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Topic: HowardR: What tunings on your quad Stringmaster? |
Al Gershen
From:
Grants Pass, OR, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Jul 2001 9:11 am |
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Hi HowardR:
I'm wonder if you will share the tunings you put on your recently acquired Fender 4-neck Stringmaster steel guitar with SGF members?
I have a local friend, Al Beerli of White City, Oregon who recently reconditioned a basket case quad Stringmaster and if he reads this posting, I hope that he also shares his tunings with SGF members.
Do you put the least used tuning on the outer front neck? After all, you need some long arms to reach that one. 
Have you considered putting a bass string tuning on the outer front neck? I believe that Noel Boggs did this at certain times on his quad Stringmaster.
I look forward to reading your tunings and I look even more forward to owning a quad Stringmaster some day.
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Regards,
Al Gershen
Grants Pass, Oregon. USA
Fender 1000 (1957),
Fender PS 210 (1972) &
Gibson Electraharp EH-820
(1962)
Photos at http://www.rvi.net/~aldg
[This message was edited by Al Gershen on 28 July 2001 at 10:14 AM.] [This message was edited by Al Gershen on 28 July 2001 at 12:43 PM.] |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 28 Jul 2001 11:57 am
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Hello Al. I hope all is well with you.
This quad is some hunk of guitar!
As you know, I'm a recreational player. In order to strive to be more accomplished, I am going to follow the advice offered by Keoki in another thread. That advice is to not get carried away with all kinds of tunings but to stay focused with one or two.
Since I have been working with A6, that is on the back neck closest to me. The next neck will have C6. Third neck is E13. Those are basically the "two" tunings that make sense to me. For the front neck, I'd like to experiment with something a little unusual so I'm thinking about an extended Leavitt tuning for some exotic chords.
I'm also curious to hear what tunnings other quad owners are using.
Oh yes, to answer your questions,the neck furthest away will have the least used, or experimental tuning. From the A6, I can move easily to the C6 since it is right "next door". I don't have use for a bass tuning and it doesn't seem to interest me anyway.[This message was edited by HowardR on 28 July 2001 at 01:05 PM.] |
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Al Gershen
From:
Grants Pass, OR, USA * R.I.P.
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Bob Maickel
From:
Floral Park, NY
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Posted 29 Jul 2001 6:23 pm
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If I owned a Quad I would arrange it with A6th, A9th, C6th and E13th straight across. It all depends on what kind of music you intend to play. I own a Fender Stringmaster 1957 model T-8 with A6, A9 and E13th. I've experimented with the B-11th tuning and it is very nice, but limited to the type of music ( basically Hawaiian) -nothing wrong with that, it sounds beautiful! Jody Carver was my mentor when I started playing in 1953 (he still is my top idol) so I wanted to be able to duplicate what he was doing on his T-8 at that time. It's all there, especially on the A9th. I can play all the passing chords I get on my D-10 Emmons push-pull by proper string grips and bar slants...Augmenteds, Diminished et all...
Good luck with it and enjoy every minute! |
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Keith Grubb
From:
Petaluma, CA, USA
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Posted 29 Jul 2001 7:03 pm
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Hey Bob,
How is your A9th neck tuned? Also I was was wondering if you're using the Don Helms E13th or Leon's version. |
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George Keoki Lake
From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
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Posted 29 Jul 2001 9:19 pm
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| Hi Howard...I am indeed flattered you would follow my advice. I feel you have chosen your tunings well. The 4th neck is way out there so far away, (ha!), and I think the Leavitt tuning is a good choice for that neck...(although not necessarily my choice.) Ian McLatchie visited me last year and demonstrated to this old phart the amazing Leavitt tuning. He played it so well I thought it would be a cinch. How wrong I was! It's a very complicated tuning and if you do master it as Ian has, you will get some mighty fine sounds from this format. But you recall the theory about "teaching an old dog new tricks"... I'm that old dog! |
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Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 3 Aug 2001 10:44 am
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| . But you recall the theory about "teaching an old dog new tricks"... I'm that old dog! |
Remember Keoki, one can teach an old dog some good old tricks.
Rick
[This message was edited by Rick Collins on 03 August 2001 at 11:45 AM.] |
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Bob Maickel
From:
Floral Park, NY
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Posted 3 Aug 2001 3:12 pm
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Keith:
I've always used the Don Helms E13th.
The A9th is tuned from String #1 to #8
E C# B G E C# A E
It's an interesting tuning, especially if you play the A against and E tuning configuration. The advantage is in position playing and knowing where the chords are in both tunings.
I also re-tune my E13th to C6th on occasion when the situation calls for it.
Sorry this is so late in posting, but my server was down for 4 days and I was off-line. |
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Keith Grubb
From:
Petaluma, CA, USA
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Posted 3 Aug 2001 7:59 pm
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Bob,
Thanks for your reply. I've got a Magnatone triple neck and am pretty set on two tunings: C6/A7 and Helms E13. The main reason I use those two tunings is because that is what my tab books are in. At this point in my life I would be totally lost without tab.
So I am still searching for that third tuning. I may try your A9th sometime. It looks like it would be fairly easy to retune to A6th or b11th.
Thanks again for your response.
Keith |
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