Steel detectives needed for Grandpas homemade 12 string

[Stephen Wolf]

My girlfriend’s grandpa’s homemade 12 string was pulled out today in a move, will probably string it up with Maurice Anderson’s C6 tuning. Just curious if anyone can tell from the pics what tuning he may have been using, just for curiosity’s sake. Thought some might find it interesting. Thanks!

[David M Brown]

I haven't completely figured out the upper and middle sets of strings, but the lower 5 strings seem to be tuned open to L-H D F A C F, a Dm7 or F6 chord, open at at the 12th fret.

The upper 3 strings could be tuned to 1st string E, 2nd string C, 3rd string A, like a typical C6 tuning, and would give that Am chord open and at the 12th fret.

String 4 could be a G, adding to the open C6 tuning match up to that point, and there would need to be a Bb open to get a C7, but I'm not sure from there.

I'm curious what y'all come up with.

So from string 1 to 12 I'm beginning the guess work with:

1 - E
2 - C
3 - A
4 - G
5 -
6 -
7 -
8 - F
9 - C
10 - A
11 - F
12 - D

and a Bb on maybe string 6?

[Joe A. Roberts]

A cursory search failed to turn it up, but there was an article in some magazine (perhaps Popular Mechanics?) from the mid-late 50s or early 60s for a DIY build your own steel guitar.
I read this online somewhere a few years ago.

The end result had a lot of strings like that one, and a particularly esoteric tuning setup, maybe a double tuning, devised by the author (not Alkire).

Skimming through the article then, I thought that the author should have provided readers with instructions for a more traditional set-up.
I imagined unsuspecting people who would go out of their way to follow the instructions because they like the traditional sounds of steel guitar getting stuck with a strange setup no one but the author plays!
It kind of reminded me of sticking unsuspecting buyers with those Ukelin zither things in the 20s.

I’m not sure if your grandfather’s creation is this, but maybe someone else has the article i saw.

[Stephen Wolf]

Very interesting, thanks guys.

[Jeremy Reeves]

I'm guessing string 7 is Bb

[Jack Hanson]

Knowing the style of music grandpa liked to play might reveal some helpful hints about his tuning. Did he wind his own pickup?

[Stephen Wolf]

No info on style of music or pickup unfortunately

[David M Brown]

I'm guessing string 7 is Bb

So maybe

1 - E
2 - C
3 - A
4 - G
5 - E
6 - C
7 - Bb
8 - F
9 - C
10 - A
11 - F
12 - D

[Jeremy Reeves]

I'm guessing string 7 is Bb

So maybe

1 - E
2 - C
3 - A
4 - G
5 - E
6 - C
7 - Bb
8 - F
9 - C
10 - A
11 - F
12 - D

I think you got it!

[David M Brown]

I'm guessing string 7 is Bb

So maybe

1 - E
2 - C
3 - A
4 - G
5 - E
6 - C
7 - Bb
8 - F
9 - C
10 - A
11 - F
12 - D

I think you got it!

Only with your help, thanks....and I'm still not sure.

[J.D.White]

That definitely looks like the Popular Mechanics DIY steel project - and a great job I might add.

This is the tuning that is described with the original article - hope it helps.