Tunnings, Strings & Guage for String Master

James McGann II · Post by **James McGann II** » 30 Apr 2002 9:57 am

Hello All You Fine Folks;
I am sure you-all have heard this question before but please help me out. I have a very fine 8 string string master. I purchased from a very nice Cat from the great state of Hawaii.(Hey Mark!)If I wanted to tune this like my Resonator the first six "EBEG#BE" then what are the last two or last two high strings tuned to? What would this tuning be called? And what guage & type of strings would I use? Thank you for your
help and you will be hearing from me real soon.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 30 Apr 2002 12:15 pm

You've already got the tuning on the resonator. Go with something different! I really like the sound of the C6th on a Fender Stringmaster. High to low: ECAGECAG. It can't get any simpler than this! Stick with it and in no time you will be sounding just like Jerry Byrd.

After all, the guitar did come from Hawaii!
Erv[This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 30 April 2002 at 01:16 PM.]

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 30 Apr 2002 2:32 pm

What you now have is an E tuning. It's the same as the "E shape" chord on standard guitar and it's very popular for blues and rock slide playing. Problem is... there is no minor chord available (no 3 note minor chord). I'd suggest adding a C# in there somewhere for an open C#m chord, and adding a D for a dominant 7th chord (open E7). The tuning would then be called E13 (root, 3, 5, b7, 13). The 9th and 11th tones are optional. There are a lot of different ways to set it up. Below is how I have it set up on my quad stringmaster.

The two additional stings mentioned above seem to be the logical extension for what you now have. Beyond that, you might want to experiment with the C6 or E6 tunings. Lap steel is an instrument of many different tunings and it's a good idea to get comfortable with more than one tuning.

E13

1. E .014
2. C# .017
3. B .018P
4. G# .024W
5. E .030
6. D .034
7. B .038
8. E .056

------------------
My Site | Doug's Free Tab
[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 30 April 2002 at 07:42 PM.]

mikey · Post by **mikey** » 30 Apr 2002 3:52 pm

go E7...E,G#,B,D,E,G#,B,E...easy...
Mike

Gary C. Dygert · Post by **Gary C. Dygert** » 3 May 2002 6:29 am

You might try a high G# on top (.011"). This eliminates slants on the E and other G# strings. I like an E6. Put one or two C#s wherever you like them.

Zayit · Post by **Zayit** » 3 May 2002 9:47 am

I've seen discussions on this tuning before: Don Helms E-13th or Bob Schaedler's stripped-down version of the Sol Hoopii C#m7 (B D E G# C# E)

I'm a newbie, so I'm asking y'all not arguing with ya: Why is this tuning so good for blues? I currently use a high 'G' C6 for
blues & folk-rock. Strings 1-2-3 give me my major triad (root on 3), an easy forward slant gives me a V chord for a nice "pedal steel" effect. 2-3-4 give me my minor triad (root on 4). Strings 6-5-4 give me most of a dominant 7th (root on string 4) & I can pull string 3 one fret if I need the 3rd too. Its a 'close' tuning with no real "strummable" chords but it works and the blues scales just 'fall' nicely on the bar. Also, I can sing & play the string combinations I listed above without alot of real clunker notes sneaking in.

I sometimes use open 'E' on another neck. A forward slant on strings 2-3-4 gives me the 'V' chord & backward slant on same strings gives a dirty [but this IS the blues] Vm7th chord.

It seems to me that the C# on string two would just get in the way of my scales (tried it) and not really add a temendous amount of possibilities? Please enlighten me.

Bill Leff · Post by **Bill Leff** » 3 May 2002 11:19 am

Zayit:

If I'm not mistaken, the Helms tuning is an E version of your C6 tuning, but with the third on the first string instead of the fifth, so both tunings have similar advantages and work well (at least I think) for blues, if you avoid that string with the 6th on it (unless you want a 6th in your chord).

The Hoopii tuning (C#m) is in my opinion not as advantageous for blues because you don't have the 5th of the chord in a straight bar position (you jump from the 3rd to the 6th). This makes the blues runs more difficult on the inside strings. You also don't have a 5th in your chords with a straight bar.

The Sacred Steel tuning (there are several)with a C# on the second string is a nice compromise if you want an open E tuning with a 6th. There are some nice positions for more "rock" sounding pentatonic-based leads on the top three strings at the 10th and 3rd frets.

The tuning is (low to high ):

E G# B E G# B C# E

Have fun

Bill

Bob Schaedler · Post by **Bob Schaedler** » 9 May 2002 5:34 am

Zayit (et al), please, "I'm not worthy!", especially to see my name in the same context with Don Helms. I've got a long way to go on the steel. Most of what I know to this point has come from helpful Forumites, and transposing from my guitar background. My approach to steel has been a combination of learning some lines and riffs as best I can, then just mauling the thing to see what kind of sounds come out.

The Sol tuning has been a challenge, in terms of fitting pentatonic blues riffs into it. Bill, the fifth/root does occur on the #2&3 strings, but it's not always easy to work it in. Liberal vibrato with slants seems to help. Straight blues seems to work, but not having the M/m thirds on adjacent strings is a handicap. Try lowering the C# to B for a more conventional E tuning.

I also like the following from Keoki:
F# A# E G# C# E, low to high, which provides a nice 9th across strings #2-6. However, as he warns, screwing around with too many tunings will set you back. For my part, I'm going back to a straight C6 for 8-strings and keeping the Sol tuning for 6-strings for a while.

Zayit, I hope you will find the steel as fascinating as I have, I really get a charge out of it, and it has renewed my passion for exploring music.