I'm using this particular tuning for my new 10-strings SS HAWAIIAN steel guitar. I keep the same string guages and retune between the two different tunings as the gig style requires. This steel is a perfect 24" scale and any other scale length would be subject to a guage or two up or down per tone.
For the 10-string:
C6th D6/9 Guage
1) G down 1/2> F# .012p
2) E down whole> D .014p
3) C down 1/2> B .017p
4) A stay same> A .020p
5) G down 1/2> F# .026w
6) E stay same E .030w
7) C up whole> D .036w
Bb up whole> C .038w
9) A stay same> A .042w
10 F up 1/2> F# .054w
As you can see the C6th tuning has the best of both worlds with the flat7th and sixth tone near the bottom. The D tuning has the 6th tone and 9th tone and flat7th tone in the tuning with the low 3rd and 5th tone at very bottom which is waaaaay cool.
I have experimented with different guages to fight between moving a tone up or down and what it does in it's playability; but I had no problem on this scale length with the guages above and it's my preference of feel anyways. One can use a gauge or two heavier on most of the strings but I wouldn't suggest any lighter.
Here it is for the 8-string:
C6th D6/9
1) G F#
2) E D
3) C B
4) A A
5) G F#
6) E E
7) C D
Bb C
I hope this helps some that were inquiring about some of these tunings and I am finding a huge success so far with these and loving that I don't have to change strings for a single neck Hawaiian steel.
Ricky
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Ricky Davis
http://hometown.aol.com/sshawaiian/RickyHomepage.html
http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html
www.mightyfinemusic.com
sshawaiian@aol.com
