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Topic: Fender 8-String Hawaiian Electric Steel Guitar |
Dave Sichak
From:
California, USA
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Posted 17 May 2012 10:42 pm |
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Howdy,
I contacted Fender and they have no records to help me. My first steel guitar was a Fender 8-string electric Hawaiian Steel guitar I bought around 1970-1971. I learned from a booklet from a Belwin folio or something.
I had to put it aside about 5-10 years ago when my old amp gave way.
But I got it repaired early this year - the plug-in for the amp was loose and the volume and bass/treble controls needed cleaning. Yeah, it cost me more to repair it than I originally paid for it, but it's back in working order.
However, the repair shop put a new set of strings on it and to me, they're not the right gauge for the tuning I use. The top two strings seem to be too thin for my tastes. I wrote Fender, but they have no records related to a guitar that old and recommended I try the experts on this site.
The tuning I used and modified for my own personal tastes was E B G# E B G# E etc. Since I got used to the first five strings, simply repeated them in the lower bass strings so my mind knew where the notes were.
My question to folks here is - what would the original tuning have been for an 8-string Hawaiian steel guitar? And what gauge strings should I be using?
I'm also floundering a bit with the new amp - I can't seem to get the same sound I enjoyed on my old amp so it sounds like a steel guitar. The bass is way too heavy.
Appreciate any feedback / advice.
Cheers,
Dave
http://www.hillbilly-music.com |
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Chas. J. Wagner
From:
Denver, Colorado USA
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 18 May 2012 6:10 am
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The original tuning was probably E7 or C6:
E (.015) B (.018) G# (.024w) E (.030) D (.034) B (.038) G# (.044) E (.056).
Those are the gauges I would use for a short scale Fender.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Dave Sichak
From:
California, USA
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Posted 18 May 2012 8:05 am
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Thanks. In checking the page on hawaiiansteel.com, it looks like I learned from a modified E7th tuning, so those gauges that were recommended here are what I'll try.
That page talks about long scale / short scale guitars. Judging by that description, my Fender is a long scale steel guitar. I have another older lap steel that I found once at a garage sale and just recently, an old Oahu lap steel. Both are shorter than the Fender. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 18 May 2012 8:57 am
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It is my understanding that the Deluxe 8 was only made in short scale of 22.5"--that is measured from the nut to the bridge.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Frank Welsh
From:
Upstate New York, USA
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Posted 18 May 2012 9:19 am
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Dave, I bought a Fender Deluxe 8 new in the 1960's and the factory strings it came with worked perfectly for my primary tuning at the time which was A6th (E-C#-A-F#-E-C#-A-F#). C6th would have worked just as well with those gauges as would some variation of E7th, E9th or B11th (just lower the fifth string of the A6th to a D# note to get a quick and convenient B11th tuning).
I don't know the exact gauges of the strings that came with the guitar but a typically gauged C6th or A6th set today should give you a lot of tuning flexibility. |
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