The Steel Guitar Forum

I am sure that this topic has been discussed before but I would like to get some current opinions on the topic. I have played a six string C6 or C6/A7 22.5" scale non-pedal steel guitar for many years. I recently built a seven string 24" scale guitar that I tune to C6 with a Bb on the bottom. I make use of the bottom string on occasion but not enough to consider it essential. Furthermore I don't see any real need for an eighth string. I am sure I am missing something but I also know that even if I live to be 100 I will never get all the music there is to get out of six strings let alone seven or eight. When I listen to Jerry Byrd's playing on "Mansion On the Hill" by Hank Sr. I hear perfection. I am fairly sure he is playing his Ricky B6 like the one I own and I ask my self why would I need anything else. What am I missing by not having those addition strings? Thanks to all who read and respond.

Gary

You are not "missing" anything. It all depends on how you use the instrument.

Hi, Gary

I have played six and eight string steels as well as ten and twelve string pedal steels over the years. Your audience will never know or care about the number of strings you have. Most of your fellow musicians will not care either. People generally know what they like or dislike based on what they hear from musicians.

Your touch and expression is of far greater importance than the number of strings to the ears of the listener.

On non-pedal steel most of the magic, at least for melody playing, is generally on the first three or four strings. If given the choice, I would personally opt for an eight-stringer since the two extra strings don't hurt and you never know when you want to use a tuning that makes practical use of those two "extra" strings. I currently play mostly on six string guitars with C6/A7th, C#minor 7th, and B11th and I don't feel deprived musically.

Play sweetly and nobody will care about your strings. That said, you should experiment with a seven or eight string guitar if you have the chance and see if the extended chord possibilities mean anything to you as a player.

Please let us know what conclusions you may reach on this topic. Good luck.

I have a fondness for 7-stringers.

Hi,

Like Frank replies, it is very personally indeed.
It looks like the more strings, the more personal the instrument gets, and the more difficult it gets to advise people. Most of the customers from my workshop who order 7 or 8 string (even one 13 string!) instruments have some experience with 6 string instruments and know a bit what they want (or mis with the 6 string.

Good luck!
Fern.

whether 6,7,or 8 strings.........

Those of us that took 1-2 or 3 years of 'class lessons' on a round-hole, flat top, 6-string g'tar with the metal nut and a flat brass bar....learned what could be done on a mere six string g'tar. No thot's of what 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,or 14 strings could do.

Those who have not experienced this crucial learning experience... may well spend the rest of your lives always wondering WHY? and/or HOW MANY?

When I'm building a lap steel I never consider fewer than 8 strings, simply because you can use an 8-string instrument as a 6-string if you want to, but you can't use a 6-string instrument as an 8-string.

As has already been said, it depends on what you're using the instrument for and what tuning you're using. C6 has a closer range over the strings.

You could even look at it as the difference between a mandoline and a guitar. They both have a similar range, but the difference between the bottom and top strings on a mandoline is 28 semitones (4x7), whereas on a guitar it's 24 semitones (4x5 + 4).

Gents,

Thank you for your thoughts and opinions. I agree it is very much a personel thing. As far as mechanics are concerned I prefer the wider string spacing that I get on a six string guitar. I do play foward and reverse slants and find the wider spacing and shorter scale a little bit easier, but to me it dosn't make a huge diffrence. I occasionally use tunings other than C6 and find that their usefullness as a means of expression is not at all limited by using only six strings. I suppose if I were to experiment with with adding a pitch that was not simply a repetition of the basic chord voicings, such as the Bb or C# I add to my C6, there may be some practical value, but I know there are some players who would say, "I simply can not do what I do on a six string guitar", and I am interested to know why. I ask these questions partly because I am building myself another guitar. I plan to have two necks: one short scale 22.5" / six strings and the other 24"/ seven strings. The diffrences in tone that the two scale lengths offer is important to me but I am not sure that adding more strings will give me something that I don't already have. Thanks again.

Gary

If I only owned one steel guitar, I would want it to have at least 7-strings, because; my favorite tuning is JB's C-Diatonic and I know I would want to fevert to it at some time or other! E~F~G~A~B~C~E Even 8-str. would be better! [C~E]~F~[G~A]~B~[C~E]

OK, now here's my two cents of wisdom...

I guess you can get most chords or at least the important chordtones out of a six string steel, so I don't think chord possibilities as much as RANGE.
e. g. Jerry Byrd's C6/A7 covers nearly the same range as the top four strings of a regular guitar.

Version A:
If I were to play in a band with a rhythm guitar, a bass, maybe drums and accompanying a singer, I would consider the 6-string steel the highest in range and try not to get in the way of the other members. Extra strings would muddy up the whole sound IHMO - 6 strings preferred!

Version B:
If I were a solo player or doing instrumentals with the steel as the main voice, I would think that extra strings (and range) could come in handy for bigger chords or bass runs and whatnot - 8 strings preferred!

Now, was that helpful or stupid?

Nils,

Thank you, this was very helpful and the kind of practical advice I am looking for. Thank you to everyone who responded.

To be truthful Nils, it is my question that is kind of stupid but I don't have the benefit of personally knowing any other steel players. The forum is the only place where I can talk with other musicians and throw around ideas, joust and joke and benefit from each others wisdom and experience.

When I first posted the question I was thinking more about harmony and melody lines and not so much about range and fitting in with diffrent groups of instruments - your points are very much appreciated.

Gary

This is my own newbie thoughts on it:

I mostly play 6 string C6 (LOW TO HI: CEGACE) but when I play my 8 string C6, (LOW TO HI: ACEGACEG) I find I use the high G a LOT. Way more then the low A. In fact If I had a seven string it would be tuned CEGACEG.
Actually that's also in keeping with how Cindy Cashdollar tunes a six string C6 (EGACEG - this is omitting the low C in favor of a high G)

I agree with most others though in that I COULD spend a lifetime with "only" six strings and never play everything to it's full potential.
But...having an extra two strings really has no negatives or drawbacks that I can see.
Mostly when I play an eight string I tend to really only play on six of the strings 95% of the time.

Does anyone tune an 8 string C#CEGACEG ?
Hmmm....maybe I should try that.Seems obvious, but it never really occured to me until now.
-

Have to agree here with Nils and John; started out myself on 6-string C6 (CEGACE lo-to-hi), then I built an 8-string (ACEGACEG) - but in actual playing with ny bands, I found that I never use the low A string, because with a rhythm guitar player strumming open chords, and a bass player, there's simply no need or room for those low notes; even the low C doesn't get a lot of use; the high G, on the other hand, comes in very handy for getting those "high lonesome" tones without moving up the neck all the way.
So, on the double neck I'm going to build next year, I'm going to use only 7 strings for C6, and lose the low A (the second neck will be 6 strings, with a Multibender, tuned E6).

But as it has already been mentioned - all a matter of choice & personal playing style...

When using JERRY BYRD's C6th/A7th variation.......
I've found the most advantageous way to tune it is
from TOP to BOTTOM: E C A G E C# C

Lot's of options are open to you........

I play a 7-string, because I happened across one in a neglected corner of a guitar store. It looks cool, and not very many people have a 7-string.

And I can occasionally use a 7th string.

I would use a seven string with an open E for rock and blues jams.
E
B
G#
E
B
G#
E
Also, if you put a capo on the third fret, you would have a Dobro G tuning wih an added G on top.

I have a double eight national with an E13 tuning on the front neck. The back neck I use for experimenting.
I also have a single ten that is tuned to an E13.

My Remington Steelmaster S8 is usually tuned to A6, but I can switch to C6 in a few seconds with a bit of retuning.I almost never use the two bottom strings when I play C6. When using The A6 tuning, I need the 7th string A( I sometimes play C6 tunes on A6 since the 2-7 strings on A6 are relative to the 1-6 strings on the C6.
I keep my eighth string on A6 tuned to E. The only time I use it is when I play "Boot Heel Drag". The opening lick being a slide from low G to A on the low E string.

I've switched between 6 and 8 for a while and I would put it to style and group composition. For larger groups playing in general, the 6 string is just fine and I can't find a tone I like better than my Ricky with Byrd's C6/Am7th tuning

But my workhorse, and preference for any smaller groups or playing western swing, is an 8 string Fender. This is really just a convenient extention of my 6 string tuning with an added G on top and a low C on the 7th string and with C# moved to down to 8th position.

This gives me all of my usual variations with a strong lower tone and strum possible and a traditional top 4 string voicing for western swing. The down side is the closer string spacing but it's not too much of a limitation for me. I can't really consitently hit a bar slant on adjacent strings, but I'm not all that much better with a 6 string. I do not have much trouble with bar slant with non-adjacent strings and the extra strings give me some more non-slant options for the same voicings.

Works for me such as it is.