The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi Forum Members,

I have a serious question for all you who play a 12 string steel guitar.

What do you think is the best or ultimate 12 string tuning and why do you think so?

Thanks!

Terry Wood

Terry,
Tough question. If I'm playing stuff like Julian or Zane played, I'd rather use Zane Beck's Tuning. If I'm playing Standard E9/B6 I'd use a modified Sierra 12 string Universal.
What's universally true, is you give up something to get something. Where you draw the line, I'm not sure as of yet. There's things I play on Zane's Tuning I Can't Get on any Universal and vice versa. I guess it boils down to what style you want to do.
Dan

Hi Terry,
To be in the basic "standard" tuning mode, I'd say Jeff Newman's tuning would be a good start. Then add extra pedals and/or knees from there. Jeff's tuning is basic E9th and B6th on a single neck. It's also easier to transpose from 10 string E9th or C6th tab. Also, easier to interpret phrases or licks from commercial recordings. All of the grabs, plus.
Dennis

How about Carl Dixon's "Ultimate Universal Tuning?"
It's on an Excel S-12U PSG.

Roger

How about the hexatonic tuning that Doug Jernigan is expermenting with?

E9th/B6th works for me.
Its what I learned/ am learning on and still haven't exgausted all the possibilties!

Thats exhausted sorry my playing is better than my typing....... really it is

Hi Roger,

Can you elaborate some and tell just what is Carl Dixon's 12 string tuning?

Next, what is the Hexatonic tunig that Doug Jernigan is using?

Thanks Dennis! Yes, I am familiar with Jeff Newman's tuning. I think my tuning is similiar on my 14 stringer but with variations.

Thanks and would like to hear from others.

Terry

I have 2 non-pedal 12-string guitars and this diatonic variation works pretty well for me. I think of it as pedals up and down:
F#
D#
G#
E
C#
B
A
G#
F#
E
C#
B

I also have a 12 string non pedal guitar tuned low to high-

G# C# E G Bb C D Eb F G G# A This is the Leavitt tuning with an added low note and 5 upper notes.
Here is a classical piece by JS Bach to show what it can do. You virtually use no slants with this tuning.


http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?dianolxezml

imho, One piece of the ultimate 12 string setup includes lowering string 12-B from B>A on the A-pedal.
Another thought would be to have all standard E9th-E_string changes funtioning on string 11-E.
Basically you should be able to use strings 8-12 the same way as you would use your upper register E9th changes, just with string 12 lowering to A instead of raising to C# (I added B-C# to string 12 on the faux C-pedal).
It's probably only goint to be "ultimate" to you though, as everybody like to have their own setup.
fwiw,
~pb

Thanks Guys! Looks really great!

Does anyone else have anything on this?

Terry Wood

Terry-You might clik on my Website and find a few tunings there. I think on page 6?...al.:)

THanks Al!

Terry

Hi Chas Smith,

I like your ideas and thinking on the pedals up and down thing. Makes alot of sense to me that way.

Thanks!

Terry

No one has mentioned Reece Anderson's Bb6 tuning.
I think of it as Universal reversal.

When I played David Wrights version I had the sense
I was not going E9 to B6 like a stabndard universal,
but B6 to E9, and for my playing ideas this was very cool.
I am more C6 than E9 oriented.

David Wright sounds as country as anybody on it,
but also stretchs out pretty darned far too when he wants.

For me that IS the reason to go uni
power without changing necks all the time.
And both styles available without changing necks.
And Reece is killer on it of course.

Certainly check out
Al 'da godfather of steel' Marcus's
'Lean and Mean Tuning'.
Al knows his business too.

David-Thanks for the nice comment-. I did use Reece's B66maj7 tuning during the 60's and you are Wright, it is just great for a C6 kinda of guy, that is playing Eb9 too on it. This way you don't have to hold the lever in to play Bb6 or B6, whatever you prefer. I used to buy D12's from Reece and was always experimenting. But I finally found that my E6 "Lean and Mean' with added E9 pedals was more comfortable to me and they were both in the same Key, very handy, so I didn't have to think B6 or something.
I read all your posts and marvel at the engineering and recording you are doing over there in Thailand...al.:)

D. Donald's post is an example of why there probably wont ever be a rigid standard for the changes on a uni. It is highly adaptable to different styles by keeping the basic string tuning the same, but varying the lever and pedal setup. Here are some common variations:

1. Emphasis on E9 - basically a very standard E9 setup with three or four E9 pedals and five knee levers (F lever, E-lower lever, 2nd string lower lever, a D lever to replace the D string, your choice of a 5th lever). There might be no center lever cluster for B6, and only three B6 pedals (equivalent of C6 pedals 8, 5, 7, with the D lever doing dual function as pedal 6). This is cool for a died-in-the-wool E9er who just wants to get the extra strings and add a little B6 capability.

2. One big tuning - similar to above, possibly sacrificing one of the E9 levers for something for B6. The idea is to not use a lock, or to have to shift your left leg out of one lever/pedal cluster to another. You want to be able to get everything you've got from one position. David Wright has an interesting compromise. He spaces LKR further to the right and has two vertical levers between LKL and LKR. This cluster is above pedals 1-4. But the problem is you can't use LKL with LKV2, or LKR with LKV1. And you can't use LKL with pedals 3 and 4, or LKR with pedals 1 and 2. So while there is an extra vertical lever and extra pedal in the cluster, you can't smoothly access everything within the cluster, as you can with a single vertical lever cluster over pedals 1-3. My impression is that this sacrifices a little for E9 while gaining a little for B6. However, it does maintain the one big tuning concept, without moving the left leg between separate clusters. And it makes the B6 pedals easier to reach, and opens the possibility for one or two more B6 pedals.

3. Duplicate both E9 and C6, as separate tunings - three or four pedals and up to 5 levers are dedicated to E9. There is a lock (for B6, E9 or both). Three or more pedals are dedicated to B6, and there is a center lever cluster over the B6 pedals. You play one tuning or the other at any given time, but sacrifice nothing on either (in fact, you gain a couple of extra strings on each, compared to a D10). Died-in-the-wool D10 players often complain that they have to give up a change on one or both of the tunings. But that ignores the fact that you are gaining all of the many changes of the whole other tuning you have access to all the time.

4. Emphasis on B6 - the open tuning is B6 (or Bb6). You have to use a lever or lock to get E9 (or Eb9). Usually something is sacrificed on E9 (the lever that gives E9 for one) and there may be extra stuff for B6.

So it seems everyone should take the basic tuning, and setup the pedals and levers to suit their own style, without worrying too much about standardization. It is by far the most versatile tuning, and we shouldn't let unnecessary standardization limit that.

What David said is correct in my opinion. If you're into Country lean 9th. If you're into Jazz, lean 6th. If you want a little more of either one, use the locking lever. However, if you want the constant creativity of moving in and out of each tuning on the fly, don't lock.
Also, listen to what Randy Beavers is doing on the E9th S-10.
Decisions??

I played the E9/B6 tuning for many years before changing to what I have now about 4 or 5 years ago. It's basically an extended E9 in which I tune the 2nd and 9th strings to C#. It's like this high to low: F# C# G# E B G# F# E C# B G# E.......

I play guitar a lot and I can seem to relate a lot of my guitar work to this setup much better and with my E's lowered I can do some of the E9 scale things in B6 starting at the B root on string 10. With my setup you have the 2nd note of the scale next in line the same as in E9 on string 8 and next is the F# note and so on.

Guitar things such as a Chuck Berry bass line is right there as is the lick (in the key of A) where Chuck rocks between his 2nd string at the 5th fret and his 3rd string either bending it or skipping to the 9th fret. On my set up I just go the the 8th fret and play string 2 and then bring in the unison on string 5 with the A pedal.

Also my 2nd string is usable with Es lowered, raised, pedals down or up. I don't see ever changing back to anything else. Even the good old "D" string that I'd been missing is back on string 9 with my LKR which raises strings 2 and 9 C#s to D. I'd missed that 6,8, & 9 grip on E9th. I tried raising the 9th string B to D to put it back on the 9th string when I played the standard Uni but I didn't like that as I lost the open B note....JH in Va.

Jerry's Post above here makes a lot of sense. tuning the 2 and 9 string to C# and pulling it up to a D on a knee lever will work well. I never liked pulling that B up to D on a Uni because you lose the B and that is important to me. That way you have a lot of E6 in there and with a couple of C6 type pedals, you can play, E9 extended and E6 both. I do this on my S12 "Lean and Mean" tuning.
If I remember years ago, Hal Rugg was one who did this for a while. He was a great Musician...al.:)

I never liked pulling that B up to D on a Uni because you lose the B and that is important to me.

To fix that problem I raise my 10th string from G# to B with the same lever that raises my 9th string from B to D. Now I've got the entire standard 10 string E9 tuning on strings 1 thru 10 on my U12.You can get some incredibly cool swooping 7th chord pedal moves and all the boogie-woogie bass runs and Chuck Berry riffs you can stand. In addition to that I lower my 8th string E to D with a second left knee vertical so the much bemoaned loss of the beloved D string is a non-issue on my tuning.

Depending on the tune
I also have tuned both 2 and 9 down to C.
On the front neck D-10 in this case.
D usually for the 2,
but I often leave the 9 C# down below.

Michael-That is a good way to go for a UNI E9/B6 and a lot of guys are doing that Raising the 10th string G# to B and the 9th string B to D on the same lever. I think even BE has tried that. In a way, I think that gives it a stronger bottom as you suggested in your post ,for so many new licks . .....al.:):)

Terry Wood wrote:What do you think is the best or ultimate 12 string tuning and why do you think so?

I have several choices. I think it depends on what you expect from the guitar. If you like to sweep with your thumb to get jazz chords, an E9/B6 copedent is a good idea. If you like to strum majors, minors and 7ths, the SS E7 copedent really nails it.

Myself, I'm more of split-grip kind of guy. I have two 12 string tunings, Extended E9th and C6/9, and I can't decide which I like better. Both are a bit weak on "strummables" though, so I guess that neither of them are "ultimate".