8 vs 6

[John Harmon]

Morning friends, I am looking to get a double neck soon. I play at a nursing home a couple times a month and jam session weekly. Music is mostly gospel and old country. I know Don Helms said he didn't use the bottom strings, but for you who play 8, do you use them ? Are they worth looking for and a little extra money too? Thanks for your thoughts, John

[D Schubert]

You will likely find more double-eights for sale than double-sixes. If I had a double-six I'd tune one neck to G (like a dobro) and the other neck to C6 and that might be enough for your purposes.

[Noah Miller]

I use the extra strings, or at least one of them - my ideal neck has 7 strings. It helps fill out my A6 tuning with the root on the bottom.

[John Harmon]

Thanks for the replies. I am getting by with an Epiphone 6 now in a version of E6. When people sing in E it can get grassy in the open position, the reason for an extra neck, mostly. Thinking of A6 or C6 for the other. Do have a line on an older D6 at a good price. May go look at it. John

[Bill Hatcher]

You can always add HIGHER strings on the bottom that are different. The strings don’t have to continue going down in pitch. If you don’t think you will use the lower two strings, then find another use for them.

[Thom Barkes]

Go with a D-8 and use what ever string combination you want. I learned my slidy stuff on a dobro oh so many years ago. So, now I occasionally play in a western swing band with a '60 Stringmaster D-8. I use 6 strings on the nearest neck that's tuned to G and 7 strings on the other neck that's tuned to C6 with the root in the bottom. For me, perfection!

[Mike Harris]

I use 8 (A13, like a Junior Brown C13) and I wish I had 9. I could not go back to 6. I use the low strings a lot for both chords and melodic lines.

[Dave Mudgett]

For any type of 6th tuning, I prefer at least 8 strings, period. And yes, I definitely use 8 strings. The open-string range on a 6-string in a 6th tuning isn't wide enough for me. No problem on a simple major open tuning like a typical slide-guitar 1 5 1 3 5 1 or 5 1 5 1 3 5 Open E/A or Open D/G - a full two octaves is fine. But a 6th tuning like 1 3 5 6 1 3 is barely more than an octave. Even standard Dobro GBDGBD tuning has more range.

I also think steels with D8 are more prevalent and I even think, typically, less expensive than comparable D6 steels. Lots of guitar players that don't really play much steel seem to like Fender D6 because guitarists like David Gilmour and others have used them (and probably still do). Even as a long-time guitarist, it makes no sense to me - the options on D8 seem far better to me.

[Mike Neer]

After years of playing 8 string tunings, I have reverted to 6 strings. It just feels right to me now and makes me dig deeper into C6. I think I can see things on a deeper level by imposing restrictions on myself and finding new ways to play things and focusing on expression.

That said, I would definitely recommend for everyone to experience the deep, rewarding dive into 8 string tunings.

[Bill McCloskey]

There is no right answer. How often do you play minor chords? Do you play single note or chords? are you accompanying yourself or is there a band? All those things will impact your decision. Play a lot of minor and seventh chords? Go 8 string. Play mostly single note, go with a six string, playing without a band, might want those low strings to give depth to your playing. Playing in a band, 6 strings might be better because the bass player will pick up the low notes and fill in the minor thirds and seventh notes for you.

[John Harmon]

Lots of different replies. Guess I have a lot to think about now. Will be using a 6th tuning just to learn if nothing else. A bass player and lots of guitars at the jams so it probably isn't needed. BTW nearly 76 and not likely to learn a whole lot but need to keep the gray matter churning. And mostly having fun. Thanks to all who took the time. John

[Joe A. Roberts]

As someone stated, you are far more likely to encounter 8 string double necks.
Having those two extra strings can have a lot of possibilities.
You can have extra duplicated bass notes, extra duplicated high notes. Completely new chord tone notes.
Reentrant strings, with high strings below the bass strings. Or lower strings above the high strings.
You can even double the top string for a 12 string armpit guitar guitar effect. The possibilities are nearly endless!

Adding duplicated notes to the bass is probably the least intrusive way to get accustomed to using 8 strings.
With a little practice, you can relatively quickly figure out how to add some extra oomph to the music you are already playing/working on.
If you are worried about stepping on peoples toes at the jam session with too much low end, Don Helms E6th tuning is worth checking out.
Or some other tuning with a high G or G# on top.
A tuning such as A6th is admittedly a little on the bassy side.

With an 8 string instrument, you could have only 6 or 7 strings strung up. Bobby Koeffer played a 7 string tuning on an 8 string neck with Bob Wills.

Ultimately, having a double neck even if you only play in one tuning can still be worthwhile for experimenting and slowly learning/incorporating a tuning into your playing.
Having a darned instrument strung up in a given tuning is more than half the battle of learning it! Especially when it is constantly within arms' reach.

[Tom Keller]

8 strings is the answer for me. 8 strings just offers so much more versatility. I've never looked back.

[Nic Neufeld]

I think, as mentioned, one of the biggest factors is just how many D8s are out there as opposed to a D6. So you may naturally just find more D8s and even if you want to stay on a six string, it might just be easier to get a D8, string it up with six, and decide as you go if you want to extend the tunings with extra strings on the top, or bottom.

My 8 strings are tuned with low bass strings (B11 and C13) in that Hawaii Calls 50s kind of sound. Makes for really rich full sounding chords. If you're ever playing unaccompanied, or specifically, without a bass player...the low end is really nice for the music I play at least. That said, I played with a different group that had a u-bass player with an amp, and I realized I need to stay out of his lane...so I dialed back the bass on my amp and hit those bottom strings a lot less when playing with them. In that case a six string works just fine.

Honestly I love the idea of doubling the top string...giving you the option of hitting both strings for more "oomph". My first experiment with slide guitar (before I got into steel) was with my Danelectro 12 string which I found worked really great with the slide...the thicker sound of the doubled strings plus the extra string tension. Anyway, just thought that was a clever idea if you had extra string slots and didn't want to extend the tuning!

[Chris Templeton]

To the top. Mike is right!

[Andy Volk]

While I still own an 8-string, I find beauty in the limitations of six strings and have come to the conclusion that there's an incredible amount of music waiting to be discovered if one tweaks the tuning, and as Mike said, concentrates on expression. Lastly, I find that with six strings, my personal limitations as a player are surmounted more often than with 8-strings, which tend to shine a spotlight on 'em.

[Jack Hanson]

I am looking to get a double neck soon.

In lieu of a doubleneck, don't discount the possibility of a Deluxe34 (or its equivalent) double-stand and multiple lap steels. Works for me.

[Tony Oresteen]

I prefer 8 strings. You can always string it for 6 or 7 or 8.

If in the future you decide that you want another string, all you do is put it on.

I have seen a couple of D8 strung as D6 and the front row customers didn't complain

Here's my D6:




It's undergoing some changes. It was set up as C6 & E7 but I am changing it to A6 & C6. I am converting the A6 neck to 22.5" and leaving the C6 at 21.0"

Both guitars have DiMarzio Area 58 pickups.

I am going to put some real legs on it.

[John Ely]

I play a Stringmaster D8.

One neck is standard "original" C6, GECAGECA top to bottom.
I like the G on top for playing old Don Helms/Hank etc.

Another thing I REALLY like about this tuning is, if you're going to play Western Swing or other jazz, you can tune the bottom (8th) string up from A to a Bb.
Of course this gives you a b7 on the bottom for dom7 chords, but it REALLY opens things up for tri-tones. The great John Ely (not me, but THE John Ely who played for Asleep at the Wheel) taught me a lot about this...

I tune the 2nd neck to a C6 also, but with first (top) string tuned to a D. So, top to bottom, DECAGECA. This D on top is more like the "modern" standard C6 on PSG, and it gets me a lot of useful notes without moving the bar.
I like having both the G on top and the D on top options. It's not better or worse than any other tuning, it's just what I enjoy at the moment...
Good luck!
John

[Chris Templeton]

John!!!! PM Sent

[John Ely]

Chris Templeton, there are two of us in the steel guitar world named John Ely. (Check my signature line, and the comments in my original post).

I believe you're trying to reach THE John Ely who played with the Wheel and is a consummate teaching pro. You can reach him through his website.

My name is also John Ely, but I'm just a hack steel player who happens to have the same name as the master himself, THE John Ely. It's not the first time we've been confused here on the forum...

John and I know each other and both live in Minnesota. We're about the same age, and have agreed that when one of us croaks, the other will perform "A Steel Guitar Tribute to John Ely, Starring John Ely".

[Chris Templeton]

I might have mistaken you a number of years ago too.
in 1990, I recorded "I Love You So Much" with the other John at the end of a
session in New Mexico. I think of it as the quintessential steel song, like "Steeling The Blues".
Ian Wallace, who played drums with King Crimson, also plays:
https://christophertempleton.bandcamp.c ... h-it-hurts
I play this from memory without ever having working out the song, so my melody is not right, but when John comes in, he sure knows it.
He plays Hawaiian steel and I play pedals.
Keep after it, John.