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Topic: Tuning help needed |
Bill Ferguson
From:
Milton, FL USA
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Posted 18 Dec 2020 8:22 am |
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Being a pedal player, I know NOTHING about non-pedal guitars.
I have just aquired an old Gibson Consolette that has been repainted. And very well I might add.
Everything works, but it has no strings so I have no place to start.
Could some of you help me with what tuning I should put on each of the 2 necks and also what string gauges to use.
Once I get this all finished, I will post pictures and will be putting it up for sale here on the forum.
Thanks in advance.
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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter. |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 18 Dec 2020 8:29 am Re: Tuning help needed
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| Bill Ferguson wrote: |
| Once I get this all finished, I will post pictures and will be putting it up for sale here on the forum. |
If you're going to sell it, I wouldn't bother stringing it (as long as you know that the pickups and wiring all work). Non-pedal tunings are a lot less standardized than pedal steel tunings, and there's a good chance that the buyer will just re-string it again. |
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Bill Ferguson
From:
Milton, FL USA
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Posted 19 Dec 2020 7:48 am
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Thanks Noah,
But I want to be able to check it all out first and it will look better with strings.
_________________
AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 19 Dec 2020 9:00 am
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I think the Gibson Consolette is 23" scale length. I really like these.
With that scale length, I'd put low C6 (3rd on top) on one neck with string gauges something like
lo-hi note/string-gauge: G2/.054-.056w, A2/.046-.048w, C3/.038-.040w, E3/.030-.032w, G3/.026-.028w, A3/.022-.024w, C4/.017-.018p, E4/.014p
and E6 on the other, something like
lo-hi B2/.042w C#/.038-.040w E/.030-.032w G#3/.024-.026w B3/.019-.020p C#4/.017-.018p E4/.014p G#4/.011-.012p
I think these two cover a lot of bases on their own. The lower C6 is relatable to pedal steel, and E6 more in a Don Helms vein.
These are also easily retunable to other useful tunings without changing the strings. For example, the C6 neck is an easy re-tune to A6 (with the 5 on top) - lo-hi F#2 A2 C#3 E3 F#3 A3 C#4 E4 - and similarly the E6 can be retuned to C#6 with 5 on the top. I sometimes retune the bottom C root on C6 up a half tone to get C6/A7, and similarly raise the E note to get E6/C#7 on the E6 neck. And of course, changing any 6th note to a b7th note is easy. There are lots of options.
If the scale length is longer, you could go slightly lighter on the strings, if it's shorter maybe go slightly heavier. Just slightly. But these gauges should work for anything close to 23". I have two steels with that scale length, and those gauges work well as far as I am concerned. |
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Bill McCloskey
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Allan Revich
From:
Victoria, BC
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Posted 19 Dec 2020 10:53 am
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Possibly C13 & G6
Bb C E G A C E G
E G B D E G B D
If you’re planning on making a demo video, you might want to put a tuning that you’re already familiar with on one of the necks. Maybe once you string it up you won’t want to sell it!
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Current Tunings:
6 String | G – G B D G B D
7 String | G6 – e G B D G B D (re-entrant)
https://papadafoe.com/lap-steel-tuning-database |
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