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How do you "C6" a standard gauged set of strings?
Posted: 7 Jan 2010 8:19 pm
by Gerald Ross
Many times I encounter a lap steel that is set up to play in open D, E or Bluegrass G (GBDGBD). Typically these sets are gauged .56 -> .13
What is the closest tuning that will work with these gauged sets of string to give me the same string-to-string intervals as C6 (CEGACE)?
I would retune the steel to this.
I know it won't be C6 but I can live with F6 or Ab6 as long as string to string it's the same.
Ideas?
Posted: 7 Jan 2010 9:25 pm
by Brad Bechtel
Try G6:
1. B
2. G
3. E
4. D
5. B
6. G
That's about as close as you'd get to the same intervals. The top three strings may seem sort of "flabby" though when tuned down that far.
Posted: 7 Jan 2010 10:01 pm
by Garry Vanderlinde
If you take a bluegrass dobro in G tuning and lower the G's to F# you get a D6th but it skips the 5th. It's workable, but not quite the same.
d B F# D B F#
Posted: 8 Jan 2010 1:39 am
by Jamie O'Connell
I haven't tried this... But, it seems Brad's suggestion is a good one. That or Ab6 (you could call it Fm7 and impress :). A standard set of guitar string gauges runs like:
Code: Select all
Std G6 Ab6 Chart gauges for Ab6
------ ----- ----- --------------------
E .013 B -5 C -4 .017
B .018 G -4 Ab -3 .024
G .024 E -3 F -2 .028
D .034 D 0 Eb +1 .032
A .042 B +2 C +3 .036
E .056 G +3 Ab +4 .046
With G6 you'd be tuning 2 strings up and 3 down. The biggest difference is the -5 (half) steps for B. If you went for Ab6, all 6 strings get retuned: 3 up and 3 down to a bit less degree except for the low string which has to go up a major 3rd (4 steps). The chart recommended gauges for those pitches are definitely different but not extreme.