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Topic: Strings for E6 lap steel |
Leon Grizzard
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Feb 2014 10:28 am |
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I want to tune my short scale 6 string lap steel to E13 (E6) to work the DeWitt Scott book on Don Helms’ playing, Your Cheatin’ Heart. The short question is: What strings to use?
This set is offered in the forum store:
GHS Electric Hawaiian Lap Steel Strings
Wound with the GHS “Dynamite Alloy†for brilliant tone. This E Major set includes an unusually thick .024 plain string.
E Major
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E .013
B .020
G# .024p
E .032
B .042
E .056
It doesn’t seem that could be wrestled to E G# B C# E G#.
According to the b0b chart: http://www.b0b.com/infoedu/gauges.htm it looks like I could take the John Pearse C6 string set,.015 .017 .020 .024p .030w .034, toss the lowest string, use an .011 for the top string and that would work, although with much lighter strings on the low end that the GHS set. But this would just be to work the book and then return to C6.
What to do? |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Feb 2014 10:40 am
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The first set is spanning two octaves... You want to span an octave and a third. Big difference there!
IMO, E6 is going to be either very dark or very tinny, depending on which octave you choose. If you're set on it, you should probably go with the higher one... your low string will be near the D string on normal guitar and your high string will be near .010 for your G#. I'm not sure if you're doing eight strings here or not... E13 is an 8 string tuning.
Personally, I'd go with C6 and think two steps up, unless you're trying to play with a recording.
_________________
Too much junk to list... always getting more. |
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Leon Grizzard
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 10 Feb 2014 11:02 am
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| Stephen Cowell wrote: |
The first set is spanning two octaves... You want to span an octave and a third. Big difference there!
IMO, E6 is going to be either very dark or very tinny, depending on which octave you choose. If you're set on it, you should probably go with the higher one... your low string will be near the D string on normal guitar and your high string will be near .010 for your G#. I'm not sure if you're doing eight strings here or not... E13 is an 8 string tuning.
Personally, I'd go with C6 and think two steps up, unless you're trying to play with a recording. |
I wondered if I was missing an octave deal or something. Thanks. I thought I could just do it on C6 and transpose mentally. I figured heck, I've heard those songs a million times; I need to turn in my Country Artist card if I can't just do it. But I am too new to the instrument and it is too high on the neck for me to do the math and understand what chord tones etc. I'm playing. I always hated that N + x or N - x math stuff. Maybe I'll try again, earlier in the evening next time.
Thanks again. |
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 10 Feb 2014 11:09 am
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you dont want to use the Emaj set - not the same- i looked at the forum store...use to have Scottys sets but nothing now. looks like you gotta get em elsewhere - none of those sets will work. scotty makes a 6string E6 set - you could buy the 8 string set also and just use 1-6.
_________________
'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 15 Feb 2014 3:57 pm
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I recently did exactly what you are considering with my rogue short scale. I researched and got the strings in singles. I'll send you the gauges when I get home on my computer shortly. Worked OK but if I restring to E6 on this guitar I will raise the gauges a couple across the board due to the very short scale on this guitar. I can't stand spongy strings on my steel.
Man that is some high stuff where he played it in E6! Really too high for my taste to be honest, and the frets in that area on the rogue are tiny and critical due to the scale. I'm thinking of working out the stuff in C6 personally.
I've learned Cold Cold Heart on C6 from Cindy Cashdollar's course and like her version pretty well.
I'll post the gauges in a bit and email you as well.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 15 Feb 2014 4:55 pm
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Here is the E6 set suggested to me:
11 , 14, 17, 20, 24, 30
For my very short scale Rogue, if I ever do it again I would probably go to something like
13, 15, 18, 22, 26 and 32 I think. Above strings are a little springy and have a tendency to rattle easier IMO. As you can see, even my proposed set is a lot skinnier on the bass end than the ones you mention earlier. Spanning octaves won't work well at all and if you tried to tune that 56 that high you will probably strip a tuner at best.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 15 Feb 2014 4:56 pm
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Here is the E6 set suggested to me:
11 , 14, 17, 20, 24, 30
For my very short scale Rogue, if I ever do it again I would probably go to something like
13, 15, 18, 22, 26 and 32 I think. Above strings are a little springy and have a tendency to rattle easier IMO. As you can see, even my proposed set is a lot skinnier on the bass end than the ones you mention earlier. Spanning octaves won't work well at all and if you tried to tune that 56 that high you will probably strip a tuner at best.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Leon Grizzard
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 15 Feb 2014 5:17 pm
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| Thank you, Jim. I got my E13 set and I'll put them to work through the book. I have two instruments now so I can use one for this limited purpose for the time being. Kind of like have one standard guitar tuned down a half step to work on Buck Owens videos on YouTube. |
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Steve Green
From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
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Leon Grizzard
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 16 Feb 2014 3:41 am
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That's the exact set I got. |
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