Transitioning to D 13 Last Minute Advice?

David Munson · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Last year after the Bud Light BS, my band members convinced me to get rid of the Stella Keg in my studio.

So I transitioned to Yuengling Lager.

After breaking too many G# strings on my 25.5" scale Excel, I have decided to transition my Uni12 to D13 tuning.

I know it will be difficult, painful and not completely accepted yet by members of the forum. I have 2 months while two of the band members have fled the cold to Florida and California.

I have read as much as I could and Greg Cutshaw sent me his latest D13 copedant used on his Excel and Sierra guitars.

Any advice before I start ?

Bill McCloskey · Posted 15 Jan 2024 9:08 am

I did get a Williams 12 string with D13 but ultimately it wasn't for me and I sold it.

Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

I play 25.5” Excels and do not break any G#s…012… Very Happy

just sayin’
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Excel steels & Peavey amps,Old Chevys & Motorcycles & Women on the Trashy Side

David Munson · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Which strings are you using?

Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

D’Addario NYXLs.. Shocked

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Excel steels & Peavey amps,Old Chevys & Motorcycles & Women on the Trashy Side

David Munson · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Just ordered some from amazon.

D'Addario NYS012 Single Plain Steel Guitar String, 012

right one?

Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

Aloha David. I get mine from Just Strings as I play S10 EXT E9…D’Addario Nickel Wound ..they last a long time…

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Excel steels & Peavey amps,Old Chevys & Motorcycles & Women on the Trashy Side

Chris Willingham · From: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Watching this. I've got a D13 SD12 8x6 on order that'll finish this spring. Very excited/terrified. Going to Day a la Johnny Cox after almost 20 yrs on Emmons setup. It really looks great on paper and sounds fantastic with Johnny playing, but I'm not in the same universe chops-wise. Here's to hoping!
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Fiddle, banjo and steel for Tennessee Jet, Blaine Bailey

2024 MSA Legend XL SD12 D13 8x6 blue burst
2021 MSA Legend XL S10 5X6 brown burst
Beard Josh Swift Sig, the purple one
Lap King Rodeo
Milkman 1/2&1/2 and a bunch of fiddles

David Munson · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Did you have them move the pedals to the right? Johnny Cox has them moved over in the photos.

David Munson · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Who is building your next D13?

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

You have to be able to actuate all the left knee levers and all 8 floor pedals simultaneously at times. Onmy D13 guitars I have the mid point of the left knee levers centered over the 3rd floor pedal. I should say actually that my Sierra came that way after I discovered that I had to move my previously bought Excel knee levers to the right to make it playable.

Chris Willingham · From: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Markus Mayerhofer · From: Vienna, Austria

I never had a double neck guitar. I learned most of the stuff i know on a E9/B6 U-12. Nevertheless i switched to D13 in mid 2023.
I'm still in a kind of transition and discovery mode now and i'm not there, where i was on E9/B6 yet. A lot of muscle memory has to be rewritten...Slowly but surely, i'm feeling to get there, step by step, throwbacks included.
D13 offers so much fun and a plethora of new possibilities instantly. I still play Johnny Cox's original version with string 2 tuned to the b7 and i like this! The strings which seem to stand somehow in the way (string 5 for E9 and string 9 for C6) can become good friends and offer lot's of unknown possibilities on the other hand.
For me, this tuning is a revelation, although i surely will have some hard times on a bandstand, till i may unleash the full mightiness of these tuning.

Jamie Howze · From: Boise, ID

I've converted my GFI S12 to Johnny's latest as close as I can come on 7 and 5 with a few differences. I had to make a one of those "L" shaped adapters to get 3 lowers on the 10th and 11th strings. I had already fashioned one for the Newman-ish setup I had before. I also switched it from Emmons to Day and a b7 on string 2. As an upshot I can no longer play pedal steel, but as a bedroom player it doesn't matter. I'm here for the fun, not a living. Smile

I got my first pedal steel in 1985; an old Sho Bud D10 which I never warmed to. When I discovered the S12 Universal on here on The Forum I realized that it made so much more musical sense to me that I sold the Sho Bud and purchased the GFI from Roy Thompson who had taken it in trade on one of his Pedalmasters and gave me a great deal. R.I.P. Roy.

I experimented with various versions of the tuning and it was much better for me. The two things I didn't like about the Newman setup were:
1. No dedicated b7 (D) string
2. Holding a lever to be in the "C6 mode"

When Johnny showed his D13 Universal I almost immediately changed to a version of it. I had the opportunity to speak with Johnny at the 2019 TSGA show and he offered advice on some awkward changes I had (Thank You Johnny) and its been that for me ever since.

Having done most of my playing on a Universal tuning, most of the difference for me was in the right hand grips skipping the 6th string but it is coming along. If you are coming from a 10 string C6 or E9 it may be a challenge to mentally convert TAB or lesson books to the differences.

I believe this will be my final tuning; at 73 I don't wish to do another major copedant change! I love this setup and it can do anything I'll ever need and it is FUN too.

By the way, I have a rodding chart for my copedant on a GFI that could also be used as a hint for other brands. Message me if you are interested.

Markus Mayerhofer · From: Vienna, Austria

Jamie, i'd be courious about your GFI rodding chart, since i want to convert my S-12 Ultra to D-13 as well!

Same here:
- String 10 is a revelation for me. Never had it as a string on it's own...Bending up the 9th string 3 half steps from B to D is a compromise but as i recognize now, no full substitute...

- Holding that D-lever in...I had mine on LKR and was pretty much used to it, and it felt quite natural. It feels somehow awkward now but I have to admit, I catch myself engaging it sometimes when playing the 6th pedals...Well trained muscle memory to overcome i guess...

Pete McAvity · From: St. Louis, Missouri USA

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

Pete, my latest D13 copedant is on this Sierra page:

https://www.gregcutshaw.com/Sierra%20Single%2012%20D13%20Keyless/Sierra%20Single%2012%20D13%20Keyless.html

I can play the Day setup fine on the slower songs but never stuck with it long enough to react correctly on the faster stuff.

I'm gonna try to sell the Excel D-13 locally and keep the Sierra D13. I suspect the D13 pedal setups will continue to evolve but I'm getting off that merry-go-round and work on my technique. After a few years and all the dust has settled I'll go see what the latest pedal arrangement offers.

Bill McCloskey · Posted 26 Jan 2024 12:16 pm

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