A6 back neck...

Andrew Frost · From: Toronto, Ontario

I'm posting this as a conversation starter, and also as an idea that some players might like to explore.

The tuning and copedent on the back neck of my GFI Ultra is now A6.

It has taken substantial experimentation and tweaking to arrive here, and I feel it is a sustainable approach Wink

Most of the changes are intuitive C6 style. I believe it is not entirely dissimilar to the old fender A6 copedents issued on the 400s. However, one of the unique characteristics about it is the low D on the bottom.

It all lives in the same register as C6 more or less. For example RKR + p6 actually puts it into C6, and then my p5 becomes the p6 F9 change...My p6 yields pretty much the same classic p5 voicing (D9) and the diminished pedals end up exactly the same from string 4-9, and so on.

With this set up, I get both the 5th and 9th on top, akin to the D and G options on the top of C6.

The sound of the classic p8 is actually built into p5 & p6, the diminished pedals. The low D drops to B, and a B7#9 voicing is right there...

My front neck is a E9/B6. So, I see the back neck as a continuation of the pedals down A6 on the front neck, and the voicings line up, but way more harmonic variety/complexity is available on the back neck.

I was listening to some audio recordings of Billy Hew Len talking about A6 steel vs C6 recently, and thought this might be interesting to some who are interested in a slightly different approach. Of course A6 is nothing new, and I've heard it said that if if it weren't for Jerry Byrd's innovations we'd all likely be using it. Cool

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Ethan Shaw · From: Texas, USA

That's very similar to Herb Remington's pedal steel setup, and pretty close to mine. I love A6.

Andrew Frost · From: Toronto, Ontario

Ya, the Remington set up is interesting. Cool that he had the pedal 7 sound on the far left and the middle pedal does the same change but only half way, if I'm understanding it correctly. Looks like that middle pedal is primarily for diminished voicings. Ethan, Is this similar to what you use?

Rich Gibson · From: Pittsburgh Pa.

A timely post.I’ve been playing a good bit of A6 non pedal and had a rainy
afternoon and a S10 E9 I wasn’t playing.I kept the root raise and lowers on the left knees to avoid re rodding them.This worked out well as I like the options for an extra higher string and turns out the changer won’t accept anything heavier than a 60 anyway.
I at first only had pedals 2 and 3 hooked up for the standard C6 P5&6 and then added the C# to B lower on P1 to give me a B11 tuning in conjunction with pedal 2.
I’m having fun with that change especially as it adds a cool wrinkle down a whole step from open.
Wasn’t sure about pedal 4 till read your post about the C6 option which I can now get with P4 and RKL.I was thinking of adding another middle F# to G on the pedal to get it all at once but it occurred to me that the C lowers give me the Skiddle dee boo tuning(D9?).I’ve been meaning to learn that tune so will see how it works…
I’m also going to try the high B on 1 but still fooling around with the high F#.

[img]https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix2203/1684_51CAA2E8BD85451486E4238E910FA847
Anyway with 4 pedals and 5 knees there is a lot of options but this is my current set up.[url][/url]

Ethan Shaw · From: Texas, USA

I've pretty much stopped playing 10-string, but here's my 8-string setup:

Aaron Clinton · From: Calgary, AB

Andy DePaule · From: Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon

Hi Andrew,
I like that A6th back neck copedent because I'm one who also likes A6th better than C6th.
I use A6th on my favorite 8 string lap steel and like it best for the 5th tone at the top.
I'd really miss that on a C6th tuning.
Only thing I'd want to add is the 4th string 1/2 tone raise.

No BoWah on the bottom, but that's only good once in a while like the eBow.
Too much of those seems like a gimmick.
The added 2nd tone on the 1st string would be far more useful anyway.

Glad you also posted the string gauges. Thats a big help.
Thanks,
Andy Very Happy

_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.

Andrew Frost · From: Toronto, Ontario

Rich, that's a very cool set up. That B11 voicing on the 1st pedal is intriguing and also looks very useful for pulling the low 3rd of the A triad out.

Andy, yes, my pedal 8 doesn't have that typical root drop down a min3. The voicing is still a dom7#9. But that 'drop' sound is important to me, and it is set up to actually be on the diminished pedals... My 10th string drops down to low B from D on pedal 5, to become the root of the B9 chord. On C6 psg, this is would be a D9, the dom 2 voicing, that combined w/ pedal 6 creates a D7#9. I took advantage of that voicing on p5/6, and just added the root drop down. It works great, I can still get the Nightlife changes Wink

and it is super handy because my foot is already stationed there half the time anyway. It ends up being B7#9, just a tone higher than the A7#9 usually found on C6 p8.

J.D.White · From: Lafayette, Louisiana

Ran across a video of Herb playing A6th on a pedal steel a while back and thought I would bump this post. I don't recall seeing any other videos of Herb on PSG.

https://youtu.be/9IDCqZIB0bM?si=LrZSANaLyR5iNFq0

Tony Dingus · From: Kingsport, Tennessee, USA

J.D. I found a few of Herb on pedal steel. I searched Herb Remington live. I'm thinking about going to A6 and I love Herbs playing with and without pedals and this thread has fueled my interest more to go A6.

Tony

John Drury · From: Gallatin, Tn USA

As Winnie Winston used to say, Or You Can Do This:

I got this set up years ago from my old friend Duane Marrs.

_________________
John Drury
NTSGA #3

"Practice cures most tone issues" ~ John Suhr

Andrew Frost · From: Toronto, Ontario

Interesting idea John.
...I'd think if you added a B->A lower onto string 10 RKR you could get almost all the voicings that pedal 4 and 5 give you...

Andrew Frost · From: Toronto, Ontario

Love that Herb Remington clip! Thanks for posting..

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