The Steel Guitar Forum

I have a 6 string lap steel that I have tuned to open e just to make it easier to find my way around while I'm jamming with friends ( guitar player here ).I want to get into some different tunings like e9 and c6 which I understand you can tune back and forth pretty easily. What string guages should I get for that? I was thinking of e9 tuning being - EBG#F#DB I could then tune to c6 ECAGEC. Any advice would be great.

We don't know the scale of your guitar... short scale guitars can use fatter strings.

Here's a link to some info on gauges, with some common tunings.

http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/learning/gauges.php

Typically you can find a pedal C6 set at your local store... it will contain the gauges listed above, and also might be cheaper than buying singles. If you have a long-scale (24" or greater) guitar I'd go one step lower in gauge (high-E would be better as a .013 or .012, IOW).

The scale length is 22 3/4.