The Steel Guitar Forum

I was wondering if any one has ever tried A6 instead of C6 on the back neck. I love the sound of the A6th tuning and was wondering if the back neck could be converted with the same pulls, since the tuning is basically the same. I know it would take thicker strings etc. What do you Think?

Billy P.

Check out Herb Remington's tuning. I met him
@ Carl Dixon's first show in Atlanta in 1997,
and Herb said if it hadn't been for Jerry Byrd, everyone would be playing A6th! If I'm
not mistaken the bottom end of Curly Chalker's C6th gets to A6th pretty easily. His 10th string was A & I think there were combinations that gave you an A6th down on the low end! <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Doug Seymour on 14 August 2002 at 09:26 AM.]</p></FONT>

Billy,
If I am not mistaken, My Friend, Charlie Stepp in Kentucky that builds the "DERBY" steel, plays A6 on his back neck. In 1996, when I bought my Teal green Derby from him, he sat down behind his personal steel and I remember he played some Cool licks on his A6 tuning. He might have changed, but,I don't think so, he has been playing that tuning for quite a long time.

Yes Doug, Curly's tuning was a mofified C6 with an A on the 10th. The whole tuning was moved up one string with the high E on the first. The ninth instead of a C he had a D. Using this gave him a A minor 7th. Johnny Cox has one of Curly's steels and it has that setup. On my 11 string C6 I have the standard tuning with a low A on the 11th.

I'm one of the few these days that still uses the A6. It does have a different attack and seems to work for me.
Sample: www.bobstrum.com

I prefer A6th over C6th. I asked Ron Lashley
Sr to set my Emmons up with an A6th setup with the pedal changes as on the C6th.

He felt that the gauges on A6th would not be as smooth and have a resistance regarding lowering the string desired to change making the rods work harder and the action would be
much stiffer. He felt that the depth of the A6th would not be a good choice,,so I took his advice.

The 1000 had A6th setup at the factory with pedal changes similar to what is being used today,,I found that to be fine.

I still use A6th on my non pedal guitars and
find it more beefy than C6th.

Herb R. and I discussed this many times as we both feel the same about A6th.

Noel Boggs used A6th most all the time as his lead tuning. Edited,,I tune my Emmons to D6th and find it to have bigger chops without
sacrificing any pedal action or pedal re-adjustments.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 14 August 2002 at 04:38 PM.]</p></FONT>

I have always used "A minor seventh" tuning instead of C 6th. How many understand what I'm saying? "A minor seventh" rules! How many of you use this tuning instead of C 6th? I bet a lot more of you do than you realize!!!!!!
Bobbe (trick question) Seymour

I'll take A minor 7th over C6th any day.

Jody- I'm with you and Herb.R.

I think A6 for the bottom neck makes ten times more sense than C6.

It gives you the same thing as Pedals down on the E9 neck for one thing, and is a lot more relevant to the E9 then C6.

It is no wonder most guys don't play the bottom neck, and use it for an armrest.

If they would change to A6 or even E6 they would start finding it easy to catch on.

Has anyone anylized Herb Remingtons A6 tuning? He gets a lot out of those 4 pedals and 4 knee levers. He is playing a lot in F# minor7(A6) and C#minor7(E6)

The same pedal setup can be used and same tab if one wishes. Bud Isaacs used A6 with the C# lowered to B and A lowered to G# to give you that E9 pedals down sound.

Reece Anderson used A6 for years, He played everything with that tuning, Jazz, country, you name it, but just tuned it one fret or half tone higher to Bb6. Same thing......al <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 14 August 2002 at 09:41 PM.]</p></FONT>

Billy, Bob Strum get some really great sounds with the A6.You should order his new gospel tape its so smooth,but thats the way Bob playes.

Jimmie Brown

Al,,dont listen to Bobbe,,,he dont play so good anyway

Hi Bobbe,,,where you been???

Thanks Jimmie. Herb Remington encouraged me to stay with the A6. Of course, Herb is so smooth and has that special velvet touch. One of the reasons I used the A6 goes back to wanting to "gliss" into C. Anyway, too old to change now!! Regards to all, Bob

As for tunings, besides using E9, I have always used an F Maj7+9, have the exact same strings changing, and you cannot tell any difference between my tuning and a C6 tuning! "Big John"(There you go Bobbe!)

Chalker's A tuning on the bottom end was a straight low A. With the pedal changes activated it was (from 10 to 1) AC#EAC#EGACE I had his complete set up of 7 & 5 (C6) on my 1st.Franklin in 1980, but; he had other set-ups later! Some of his changes were duplicated in different locations on the guitar. I never saw him remove his right foot from the volume pedal to make a change!"John"

Nobody has even mentioned Cb6th !! Maybe that is because only two or three people in the world play it. But talk about getting a relationship going with E9th and B6th, this setup really has it. That's why the universal key on a S-12 is E9th/B6th.

I still like the sound of a Cb6th though....


Regards, Paul

Paul,
Why do you call it Cb6th instead of B6th as it's the same thing?
As for the A6th, I think it's a great tuning for other things than jazz, swing, etc. Doug Jernigan has mad an art of using it with Dobro type hammer on's , pull off's, etc. to do a lot of his bluegrass stuff. On my tuning (an extended E9) it's a combination of two tunings I had on an old Fender 1000 years ago. It's from low to high: E A B C# E F# G# B E G# C# F#. A6th is the way to go IMHO.

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 18 August 2002 at 08:49 AM.]</p></FONT>

Jerry: Cb6th is just an old standing joke that some of us had fun with a couple years (it seems like...) back. They are of course the same and if I were to check my theory book, they are possibly an enharmonic equivilent too.

Regards, Paul

For the country neck, I prefer the Fb9th tuning. (actually I use a C##9th)

This is silly. Can we please get back to the topic?

If you want to hear some fine A6th playing, check out Bob Strum's Strum the Gospel CD.

Herb Remington's A6th is listed here. Very Interesting...

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Thanks Bobby. I'll be playing the Lexington, Ky and the PSGA(Connecticut) Shows. Would like to show you all the weird pedal arrangements! Regards to all, Bob

Re: Bobbye Seymore,

Bobbye, for about five years I've been using a EbMaj9th w/ a flatted root on the second string. I finally discovered that it relates more to Horticulture than anything else.
W.C.

Horticulture? Related to? I can't be silly any more? Wayne, I always thought horticulture was a prostitute with manners and an education, and bOb, please let me be silly on your forum, you are on mine!
I just wanted to find out if anyone knew that an A minor seventh was chord is a C6th chord (different root?), or that any note in a diminished chord can be the name of the chord,or there aren't but three diminished chords anyway. (depending on which note you use to name them,) and so on forever , Hummmmm, how many augmented chords are there? Less than you might think! Com'on chord guys, OK bOb, this isn't silly, just a lesson in basics. Helps to know this on either neck, am I kidding? Think about it.

Some time ago, I wrote to Herb Remmington with regard to his A6 copedent as listed on the forum. This is what he wrote back to me:

<SMALL>Well, they left off the LK vertical which flats the 1st string E to Eb (not an important change but I use it a lot). Currently, I'm not using the RKL for anything.</SMALL>

Hey Bobbe S.
Your post reminded me of that old saying "You can lead a Horticulture but you can't make her think".

Paul,
I should have caught the joke but I had a senior moment. I do play the Steel Guitar Rag in Fb and Sleepwalk in B#.

As for the A6th tuning, my old friend Blackie Taylor has played it for as long as I can remember as his primary tuning. I first met him in '62 and he was nailing it then (The tuning that is).........

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

hey bobbe- my guess: 4 augm chords?

however, i can play lots and lots of chords that make people go 'AUGH!'?
(grimace included at no extra charge)

BL