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Post new topic Poll for Universal Players: E9th or C6th orientation
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Universal: E9th or C6 oriented?
E9
83%
 83%  [ 15 ]
C6
16%
 16%  [ 3 ]
Total Votes : 18

Author Topic:  Poll for Universal Players: E9th or C6th orientation
Bill McCloskey

 

Post  Posted 2 Mar 2024 10:32 am    
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Curious how many Universal players prefer a C6th oriented universal tuning ala Reece Anderson and David Wright and how many prefer an E9th oriented Univerals ala Jeff Newman. My guess is most of you will have E9th but I just got a Bb6 Universal very much C6th oriented and loving it so far.
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Dennis Detweiler


From:
Solon, Iowa, US
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2024 11:17 am    
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I pattern Jeff Newman. Around here, the E9th is dominate for getting jobs. Currently, playing in a new band, Country, Texas Swing, Southern Rock, Classic Rock, depending on the venue. Using B9 for organ (classic rock). These days in this area your jobs are limited if you play only one type of music. Sad, but true.
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2024 1:40 pm    
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I can't vote as my guitar is in E9 and B6 simultaneously, which is surely the whole point of a uni?
Sorry if I've missed your point, Bill Smile
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Bill McCloskey

 

Post  Posted 2 Mar 2024 1:45 pm    
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Ian,

On some universals the default position is more E9 and you hold a lever to get the C6 changes. On some universals, the default position is C6 voicings and you hold a lever to get the E9.

For instance on my E9/B6, the 4th and 8th strings are Eb. I raise the E's to get E9th voicings. On other universals, the 4th and 8th strings are tuned to E and you lower the E's to get the C6 voicings. Which is yours?
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2024 2:15 pm    
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By that criterion, E9 - I lower Es on RKR so I've voted accordingly.
When I was deciding on a universal setup I did consider the option of raising D#s instead. In the end, I wanted my right knee free in E9, because RKL is where I raise the 9th string B to D, so that's what decided me.
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Dave Hopping


From:
Aurora, Colorado
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2024 3:23 pm    
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I'm an E9 guy too. But every so often I'll fool around with the B6 side and get just a glimpse of what's hiding in there! Winking
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Fred


From:
Amesbury, MA
Post  Posted 2 Mar 2024 4:18 pm    
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I do kind of both at once. My open tuning is like Zane Beck’s E13 (he called it E6/9) with the 8th string tuned to E instead of D. So I have a C# instead of D# and all the notes go in ascending order. The pedals and knees are set up like an E9 based universal.

I’ve never played either E9 or C6 pedal so I don’t think of it as two tunings. It’s just "What sound do I need right now? There’s no need to lower the E’s to "go into B6 mode". I just lower the E’s when they need to be lowered just like any other change.
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Slim Heilpern


From:
Aptos California, USA
Post  Posted 3 Mar 2024 6:40 am    
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In my case, I have E9 by default, with the lowered E's lever on RKL. After 6 years of playing with this setup (using the "1 big tuning" concept), I probably spend about half my playing time with RKL engaged and playing the jazzier voicings.
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 3 Mar 2024 7:00 am    
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Like Fred and Slim, I probably have the Es lowered roughly half the time. What makes me slightly B6-oriented is that I tune string 2 to C# and raise it to D or D# when E9 demands. (Of course C# to D is a B6 change anyway which I also have on PCool
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Dale Rottacker


From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
Post  Posted 3 Mar 2024 10:12 am    
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I played David Wright's a couple of years ago, and though I didn't get fully acclimated to the tuning having never tried to in the past, the thing that did kinda catch me was that the left side of the guitar was fairly E9th and the right side fairly C6th. At least that's the little light that went on for me.
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Ian Rae


From:
Redditch, England
Post  Posted 3 Mar 2024 1:06 pm    
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That would make sense to me. My setup has the same eight pedals as a D10. To me a 12-string universal is two necks overlapping by ten strings
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Christopher Woitach


From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
Post  Posted 3 Mar 2024 9:25 pm    
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Bb6, using the last of the several copedents that Reece used. He had it built and set up for me (by the great Johnny Cox!), and I’ve never changed it, or added to it. I very rarely play the first two pedals (A and B), but I leave them as is for the occasional recording I do for someone who’s really wanting that particular sound, although even then I usually just use the knee levers that are one of the things he always used in all the Bb6 versions, LKL and RKR.

I love this tuning, wish I could do it justice. Getting better with time.
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