The Steel Guitar Forum

Just got a new Regal square neck dobro. Am wondering....What are the possible tunings besides
G for this? Is C6th a possible?

Thanks for the help....

Alan Dickey

To do anything other than a straight major chord tuning, you really should have an 8 string instrument.

I have 3 resonator guitars: an 8 string Dobro from 1977, an 8 string koa/spruce resonator and a 6 stirng koa/spruce resonator. The 8 stringers are tuned to C6/Bb (G E C A G E Bb G, from top down), and the 6 stringer is tuned to a B11 (E C# A F# B F# B, from the top down). They sound fine, but you have to use the proper string gauges. I play mostly Hawaiian, but the C tuning works well for Western Swing and classic country.

Oh - I would put (E C A G E Bb [or C]) on your 6 stringer. Then get Scotty's and Doug Beaumier's books and go at it. - Jack

John,
How do you get 7 strings on a 6 string guiter (your B11 tuning)?

OOPS! I got overzealous there! E C# A D# F# B. - Jack
BTW - although John is my legal first name, I've always been Jack to family and friends. I wish I knew how to change my user name [sigh!].

Alan, I've tried a C6 set on my 6 string Dobro, but found the lighter string gauges reduced the instrument's resonance and punch. I use a G6 (from the bass - G B D E G B) and keep the heavier strings ( 56 - 44 - 36 - 32 - 28 - 18 ) or somewhere in that range. Then I get the swing AND the punch.

Mike Auldridge uses very heavy guages for his C6 tuning. At first I thought he couldn't possibly be serious. But after trying it out, I found he was right. From high to low on the middle 6 I have 14, 18,24,26, 34, 45. And I did quite well with C6 on 6 strings. But you will eventually want 8. I find Auldridges 8 string C6 to be amazingly versatile. You might check out his 8 string instructional DVD. I found it very helpful. It'll give you some ideas even for a C6 or G6 tuning on your six string.

I have a Gold Tone with Fishman bridge pickup strung in C6 (CEGACE) and used it for an entire Michael Martin Murphey tour with no problems whatsoever. It's a great tuning in that practically any chord's diad or triad can be found on it; minors, dominants, diminished, et al.

Used it with an Aura Reso pedal going straight into the board and back into my monitor. Great sound and tuning.

I have my dobro tuned in G6 - BDEGBD (low to high) - I tried C6 (EGACEG) before (that's what I use on 6-string lap steel), but found it too thin.
With that version of G6, you still get that major triad on top that will allow you a lot of the "signature" dobro licks (like banjo rolls, hammer-on/pull-off stuff, etc.), but you got that added 6th that will double as a root note for minor triads...

Herb Steiner wrote:I have a Gold Tone with Fishman bridge pickup strung in C6 (CEGACE) and used it for an entire Michael Martin Murphey tour with no problems whatsoever. It's a great tuning in that practically any chord's diad or triad can be found on it; minors, dominants, diminished, et al.

Used it with an Aura Reso pedal going straight into the board and back into my monitor. Great sound and tuning.

Herb, what string gauges did you use?

Kevin
I used guages very similar to Auldridge's. I simply boosted the standard C6 guages a couple/three thousandths each string to compensate for the longer scale length.