuning.

I would appreciate feedback, input and E tunings for an 8 stringer. Thanks in advance for aiding a new non pedal-er! I understand these are much more portable Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy !
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Brad Bechtel


From:
San Francisco, CA
Post  Posted 12 Dec 2011 4:12 pm    
Reply with quote

C6th tuning would work well, but you'd probably be more comfortable with an E-based tuning, since you already play pedal steel. Try something like this:

1. G#
2. E
3. C#
4. B
5. G#
6. E
7. D
8. B
_________________
Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Steve Lipsey


From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 12 Dec 2011 4:17 pm    
Reply with quote

I experimented with tunings....and finally brought my PSG and Lap steel
together....E9 on the pedal, and E13 on the lap....the pedal moves all translate in a nice way, and it contains your open E...
low-to-high B D E G# B C# E G#
get the missing pedal F# with a slide below the G#, and the C# gives you an "A pedal B>C#" for minor chords.... simple forward slant on E/G#/B give you an A+B pedal IV chord...(E/A/C#), etc.

Now I can play the same stuff on either without having to reboot my brain...
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Steve Lipsey


From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 12 Dec 2011 4:19 pm    
Reply with quote

And since the C# is there, it is also an E6 tuning, so it has a lot in common with C6....
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Tim Bridges

 

From:
Hoover, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 12 Dec 2011 5:23 pm    
Reply with quote

Thanks guys! I appreciate your input. That makes a lot of sense. Good place to start and I'm looking forward to it. Seems pretty intuitive with some minor grip changes.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Karl Fehrenbach


From:
Pennsylvania, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2011 6:43 am    
Reply with quote

I like Brad's response. I have tried both the C6 and "OPEN E" with a pop group I play with and we end up in a Chicago blues mode and rock-a-billy at every opportunity and I have found that open E really is the way to go. The C6, which I prefer for its overall utility, just screams "Nashville" the way I play and just does not fit the rock genre as well. Of course, I could learn to aim better and avoid that relative 6th, but that is an entirely different problem.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2011 7:10 am    
Reply with quote

I would recommend taking a look at A6 for that style. Lowell George and many slide guitarists played in open A tuning, which the top 3 strings in A6 have in common. If you learn to get inside that tuning, you can play anything on it.

I play C6/A7 and feel like I can play a lot of styles on it because I forced myself to learn it as much as I could. It is a GREAT tuning for Blues--you just have to be in control of it.

A6 tuning:

E
C#
A
F#
E
C#
A
F#
E
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Tim Bridges

 

From:
Hoover, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2011 5:39 pm    
Reply with quote

I appreciate everyones input! I think I'm going to start with the E13th tuning. It makes a lot of sense due to the tunes we currently have in our bag. However, I am also interested in the 6th tunings. I see another guitar collection starting to take root. Hmmm...
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Billy Tonnesen

 

From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2011 7:55 pm    
Reply with quote

A suggestion on down the line. upgrade to a double neck consule and use the E13th on one neck the A6th on the other. These two tunings, IMHO, are very relative to each other. In my non pedal days I used these two tunings for years. Noel Boggs, one of my mentors, also used a similiar set up.
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Tim Bridges

 

From:
Hoover, Alabama, USA
Post  Posted 20 Dec 2011 3:07 pm    
Reply with quote

I'll have to admit, this is fun and the GeorgeBoard Stealth S8 is a fabulous guitar. George, thanks for a fine instrument and forum members, thanks for your tuning advice. The E13th is very intuitive and has a lot more than I ever realized, having pedals and KL's on the PSG. The bar slant from the 1-4-5 is something I'll have to get use to. Definitely works, but I need to figure out how to get out of the slant with some kind of transition lick; or, not.

Thanks to all and Merry Christmas!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Steve Ahola


From:
Concord, California
Post  Posted 20 Dec 2011 7:56 pm    
Reply with quote

Mike Neer wrote:
I would recommend taking a look at A6 for that style.

A6 tuning:

E
C#
A
F#
E
C#
A
F#
E

I keep counting those strings on my fingers and come up with 9. Laughing Or do you tune the 8th string to E or F# depending on the song? In that case it looks like a regular C6 8 string set should work. One thing really nice about A6 for PSG players is that it resembles E9th with the A & B pedals down.

Besides A6, E9th is another good choice. It is pitched lower than the E13th recommended by Steve Lipsky. I think that your choice depends on whether you want the G# on the top (like an E9 pedal steel) or the low E on the bottom (like open E):

Code:
E9  E7  E6
--  --  -- 
E   E   E
B   B   B
G#  G#  G#
F#  E   E
D   D   C#
B   B   B
G#  G#  G#
E   E   E


You can lower the 4th string from F# to E to get the E7th tuning, which IMO is great for rock and blues. If you also lower the 5th string from D to C# you get a nice E6 tuning which can work well with songs using a major rather than a dominant scale. Plus a really nice C#m7 chord on all 8 strings. (BTW you get a nice Bm chord on the 2-4-5-6 strings w/ E9th.)

Steve Ahola
_________________
www.blueguitar.org

Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  
Please review our Forum Rules and Policies
Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction, and steel guitar accessories
www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

The Steel Guitar Forum
148 S. Cloverdale Blvd.
Cloverdale, CA 95425 USA

Click Here to Send a Donation

Email SteelGuitarForum@gmail.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for Band-in-a-Box
by Jim Baron