The Steel Guitar Forum

Do you really need a double neck guitar?
In the top 40 country I don't hear any C6 or gospel tuning steel played.
The universal tuning may be used but if it is it sounds exactly the same as E9.
I don't think anything could be better in taditional country than E9 and given that you can play a lot of C6 on the E9 neck do you really need C6 for swing.
The only time I hear C6 is at steel guitar conventions and jams when the big boys want to show off their jazz.

I think your thinking is a little short sighted ...
fwiw, Most E9th can be played on a 6-string electric with a few string bends and a volume pedal.

Pete your point is valid. You can't make E9 sound good enough to replace C6 just as you can't replace E9 with a standard 6 string guitar.
My question is more along the line of would you as guitar player want to put an extra neck on your standard 6 string with a different tuning when no one asks or wants you to play it?

Mostly I like it just for me.......

Any way, How else would I get those ten string lines embossed
on my forearms????

Wasn't it Doug Jernigan who said,"the C6 neck will get you to St. Louis. The E9 neck will get you to Kroger's."

Jack Dougherty..

How else would I get those ten string lines embossed
on my forearms????

Jack that's funny. My dad Bo Legg give me the same about this subject but I can get even with him. Here's Bo doing C6 on his E9 neck from from a resent dance gig.
http://www.boleggs.com/boleggstri7/Gig.html

"Redgold Beauty", is my doubleneck GFI, and after four years of playin' a singleneck Emmons, I felt that it was time to switch to a doubleneck steel. I love doubleneck steels. "Redgold Beauty" is an Ultra D-10 model with eight pedals and five knees. It's the best steel I've got and I love both necks, even though a lot of the stuff I play is mainly on E9th, I love to switch to C6th for lapsteel type stuff. I love playin' my doubleneck GFI at shows too.

Brett

need...shmeed... double neck steels look cool...i'm not a great c6er but it's really fun to play anyway...what's krogers?

...what's krogers?

Groceries

Stuart...

Here's Bo doing C6 on his E9 neck from from a resent dance gig.
http://www.stuartlegg.com/boleggstri7/Gig.html

Gee thanks son I'm afraid this kind of thing would happen as soon as you learned how to upload your own website.
I'm afraid you played them a bad example. I'm sure there are a lot of Forum members who can eat my lunch on this kind of playing. I'm claiming I was drunk when I played those two bad solos. The lead guitar player was a no show and we only had an acoustic player who played a little lead so I had to overplay all through the song and that is why I was playing that fake C6 on the E9 neck in the first place. I was trying to get a fuller and fatter sound to fill up. If I had a lead player I would have played it totally with and E9 style with a hint of blues.

Why own or play a steel guitar at all? Most people around the world don't care one way or the other, and in most forms of music bands don't want a steel player...

Same logic...


Actually I hear C6th played a fair amount myself, and haven't made it to a steel convention in 20 years. Depends on where you hang out I guess...

Ninety-nine percent of the audiences you play in front of have no idea, or can even tell, the difference between C6th vrs E9th; pedal steel vrs non-pedal; a ten string vrs eight sting.

I play at a legion every Friday night and sometimes I share the stage with another steeler,(who is actually our lead guitarst but is slowly learning to play a 12 string steel). One night we had a rather lengthy discussion with our audience about how well versed they are about the steel guitar. After playing a few samples and a couple of questions put to the audience, only one person out of the 145 people could hear the difference between the non-pedal and the 12 string pedal steel.

What it all boils down to in reality, it's only those who actually play a steel or those who work with pedal steel players all the time can tell the difference.

Pete Finney..

Why own or play a steel guitar at all? Most people around the world don't care one way or the other, and in most forms of music bands don't want a steel player...

I think they would all like to have a Pedal steel player and when the pedal steel player is there they seemed to want him to kick off everything. I think it's just a matter of economics and they would like the steel but they just can't afford it. If I were a good singer and could have a band with just Buddy or Paul on steel E9 only or (someone who could get anywhere close to that level), a good drummer and a good bass player, I don't think I would need anything else for my band to be a success.

I think they would all like to have a Pedal steel player and when the pedal steel player is there they seemed to want him to kick off everything. I think it's just a matter of economics and they would like the steel but they just can't afford it.

You're clearly talking about a certain kind of country band here, and as far as that goes I'd like to think you're right. But like it or not that's only a very small part of the great big world of music, and what I said was:

in most forms of music bands don't want a steel player...

In any case I was only taking your "logic" one step further to make a point: if you're gonna say we should strictly limit the world of steel guitar based on what "most" people want why not go all the way and not play at all? Makes about as much sense to me....

Greg Simmons ...what's krogers? chris ivey double neck steels look cool. Pete Finney Why own or play a steel guitar at all? Les Anderson Ninety-nine percent of the audiences you play in front of have no idea, or can even tell, the difference between C6th vrs E9th; pedal steel vrs non-pedal; a ten string vrs eight sting.
Man I’m depressed. It started out asking if you need C6 and ended up you don’t even need a steel at all. OOOOOOK I’m takin up harmonica instead of C6. Maybe just sell all my steels.
We never did answer Greg Simmons ...what's krogers? and chris ivey double neck steels look cool. Bo Legg “ I’ll just use my steel to put my harmonicas on and that way I’ll look cool.” Jack Dougherty How else would I get those ten string lines embossed on my forearms???? Too funny Jack

Bo, Kroger's is a grocery store chain in some parts of the USA.
Meaning the E9th neck will feed your family, so to speak.

EDITED: Sorry Greg, we were posting at the same time.

You can't play authentic "Chalker" stuff on an E9th.

You can't play authentic "Hughey-land" E9th on a straight guitar, even with "benders" and palm pedals.

Playin' "Chopsticks" on a harp don't make it a piano.

Just a few immutable laws of music.

I have found many uses for my C6 neck, its great for rock and blues, AND when I get to play western swing(almost never).ohhh AND whenever I feel like it....... I recently got an old Matchbro and am having a gas learning Dobro licks for alot of new songs that the Dobro guys seem to be showing up on ........the guys in the band like the sound.........and besides.......... Ya just cant kick off ALL MY EXs on the front neck.......can ya?? say it aint so........anyway Chris Ivey , you are cool no matter what you play, when are you gonna be in this neck of the woods?? let me know will ya? Jim

Ya just cant kick off ALL MY EXs on the front neck.......can ya??

Can too Click Here

Do you really need a double neck guitar?

Do you really need that other lung?

Zzzzzzzzz......

Yes, I NEED a double neck, or two or three of them!
And a triple neck and a lap steel, wait three lap steels, oh and a dobro, uh two dobros!

I am just now learning C6 and I absolutely love it! It opens a whole new world for me! Doublenecks are here to stay!

Brandon

Both necks are VERY important to me,What little I play[notice I said LITTLE]It's about 60/40 in favor of C6th,about three years ago sold a Pro 111,and went to Bobbe's and bought a NEW GFI Ultra single 10.A WONDERFUL guitar,because of weight issues,In about three weeks I missed the C6th neck so much,I traded it for a 73 MSA-D10 CLASSIC,The old MSA still plays great and is solid as a rock,Just my opinion these old MSA'S were built to last.To help my old worn out back I had the case cut down,carry the body in one case everything else in another,Got to have that 6th neck.DYKBC.

Thats pretty good..........but I like the 13th voicing on the back neck instead of the 7th on the front....the next thing ya know they'll be doin Nightlife on the front neck OI VAY!!! the place is goin to the dogs...... go ahead Mickey!!!!! I Double Dog Dare Ya.......LOL