Tuning for 8-String Pedal Steel

Matt Chase · From: Queensland, Australia

Hi everyone,

I have a friend with a 4 pedal S-8. Is there a standard tuning for guitars in this configuration? How is the copedant usually set for these? I'm assuming it would be some sort of E7/E9 tuning.

Cheers,

Matt

Paul Arntson · From: Washington, USA

I'm not a pro player, and I'm sure others will have more complete info, but here's my 0.02 worth:

The original Fender manual is here:
It shows anl A6 from that era.
http://www.fender.com/support/manuals/pdfs/instr_owners/Fender_400_Pedal_Steel_Guitar_1967.pdf

Another way that our own Pete Burak showed to me (and it makes a lot of sense because most of the stuff transfers directly to nashville E9) is:

lo to hi:
B-E-F#-G#-B-E-F#-G#

P1 = E -> F both strings
P2 = B->C# both strings
P3 = G# -> A both strings
P4 = E down to Eb both strings

I use this on my Fender 400 and I like it a lot.

The only thing missing from a nashville 3x2 is the E to F# change.

The other cool thing is that P4 gives you B6 which is a great tuning in and of itself.

You can get close to the Don Helms inversion with P2 + P3 which is F#6 and a couple slants.

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I'm not sure there's a "standard" - I guess it depends on what one wants to play with it and what the changer will do. For example, there was a recent discussion on rock and blues starter guitars here: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=35964 . Much but not all of the discussion went to 8-string tuning variants.

There have been other discussions like this in the past, probably most easily accessed through the old forum. Since a lot of Fender 400's came stock with 8-strings, 4-pedals, and no knee levers, searching the old Pedal Steel section for fender 400 copedent gave useful hits.

To get somewhere near a standard E9 setup, I would tune open strings like the bottom 8 of a standard E9 - bottom to top: B D E F# G# B E G# - and use the same pedal setup Paul suggested in the last post. The main things missing are the two top "chromatic" strings and the C-pedal, but there's still a lot of music in this setup. This is almost the same as the setup Paul suggested, but specifically mimics the "standard" E9 with the D at the next-lowest string.

To get something more specifically geared to rock and blues, I might use Al Perkins 8-string Fender tuning from the 70s - bottom to top: E B D E G# B E G# - with the same basic pedal setup above. This gives the low E of a guitar, easy ability to make power chords on the bottom strings, and the b7th tone in the D.

Or one could set up the top 8, middle 8, or bottom 8 strings of a C6th tuning, and have something reasonably close to a "standard" 6th tuning if one judiciously chooses the pedals.

I have a '49 Gibson Electraharp with 4 pedals set up with Don Helms' E6 tuning. I use it primarily as a nonpedal steel. But a few simple raises are possible even with this very limited changer, and do come in handy if one wants to avoid having to do certain bar slants.

There are a lot of ways to look at any of this. Is this guitar a Fender 400? Of course, it matters what the changer can do. I think there's a big difference between that Electraharp and something like a Fender 400.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Matt, what Dave said. It really matters what type of changer it is. A "chord chaning" machine like an Electraharp or Multi-Kord would not have the possiblities of a Fender 400, which plays much more like a modern steel.

But if it's a 400, the Fender copedents are mainly intended for the "chord changing" types, so you'd want to go another route.

One I've played around with..since I play a B6 setup that's really a sort of universal...is an abbreviated version of that tuning. If you look on the "copedents" page and find Sneaky Pete's copedent, use pedals 1, 2, 8 and 7 (in that order) and you've got a swingy 6th tuning that is great for non-pedal stuff; a 1&2 pedal that equate to the E9 A&B; a 3rd pedal for minors...and the 4th one is a great little "lick" pedal that comes in handy all over the place. You could get a lot of milage out of that setup.

It's the best thing I've found when you're limited to 4 pedals and no knees.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional

Matt Chase · From: Queensland, Australia

Thanks very much for the replys. I'll pass them on.

Matt

Robbie Daniels · From: Casper, Wyoming, USA

I prefer to use C6 on single neck PSGs. My setup for my Fender 400 is as follows:
Top to bottom, D G E C A G E C
Pedal one raises 8th string C to D and lowers 6th string G to F#
Pedal two raises 3rd string E to F and lowers 7th string E to Eb
Pedal three raises 4th string C to D and raises 5th string A to B
Pedal four raises 2nd string G to G# and raises 6th string G to G#
Sometimes I make alterations, depending on my mood or need. Fender 400s are simple to change around.

In the 60s I played a fender 400 exclusively and recorded country utilizing the C6th tuning, but of course times have changed a bit.
Razz

_________________
Carter D12, MSA S12, 12 String Custom Made Non-Pedal, Evans FET 500LV, Evans SE200, Peavey Nashville 400, Fender Steel King

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