The Steel Guitar Forum

Anybody ever use 6 string guitar strings on a steel?

It all depends on what tuning you are using.
The 1st string for a regular guitar is usually awfully thin unless you have a really high note for your 1st string.
I have so many different guitars and tunings, that I usually buy strings by the gauge.

I've certainly used Custom Gauge Ernie Ball strings for my steels - some of my six-string gauges coincide with something on the D-10, and I can replace a broken string without breaking up a PSG set.

For me, as long as the wound strings are nickel (it makes no difference with the unwound ones) and the gauge is correct, they'll be fine.

RR

I'm goin to a store today that claims to have pedal steel strings but I think they just have guitar strings of the right gauge so I hope they'll do just fine. Also, I tried restringing my steel yesterday and broke two High G# strings trying to restring it. The strings were out in the cold for a while and I didn't give them time to warm up, I think might have been the problem. Any other ideas before I start breaking more strings? Thanks for the info!

Khoa

On that high string be sure and put quite a few wraps on the tuner shaft. What gauge string are you using for the G#? I like to use a 12 gauge.

Im going to be using .011 gauge strings for the G#. I will wrap it around a few times as well, I didn't do that yesterday either so hopefully that will do the trick. Thanks

Khoa

Make sure there's nothing caught in the changer, such as a string end!

I broke 3 .011's in a row one night on the last S/D10 Emmons I had just trying to tune it before I managed to get the end out!

My wife and everyone else must have thought I was crazy when I un plugged it and picked it up upside down and shook the cr#p out of it!

But I got the end out!

Larry

For more than 50 years, I've been using Spanish Guitar strings on my non-pedal steels. It wasn't my idea but rather, an early day practice by JERRY BYRD who had researched the question in depth.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings, are Spanish Guitar 1st strings; the 4th string is a Spanish Guitar plain string. Some use a Spanish G'tar wound ....for the 4th string in this set-up. Flat wound strings are the preferred choice for the lower bass strings.

It's just my long-standing preference. If one is interested in TONE.....it's one way to go. I just took delivery of more than $127.00 in GIBSON Spanish Guitar Strings. I'm now looking for someone to come in and turn all of the tuning knobs.