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Topic: 25" Scale C6 Tuning String Gauge Suggestions |
Karl Fehrenbach
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2012 11:26 am |
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I am playing a Gold Tone 8 string lapsteel in C6 tuning, low to high, F A C E G A C E.
The string gauges are: HIGH TO LOW
.015 .018. .022 .024W .030W .036W .042W .054W
On a 25" scale, they actual feel a little slinky to me. Does anyone have any experience of using heavier gauges on 8 string C6? I am thinking of
.016 .019 .024W 026W .032W .038W .044W .054W
The loose feel is really with the first 4 strings. Any suggestion are very welcomed. Thank you very much. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 23 Jan 2012 11:33 am
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My thoughts on this differ from yours. I've even gone a little lighter than what you have (although I believe I'm using a .022w or .024w for my A string)--I feel they sound better to my ears and enable me to do some pulls and other tricks. I started a thread about this once and you can take a look at it:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=192581
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Karl Fehrenbach
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2012 12:40 pm
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| Mike, thanks for the reference to your previous posts on this same topic. Now you got me thinking about what I am trying to accomplish. I just had this general feeling that long scales such as 25" call out for a thousandth or two heavier gauges than the 22" and 24" scaled instruments. So it looks like you are saying that may be true in theory, but in practice at may be an instrument by instrument situation. Thank you for your input. I really appreciate it. |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2012 2:32 pm
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| Karl Fehrenbach wrote: |
| I just had this general feeling that long scales such as 25" call out for a thousandth or two heavier gauges than the 22" and 24" scaled instruments |
Respectfully , it's the other way around 
The longer the scale is ... The higher the tension must be to pull the same string up to the same pitch.
It takes more tension to pull a 0.016 string to E on a 25" scale than on a 22" ...
So most folks who play both long and short scale steels ... Tend to drop down a few thousandths when stringing up their long scales ... To keep the tension similar to their short scales.
But ... Tension is only one issue here ...
The forgotten step sister ...  ... Is stiffness.
Tension and stiffness ... Both deserve a closer look.
In general ... The closer a string is to it's breaking point ... The more "ideal" the string behaves ... So high tension is good.
The problem is ... The stiffer the string is ... The less "ideal" the string behaves ... So stiffness is bad.
That's why folks generally steer clear of real thick plain strings like 0.026 ... Too stiff, therefore, too much inharmonicity.
It is the ratio of Tension to Stiffness that is important ... The higher that ratio ... The more ideal a string will behave.
EX: 0.014 vs 0.016 E on a 25"
It takes more tension to pull a 0.016 to an E on a 25" scale than to pull a 0.014 to the same E on the same guitar ... So that's good
But a 0.014 string is less stiff than a 0.016 ... So that's good
What's best ... Depends on what you like 
Experiment until you find the right ... Here is a chart i made up years ago ... When I had a lot more free time ... 
http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/userfiles/tensions.rtf
Hope that helps ... |
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Morgan Scoggins
From:
Georgia, USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2012 3:44 pm
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I concur with Rick on his evaluation. I have a 22 1/2" scale Remington Steelmaster and I always use a bit heavier gage string. The thin gages sometimes feel a bit floppy.
I learned about this many years ago when my family moved to a new house in 1956 and we had to set up a clothesline. We first set it up and no matter how tight we got it, the line sagged in the middle. My Dad came out and had us move the two poles about 10 feet closer together and our problem was solved
_________________
"Shoot low boys, the're ridin' Shetlands" |
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Karl Fehrenbach
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2012 6:11 pm
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Rick and Morgan, many thanks for this clarification. You both have helped me visualize what is going on, and the laws of physics have to be obeyed here. I really appreciate your explanations and Rick, your tension chart for C6/A7 is very enlightening. It helps explain why Mike is inclined to go lighter on his long scale steel.
The information and guidance available on this forum is just incredible. Many thanks to all who have helped me with this. |
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