Pedal Steel Differences

[Ron Wendler]

I have to get it straight in my thoughts about different Pedal Steels. 6 string, 8 string, 10 string and 12 string. Will one get the same wonderful sound from a 6 string as you do a 10 string, for example? Are they all played the same? My 6 string is much like a layed down regular guitar. With open cords I can find the standard used cords for a song. But that doesn't give me the sound of, say a 10 string when you grip 2 or 3 strings and use the pedals. Is it in the tuning or how it's played? Maybe I'm an old dog trying to learn new tricks and way off in my knowledge of what I'm trying to accomplish. Maybe I need to find a book that explains the whole world of the pedal steel guitar.

[Tim Fortin]

I am very new to steel guitar, so grain of salt.

More strings to me means more options, for better or worse. I went with a 10 string in e9 because the bulk of materials for learning is geared towards this tuning.

I think it’s gonna be all down to tuning and copedants to make a 6 string do a lot of what a 10 string can do. But if you have a 6 string with an open slide tuning like dadgad you won’t have the same runs and grips as if you tuned it to e9, same for the copedants, you want them to work within the tuning you use.

Number of strings likely has a lot to do with it, but I think tuning and copedants is the more important factor. Like a 4 string bass vs a 5 string bass. You get the bonus of the low b with a 5 string, but you can get the job done just as well with 4 strings you just need to tailor your playing to it a little to get the message across when a song calls for the bonus low notes. But if you tune that 5 string to some kind of alternate tuning, you won’t be able to directly translate from one to the other. It can be done, but it’s a lot more difficult and complicated, and takes more understanding of theory and tunings.

[Bill McCloskey]

While there are some great 6 string players (Chris Glass being a great example) if you want that E9th pedal steel sound, you are going to need a 10 string pedal steel guitar. Makes very little sense to muck around with anything else, if for no other reason than you won't find any instructional material for 6, 8, or 12 string, but you will find a boatload for 10 String E9th

[Bobby D. Jones]

Here is a setup that may work for you with an A and B Pedals.
This is an open E tuning. with 2 pedals on an E910 string.
--------A ped.--B ped.
1-E
2-B-----C#
3-G#---------- A
4-E
5-B-----C#
6-E

1-2-3 would be 4-5-6 grip on a 10 string.
3-4-5 would be 6-8-10 grip on a 10 string.
1-3-5 would be 5-6-8 grip on a 10 string.
Good Luck -Happy Steelin.