Tuning down one half step?

Val Drummond · From: Maryland

Anyone tune their pedal steel guitar down if the bands guitars are tuned down one half step from normal tuning?
I've tuned my dobro and lap steel down one half step to match the guitar/singer.
I'm thinking about tuning down my pedal steel too. Anyone tune their pedal steel down?

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

No. I can't think of a reason to do it, at least on E9. I know that a lot of (Spanish) guitar players tune down - Hendrix, SRV and many others - for various reasons, much of which relates to the fact that we use the open strings quite a bit, and some things just don't sound 'right' without certain open-string figures.

But pedal steel is completely different. I play sometimes with a guitar player who tunes down to Eb and plays lots of blues all night. I keep one (Spanish) guitar (a Strat set up SRV style with 12-52 or 13-56) tuned down to get those pedal-tones on the open strings when needed. But there's no need for that on steel except in very rare circumstances when a dobro-style open-string thing is wanted. But I never really even 'need' to do that - playing in Eb (guitar player in E position) or F# (guitar player in G position) works just fine, for me at least.

The downside of tuning down is that you'll need to mess with either the setup or the string gauges, and either way, E9 especially just doesn't sound the same (to me). I tried it once, I was not a happy camper, I just ripped those strings off there and went back after a week or so. C6 down to B6 or even Bb6 is different, but I wouldn't mess around with E9.

My opinion.

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

I agree with Dave. It's not really helpful or necessary to tune down the pedal steel guitar. And you'll have to re-tweak the pedal and lever changes at the endplate and maybe change the strings. I'm reminded of the steel guitarist I first took lessons from way back in 1970. He told me "Never retune your pedal steel for anyone!" Cool

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Emmett Roch · From: Texas Hill Country

I spent 9 months on the road with a singer who tuned down a half-step. After the first month, I did too. I saved money on 3rd strings, at least.
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Les Cargill · From: Oklahoma City, Ok, USA

Try it. Might be cool, might not be. Thing is, open strings are pretty much never used on steel.

You can nerd out here:
http://wahiduddin.net/calc/calc_guitar_string.htm
http://www.daddario.com/DAstringtensionguide.Page?AxPageID=2371&Mode=0&ActiveID=2871
if tension equalization is important.

Wayne Neal · From: Ohio, USA

I went from C6 to B6 for awhile on my back neck and liked it fine(went to an E7 now Smile

).

As was said you will have to adjust every pedal and lever...if you are playing a lot with a band that drops to Eb it may be worth it...for a couple of gigs or a single night no way.

There are some multi effects units that will "drop" you down or "re-tune" for you...I have used this on fiddle to play a lot of stuff in odd keys before.
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Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

Everything Poco did for years was 1/2 step down, so I imagine Rusty tuned all his axes down 1/2...
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Joachim Kettner · From: Germany

Val Drummond · From: Maryland

Thanks for your inputs. I wanted to ask if anyone else ran into that situation.
I havenâ€™t accumulated years on the pedal steel yet. I am use to the normal 1-4-5 spots on the neck. Never fails though, as soon as I get into a song, I forget to adjust for that half step.

Thanks again for your replies.

Joey Ace · From: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

I've heard of players tuning down a half step to use heavier gauge strings, resulting in a fatter sound.

Possibly Russ Pahl on some Gretchen Wilson tracks?
(When I Think About Cheatin) ???

Can anyone confirm this?

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

I also play with folks who tune down a half step.
I tune my steel down a half step.
I would definitely try it if I were you.
It completely eliminates that split second of "on the fly transposition" that is messing you up.

Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

On the subject of string gauges, I tune my rear neck down to B6 using a standard C6 set of strings. I notice that the corresponding strings on the E9 are the same gauge. Does this mean that normal C6 tuning is looking for a "fatter" sound than the E9? - it's already fatter musically.
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

if the band is playing a so called natural E, 1/2 step down, ( in reality Eb) I think it would be a benefit for you as well...How would you play an open Eb or an open Ab ? I would tune down...
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Skip Edwards · From: LA,CA

For a couple years on the road, Dwight used to tune down 1/2 step. Gary Morse was doing the gig at the time and he tuned down as well. Scott Joss dropped his fiddle down, also.
I was playing keys, and since I was using an 88 key controller (inside a baby grand shell) I was able to cheat and shift it 1/2 step so I could play in the normal keys...but not so on the B3 or accordion. Alot of playing in Ab, Eb & F#...

Chris Bauer · From: Nashville, TN USA

I played a night with a rock band last week that tunes down. Lots of open string work so I decided to give tuning down a try. I wasn't optimistic but, to my pleasant surprise, it didn't take more than a little tweaking of the guitar.

I certainly could have covered it without tuning down but I enjoyed not having to think in transposition for an entire night.

Larry Behm · From: Mt Angel, Or 97362

I played a gig and tuned down, I did not want to make any mistakes so took the time to do it. I talked to the band leader who want to add steel to the band and told him that it might be an issue with various steelers rotating in and out. He might go back to standard.

Larry Behm
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Tommy Auldridge · From: Maryland, USA

I may be wrong about this but I seem to remember hearing somewhere that Tom Brumley tuned down a 1/2 step. I was watching Buck's old shows on youtube, and I really think the whole band was tuned down a 1/2 step. I May be wrong about that. Tommy.......
P.S. Hey Val, keep in touch.....

J R Rose · From: Keota, Oklahoma, USA

Hey Tommy, I think you are correct about Brumley tuneing down. There are a lot of stories about this. One being that when Buck hired Tom he flew him to Ca.
and was to furnish him a steel. It was a wreck of a Fender plus it and the band was tuned down. It was his first gig with Buck. Tom told me it was a very long and hard night but he liked the sound it gave him. They very soon went after that to the studio and cut Together Again on that old Fender, which was the B side of the record. My long time mentor Jim Florence, (RIP Jim), brought one of the first ZB's from Tom, double 11. When he went to Tom's house to pick it up it was tuned down. That was fine with Jim for he had been playing his old Fender tuned down as he had picked that up from Ralph Mooney because it did not break the 3rd string as much. Lots of good stories out there about tuneing down. I myself never could adapt but I do like the more mellow sound, JR

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