Advice needed on tunings for Triple 8

Larry Beck · Post by **Larry Beck** » 22 May 2007 5:26 pm

I just purchased a '52 Fender triple 8 with the trapazoid pickups. I'm not even sure what the model is called, but I'm already thinking about various tunings for it. Here's the way I'm leaning:
E13 on top
A6 in the middle
C6th on the bottom.

My theory is that there is a natural jump from the A6 neck to the E13 on the same fret for a chord change to the 5 or 4 chord depending on which neck you start on. And there is also a nice move between the bottom two necks to get a pentatonic scale on the same fret.

What's the concensus? Am I full of it? is there a better combination?

Factor in that I am normally a pedal player but I want a more retro sound at times.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 22 May 2007 6:04 pm

Larry, that's a Fender Custom.

Those 3 tunings will give you a lot of possibilities.
Every player has his own favorite tunings, you should go ahead and follow your instincts.
I generally have E7 or E13 on the bottom, A6 in the middle and high C6 on top.
On my Quad, the top neck has a variation of the Jerry Byrd Pentatonic tuning . .

Tunings

RA
BIG STEEL

Todd Clinesmith · Post by **Todd Clinesmith** » 22 May 2007 7:09 pm

Larry,
You are right on with the relation of A6 to E13 tunings, and keeping them close. Seems like a good set up of tunings to me. I think that would really cover most everything. Of course you could omit the C6 for some alt tuning like B11 or F# minor or other..... ? Since the C6 is so similar to A6.
Todd

Gerard Ventura · Post by **Gerard Ventura** » 22 May 2007 8:08 pm

A6 and E13 is great!
I'm a beginner, on a D8 (Elva West Tradewinds) but this combination is very versatile for me:

A6 F#46 A42 C#34 E30 F#26 A22w C#17 E 14

E13 E56 G#46 B36 D30 F#26 G#22 C#17 E14

good luck!

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 22 May 2007 8:13 pm

I use A6 on the closest neck, B11 on the middle and high C6 on the furthest neck of my Fender T-8 Stringmaster. Also, it evens out the tone if you put your lightest gauge strings on the thickest neck.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 24 May 2007 2:57 am

Jerry Byrd said that the Leavitt tuning would be a great tuning to add to a multi neck guitar. If you like nice chords, you can't go wrong with it.

Gerard Ventura · Post by **Gerard Ventura** » 24 May 2007 4:46 pm

Hmmm....

I tried an 8 string Leavitt tuning tonight...and decided to "leavitt alone" and go back to E13!

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 24 May 2007 10:07 pm

Gerard, I agree. For me, it's a bit late to "experiment" with such a complicated tuning.
I love hearing others who have mastered it. It is indeed, a great tuning. However. I'll stick with E13th, B6th and A9th on my 1954 Fender T-8 Custom.

http://www3.telus.net/public/lake_r/

Kevin Bullat · Post by **Kevin Bullat** » 28 May 2007 6:17 pm

Good question. I have a '54 Fender T-8 and I've gone through about every tuning I could find out about.

I currently have stringed E 7th on the bottom, C6th in the middle, and a straight G major on top (only use 6 strings).

Over the years though, for me anyways, I've decided it's best to just get really, really good on one tuning.

For me, being in a Hawaiian band playing vintage Hawaiian and hapa-haole stuff, my tuning of choice is the C6th.

(but what do I know...)

Edward Meisse · Post by **Edward Meisse** » 28 May 2007 8:59 pm

Plenty, if you're asking me.

Bob Bowman · Post by **Bob Bowman** » 29 May 2007 3:24 am

I agree with the ' get used to one tuning thoroughly' idea. I used to think option anxiety was only a problem for synthesiser players (you know how the ad goes - 'The Mark 3 has over 4000 sounds')but there are so many tunings out there..........

I'm currently using high C6, E13 and one I found on this site on an 8 string National used for Celtic pieces(sorry I can't find the original) DADF#ADEF#. This is good because there's a nice bluesy D major if you ignore the top 2 strings.

Neck three is my experimental neck and gets through an amount of strings.

Cheers Bob

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 29 May 2007 4:47 am

The use of the C6th AND A6th is not utilizing the three necks to their fullest,. BECAUSE the NORMAL C6th with the high G is just the same as the A6th as far as chords and harmonies go.Of course the lower version of the C6/A7th WOULD be a good option.

E13th A6th and B11th would be more manageable and give a greater range of chordal and scalic possibilities.
IMHO
baz

Nate Hofer · Post by **Nate Hofer** » 12 Apr 2010 6:51 am

I agree A6 and C6 may share too much ground. I'm a new comer to lap steel but reading Andy Volk's Lap Steel Guitar book it seems many players seem to use one or the other. But not both.