Who prefers the high G on a C6 eight string

Chris Scruggs · Post by **Chris Scruggs** » 14 Mar 2005 7:10 pm

Yes, but PLEASE don't hold it against me! The track was recorded over three years ago, and I've only been playing steel for four. Plus, it was a borrowed guitar (a single 6 Gibson, and I playa double 8 Fender), without my tuning, and the owner of the guitar didn't have any picks. I also played upright bass on the song, and my fingers were sausage by that time.

We were also running out of time, and it was like the first or second take.

Anyways...

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 14 Mar 2005 7:45 pm

I think Chris that you've answered another post.

Chris Scruggs · Post by **Chris Scruggs** » 14 Mar 2005 9:34 pm

No Basil, I answered the question asked about me by Kevin, this thread originator, in his last post.

Anyhoo, to answer your second to last post, Basil, I am 22-years old and have been a professional musician since the age of 14. I have been playing steel guitar since the age of 17, and plan on being a pefessional musician as long as my hands will let me. I take the history of the instrument, the development of it's design and tuning, and contributions made by it's landmark players as a subject very dear to me.

I just hope that by the time I'm an "old" pro, there will be young people who care to learn about it...

Chris Scruggs[This message was edited by Chris Scruggs on 14 March 2005 at 09:39 PM.]

Todd Weger · Post by **Todd Weger** » 15 Mar 2005 5:19 am

"...but I'll probably take it from C6 to A6 soon, just to get a fuller sound on top."

I do the same as Stephan here, and I agree with Dan Sawyer, too. In C6, I can't take anything smaller than a .016 or maybe a .015 string, so that means putting the third there. Dick Sanft also told me that the third on top sounded "more Hawaiian" (his words), which I'd never really considered before, but kind of agree with now. There is, to my ears anyway, a softer sound with the third on top, vs. the fifth.

Conversely, that fifth on top makes a huge difference to my ears when playing Western Swing and country styles, so for that, I use A6 with that E on top.

The other advantage for me is that, in standard 'high E' C6 tuning, I can retune for A6 or B11 quickly, and still feel fairly confident of finding my way around, since those particular intervals are all familiar to me.

TJW

------------------
Todd James Weger/RD/RTD
1956 Fender Stringmaster T-8 (C6, A6, B11); 1960 Fender Stringmaster D-8 (C6, B11/A6); Chandler RH-4 Koa semi-hollow lapsteel (open G); Regal resonator (open D or G)