Fessenden Six Shooter question with C6

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

I have a Fessenden Six Shooter that I would like to set up with C6 tuning and would like to know what strings to control with the 2 pedals. I am not very familiar with C6 but it sounds like it would be fun to play with this steel.
Anyone tried this on a 6 string setup with 2 pedals???

Larry

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Assuming CEGACE, I'd drop 4 with P1, and P2 would raise 1 and drop 5. All changes a half step.. These are P5 and P6 of the standard C6th
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I'd rig a reverser array like on a Sho-Bud Permanent before I'd try to think of a raise-only C6th arrangement.
Tje only useful raises I see would be the Cs and the A, but they're far lower on the list of things I'd put on a C6th guitar.
Wait! If you're handy with corner slants, use your left hand for P5 and P6, and put P7 on the floor, raising 2 and 3 a whole tone. Perhaps raise 6 a half tone with the other pedal
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

I have, somewhere, pictures of the Permanent (circa 1963) reverser assembly. Its elegance impressed me.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

In the thread concerning upgrading a 1st generation Sho-Bud Maverick, I was of the opinion that doing so ISN'T a Fool's Errand. But in the case of the Fessenden Six-Shooter, I feel that it was designed to be what it is, something for a non-steel playing guitarist to access the I-IV change and little else.

But you should talk to Jerry Fessenden and get his opinion on modifying the instrument somewhat.
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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Jerry Overstreet · From: Louisville Ky

IF the changer allows you to select the fingers to use and you can move the bell cranks on the shafts, tuning the guitar CEGACE, low to high, you could set the linkage to operate on the E and G strings.

Tune the basic tuning above with both pedals down, and release them to achieve the standard C6 lowered tones...just the reverse use of the pedals.

That would give you these standard 10 string changes:

Lowering string 5, G to F#, lowering string 6, E's to Eb and lowering them both together for the diminished sound.

Use a pinky to pull the top E to F with the middle E to Eb lower change.

Slide the bar up 2 frets for the normal pedal 7 change.

You could do a lot with those changes, even if you have to omit strings in certain positions.

I'd have to give it some thought and put my hands on it to actually try different combinations of the basic notes involved, but I think that's what I would try if I were attempting to get C6 pedals out of a 6 string 2 pedal raise only guitar...or some variation of that out of the basic C6 note group.

That way, you would prevent deconstruction or modification of the guitar and it can be easily returned to original configuration without blemishes.

I agree with Herb though, check with Jerry first. He may have been through such a thing before.

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

When I got my 6 shooter, I was much more familiar with A6 than any other tuning (still am).

I was interested in getting a few basic E9 sounds out of it so what I did was tune it to (high to low) E B G# F# E B

I put the normal A&B pedal changes on it (raise B's a tone and G# a half tone) which meant I had my familiar A6 tuning (E C# A F# E C#) with both pedals down and actually spent about 75% of the time playing in that position, using the pedals for a few more E9 style licks. Pedals down was my default position.

If you wanted to go for a more swing/jazz sound then, following Lane's example, if you wanted to lower the G a semitone, you could actually tune that string to F# and raise it a semitone and consider that pedal down to be your "default" position. Of course, raising one string and lowering another isn't going to be possible but you might be able to find something else that works.

With only 2 pedals, it shouldn't be too hard to remember what's going on.

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

Thanks fellows for the info. I am going to play with it with different tunings and find out which I like best. Changing the setup underside is no problem. It is very simple setup. I do have a 10 string old Rus-ler that I am restoring and it will still be setup with E9th tuning so have been thinking about the six shooter working another tuning. If I come up with a tuning that works for how I want to play it, I'll post about that.
Keeping the pedals down is maybe a way to go since I think kinda backwards anyway.

Thanks
Larry

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

Larry, if it helps, it is possible to add either a 3rd pedal or a knee lever to the 6 shooter (or both, I guess but on a single raise guitar it might be hard to find enough changes to justify both).

I added a RKL lever to mine which was the easiest mechanically to do and it works great.

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

Jeff Mead · From: London, England

Rich Gibson · From: Pittsburgh Pa.

This is an interesting little puzzle.I've been mulling this over and would offer the following.
Open tuning in C6
Pedal 2 raise A to Bb for the 7 th chord.
Pedal 1 raise C's to D and E's to F for a Bb 6 th tuning(both pedals down) with the 5th on top.
It may seem redundant to have 2 tunings so close together but you get the 5th on top option and there's some cool moves between the 2.Plus with the pedal 1 change you get another minor triad/maj6th and some E9 B pedal moves.
Another option would be open C6th and raising the C's to C# for a C6/A7 option although I haven't come up for a good use for the other pedal on that one.i guess you could stay with the A to Bb on the other pedal for another 7th chord position plus a 7b9/dim7th with both down....
Anyway lots of good ideas here just wanted to throw these out there.

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

Well I have set it up to ECAGEC high to low and have set the pedals to raise. High E to F, A to A# on the pedal 2. High C to C# and Low C to D on pedal 1.
I don't know what this ends up being since I don't know music theory but so far I can play with that some of the songs I enjoy playing. Makes slanting the bar a lot less but I find I will try to slant it and catch myself doing it from habit.
Don't know if this is what I will stay with but I did try some others that was suggested and I can't play with the pedals down all the time and let up one or both for the lowers. I found myself thinking about holding them down and not thinking about the song.
Then again I just might go back to original tuning and play the lap steel for the c6 tuning.
Thanks for all that have suggested what to set up.

Larry

Larry Haas · From: Morganton, North Carolina USA

I have changed tuning to C6---GECAGE and like it very much so far. Haven't worked on the pedals but going to play around with some raises. Its easy to adjust these with a easy setup for raises.
I have tried a couple of songs and it will take a little getting used to where is what but it feels good with what I have tried so far.

Larry

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