Wound "A" string for C6th

[Frank James Pracher]

Curious... does anyone use a wound "A" string?

I'm currently using .020 or .021 plain, but got to thinking perhaps a wound string would sound less plunky

[Jack Stoner]

I just bought an 8 string lap steel. I have it tuned C6th with a high G like Pedal Steels. I used a set of Pedal Steel strings (what I had) and it tunes and sounds great (but I'm used to the Pedal Steel C6th sound).

I have it tuned (high to low) GECAGECA.

String Gauges .012, .014, .017, .020P, .024W, .030W, .036W, .042W.

I retuned it to E13 and no problem with the string gauges.

[Carl McLaughlin]

On my 6 string C6 tuning i am using a wound 2nd and 3rd string.I find it gives me a warmer sound or tone.That,s just MY preferance.

[Ian Rae]

On some pedal steels there are mechanical considerations, but on your lap it's personal taste. Try it. I assume it's legal.

[Carl McLaughlin]

It's legal,lol

[Richard Sinkler]

On some pedal steels there are mechanical considerations, but on your lap it's personal taste. Try it. I assume it's legal.

I heard there is a bill in congress now that will ban the use of a wound string on the (4th string) A on the C6 tuning. Punishment for that crime will be 8 solid hours of listening to Florida Georgia Line. So, use at your own risk.

[Carl McLaughlin]

OH NO Not another bill ,LOL

[Chris Scruggs]

I’m not a fan of a wound A on non-pedal steel, because I pull strings behind the bar a lot and need a plain string to pull a half step up to Bd and sometimes a full step up to B.

Also, the more plain strings you have, the less bar hiss there is to worry about. With this in mind, I briefly used a .024 plain for my G, as Jerry Byrd did, but moved back to a wound .024 G as the plain was just a little too “ping-y” sounding for my tastes. Having that many plain strings was great for artificial harmonics, though. They rang out loud and true, with the perfect blend of attack and sustain.

Having a wound G# on pedal steel makes sense because it seems to pull up to pitch more in unison with the high G#-A pull, but without pedals that is a moot point! Some really great players have used a wound A on non-pedal, so give it a shot and see how you like it!

Everyone’s playing style is different, but for me it reminds me of when you try to play Chuck Berry licks on a round neck guitar with a wound third string… You just can’t do it the same way!

~Chris Scruggs~

[Ian Rae]

When I started out on pedal steel I had an old D10 and on the E9 the wound 6th sounded great.

When I swapped to universal I took it with me but in B6 it's the equivalent of the 4th string and it sounded and felt wrong. I remember thinking at the time "Of course, no-one would use a wound 4th on C6"!

On any instrument that uses plain and wound strings, the exact changeover point will be a matter of experiment.

[J D Sauser]

22 to 25 inch scales o.o22W

I've tried many times to go to a plain o.o22p (clunky sound and bad intonation) or worse even o.o20p (which sound a bit better than o.o22p but is so under-strung that intonation (among the much more appropriate tensioned stings will not holt intonation.

It's a very opinion infused subject.

... J-D.

[Hideki Hattori]

I like wound A string. Because chimes (harmonics) on plain A sound dead.