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Topic: Byrd's tricone gauges? |
Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 1 Oct 2014 10:24 am |
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I'm considering buying a tricone. I want to tune it to C6. The National people are telling me that the string gauges suggested by Mike Auldridge may damage the cones. I'm wondering if anybody knows what gauges Jerry Byrd used on his tricone.
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Amor vincit omnia |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 1 Oct 2014 10:55 am
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I don't know what specific gauges Jerry Byrd used, sorry.
Personally on a tricone I don't feel that C6th tuning gives enough pressure to resonate properly. I would suggest using A6th tuning with the same string gauges as you'd use for open G tuning:
1. C#
2. A
3. F#
4. E
5. C#
6. A
If you really need to play in C6th, capo at the third fret and have at it.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 10:31 am
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Thanks, Brad. Fyi, the National people were concerned that C6 might exert too much pressure and damage the cones. That's why I'm so confused.
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Amor vincit omnia |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 1:33 pm
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I think whoever you talked to at National was just blowing smoke.  |
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Chris Scruggs
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 9:26 pm
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| I bet they weren't considering that the tuning would use lighter gauges. On a stock Reso G tuning set, C6 would make for a lot of pressure! |
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Jouni Karvonen
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 21 Oct 2014 9:57 pm
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On my cheapo tricone I use a standard high G set omitting .056 and adding .024 for the the A (3rd)for C6. Works for me.
Last edited by Jouni Karvonen on 22 Oct 2014 6:44 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Lee Holliday
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 22 Oct 2014 1:34 am
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The original Nationals (1920,s onwards)had players tuning up to A & E as opposed to G&D, they were using lighter strings so this would figure for C6th also.
The whole drive the cones with heavy strings just muddy's the water, it's the correct tension not the string gauge. If anything too heavy a string chokes the cone as it can not resonate.
Regards
Lee |
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Former Member
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Posted 22 Oct 2014 6:19 am
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I tuned a dobro '16 set up to C6th and the first 4 strings made it, felt like they were about to explode! and got a buzz from somewhere.
Played around with a few strings, and am pretty happy with:
E = .015
C = .017
A = .022
G = .026
E = .034
C = .040 |
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L. Bogue Sandberg
From:
Chassell, Michigan, USA
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Posted 22 Oct 2014 7:10 am
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Another variation that I use is Bb6 with:
D = .016
Bb = .018
G = .028w (or .026w)
F = .030w
D = .036w
Bb = .046w
So this is the standard dobro G set adding a .030 and omitting the .056. Capo on 2 for C6. Tuning the Bb up a half step and the F down to E gives the top six strings of the G6 used by many on 8 string dobro. |
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Edward Meisse
From:
Santa Rosa, California, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2014 11:25 am
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Thanks everybody. Now I'm making some progress. I didn't talk directly to National. I talked to a local dealer. After I actually get the thing set up ( a long story), I'm going to contact National directly. I'll tell them what the dealer told me and how they tried to set up the guitar, a 1930's hollow neck model. I will CC the owner of the store as well since my experience was with his manager.
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Amor vincit omnia |
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