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Topic: E13 String Gauges |
Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2013 12:31 pm |
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I have been using a tuning off and on for a while, you could call it E13, and it shares a lot with E9 as on a PSG. D E G+ B C+ E G+ F+ (Low to hi)> the strings are in the gauge range for normal E9 sets .012-.036
I want to try Lee Jeffriess's E13, but the strings appear to need to go from .015 to .056 or so. Is this a normal range for E G+ B D F+ G# C# E or is there a lighter set folks use? Am I even asking the right question? Is this tuning common, or unsusual? Lee makes it sound good.
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 25 Sep 2013 7:40 pm
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Lee admits to using at least two E13's:
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum2/HTML/003320.html
"E13(EC#G#F#DBG#E)high to low.
the other E13 i use is(EC#BG#F#DBG#)."
The two you cite:
"D E G+ B C+ E G+ F+ (Low to hi)"
and Lee's first above, span very different distances... Lee's tuning spans two octaves, your tuning <1.5. Additionally, the scale length comes into play, as well as whether you intend to pull strings behind the bar. I've also found that smaller gauges sound better with lighter bars... it takes a heavy bar to sound a .056" properly; I gravitate to lighter strings since I use Paloma Stone bars.
Another consideration is tone... anything below a .013" sounds thin for a high E... depending on scale, your suggestion of a .015" is about right, and the high G# at .012 is probably as fat as you can go there. I feel there's no way around buying a bunch of strings and figgering it out for yourself... I bought an E9 and a C6 PSG set and put mine together out of them both.
There are many different ways to do an E13... I prefer the Leon, without the low 5th (L-H)EG#DF#G#BC#E... put the 5th in the upper course and you get a very C6th-feeling set up top... not sure how I'd feel hunting for melody notes with that (Lee) setup, but that's the deal... you'll leave holes somewhere, either at the bottom, in the middle, or up near the top... time to go to 10strings!
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New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 26 Sep 2013 4:56 am
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Thanks for the help! I need to decide what I really want out of the neck. I have a standard A6 on the other. I actually like my version of E13, the A6 seems too "fat" compared to the E tuning and I have to balance the volume between them with my Matchbox. The trouble is the A6 is .015-.049.
I might just go to C6 on the other neck. The two tunings would be almost identical in guages and tension. B6 might stave off shizophrenia for a few more years.
My original reasoning was that I didn't want to get too far away from my E9/B6 Universal. Adding the positions from A6 is like playing "A-B pedal down" E9, and not a problem. I really hadn't thought this through very well! But hey, you guys get to see me think it out in a public forum  
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 26 Sep 2013 7:16 am
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Hi Rick
I have been looking at the Leon McAuliffe E13 lately, and there are a some chords on there that I was missing on my other tuning, like a nice 9th chord, and a 13th.
But other than some nice fat chords that I can play, don't really know what else to do with it. Lots of big names play that tuning, but not sure of any tunes in particular it is used for. Maybe Boot Heel Drag. Do you have any more examples? Would like to figure it out a bit.
If you already play E9/B6 you might want to try the tuning I use. Low to high B D D# F# G# B D# F#, which is a version of what you already know. Pretty much a B6 except for the added low D...Jerry |
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