The Steel Guitar Forum

The following is for the beginner PSG student. I have used it in teaching students to tune their E9th necks. Most of it uses harmonics. It also uses the "No beat" scenario. If you are having trouble tuning your E9th necks, the following may help you:

1. Use a "standard" for the 4th string open E note. *

2. Tune the 8th string by picking the 4th string open and harmonic the 8th string/12th fret.

3. Tune the 5th string using harmonics at the 4th string/19th fret and the 5th string/24th fret.

4. Tune the 6th string using harmonics at the 6th string/5th fret and 8th string/4th fret.

5. Tune the 10th string by picking the 5th string open and harmonic the 10th string/12th fret.

6. Tune the 3rd string by picking the 3rd string open and harmonic the 6th string/12th fret.

7. Tune the 1st string by harmonics at the 4th string/12th fret and the 5th string/19th fret.

8. Tune the 2nd string using harmonics at the 2nd string/12th fret and the 6th string/19th fret.

9. Tune the 7th string by picking 1st string open and harmonic the 7th string/12th fret.

Engage A and B pedals: (nylon tuners)

1. Tune the 6th string by harmonics at the 4th string/12th fret and the 6th string/19th fret.

2. Tune the 5th string by harmonics at the 5th string/5th fret and 6th string/4th fret.

3. Tune the 3rd string by picking the 3rd string open and harmonic the 6th string/12th fret.

4. Tune 10th string by picking the 5th string open and harmonic the 10th string/12th fret.

Release A and B pedals and Engage B and C pedals: (nylon tuners)

1. Tune the 5th string by harmonics at the 5th string/5th fret and 6th string/4th fret.

2. Tune the 4th string by harmonics at the 4th string 19th/fret and the 5th string/24th fret.

Release the B and C pedals and engage the lever that lowers 4 and 8 to an Eb: (nylon tuners)

1. Tune 4th string by harmonics at the 4th string/5th fret and 5th string/4th fret.

2. Tune 8th string by picking 4th string open and harmonic 8th string/12th fret.

Release that knee lever and engage the knee lever that raises 4 and 8 to an F. PLUS, engage the A pedal:

1. Tune the 4th string by harmonics at the 4th string/5th fret and the 5th string/4th fret.

2. Tune the 8th string by picking the 4th string open and harmonic the 8th string/12th fret.

Release that knee lever; leaving the A pedal engaged, and engage the B pedal: (9th string key)

1. Tune the 9th string by harmonics at the 6th string/12th fret and 9th string/19th fret.

Keep the A and B pedals engaged, and engage the knee lever that lowers 2 and 9 to a C#: (nylon tuners)

1. Tune the 2nd string to be in unison with the 5th string.

2. Tune the 9th string to be in unision with the 10th string.

Release that knee lever and engage it to the "half-stop" Leave A and B engaged: (tune half-stop)

1. Tune the 2nd string by hamonics at the 3rd string/12th fret and 2nd string/19th fret.

Release this knee lever and the A and B pedals, and engage the knee lever that raises the 1st string to a G# and lowers the 6th string to an F#. (nylon tuners)

1. Tune the 1st string so it is in unision with the 3rd string.

2. Tune the 6th string by harmonics at the 5th string 19th/fret and 6th string/24th fret.

Release this knee lever and engage the knee lever that lowers 5 and 10 to a Bb and engage the E to Eb lever: (nylon tuners)

1. Tune 5th string by harmonics at the 5th string/12th fret and 8th string 19th fret.

2. Tune 10th string by picking the 5th string open and harmonic 10th string/12th fret.

Several notes:

1. It takes mucho practice to get harmonics to sound loud and clear at the 5th and particularly the 4th frets. BUT, it CAN be done. Try moving your finger to the left and right of the frets and pick quite hard to achieve a crystal clear harmonic at these frets. Be patient. It WILL come.

2. I did not include "split-tuning" of the B pedal with the knee lever that lowers the 6th string a whole tone. The reason is; there is more than one system (of splitting) and I felt it would be too confusing. The above is confusing enough.

3. The above tuning is called JI (Just Intonation) type of tuning or "tuning the beats out". It will sound beautiful when playing alone. It might NOT sound so good when playing in a band. So some tweaking may be necessary on your "3rds" and possibly the 4ths and 5ths of a given chord.

4. Note the above tuning of the 1st and 7th strings results in these strings being WAY out of tune with A and B down. Some players tune these strings so they are IN tune with A and B down. Others tune somewhere in the middle. Using JI type of tuning makes it IMPOSSIBLE to tune (JI) these strings with the A and B pedals up and down without compensators.

Good luck to you and God bless you,

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

carl

* If you find you are playing sharp of the frets most of the time (to be in tune with the band), try using a standard (step #1), that is sharper than 440. Some, like Jeff Newman, suggest 442.5. Buddy Emmons has always tuned his 4th stirng 440 BOTH when he used to tune JI and now tuning ET. So it just depends on one's own preference in this case.
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by C Dixon on 11 January 2003 at 10:12 AM.]</p></FONT>

"Buddy Emmons has always tuned his 4th string 440 BOTH when he used to tune JI and now tuning ET."

Pedals up or pedals down?

Thanks Carl. Nice to see your posts again.

For "Steps #1 and #2 - tune your Es to a reference",

I like to do that with my A and B pedals down. The pedals don't affect the Es, except by cabinet drop. Comments?

Pete,

On his LeGrande III's, it would not matter; since there is zero "cabinet drop" on these PSG's. But I do seem to recall him telling me years ago he tuned the E's to 440 on his "blade". That as you may know, was his famed P/P guitar.

Maybe he will see this and respond. If I am incorrect, I stand corrected,

Thanks for the nice words Joey,

carl

Carl, if I taught that to my beginning students, I think they'd be so intimidated, I'd never see them again! Whew!

<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by C Dixon on 08 January 2003 at 08:26 PM.]</p></FONT>

. . . . and nobody thinks a self-tuning guitar would sell

Carl,

nice to see you posting here again.

Dave

Carl, where have you been, we missed you--CS

Carl, I am glad to see you are back.
I really admire all your help and knowledge.
GB

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Thank you Mr Dixon
as new player this is very helpful to me.
I am finding out their is a lot of different things to learn to make the PSG sound right. playing with a group, sometimes it is hard for me to tell is it my steel or the other instruments out of tune.

I try to read all your post's but must have missed some for I have not read any lately except this one.

Keep up the good work your advise is priceless to us new Steelers

Good to see you posting again Carl. I see, from your post, you have beeb looking over my shoulder again.

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kd...and the beat goes on...

Carl-It is good to see your very informative and knowledgable posts again.

Welcome back!...........al

Carl what is a JI?

Carl,
I think you need to edit your first post. Where you have said 17th fret, I think you mean 19th.

Oh my oh my,

You are soooo correct. How in the pluperfect hallelujah did I do that? It definitely should have been the 19rh fret every where the 17th fret is mentioned.

I will edit the post and change it every where it appears incorrectly.

Sorry bout that, and thanks again.

God bless you all,

carl

Told you not to look over my shoulder. See what happens when you watch someone that doesn't know what he is doing...

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kd...and the beat goes on...

It doesn't matter if your steel is in tune or not! When you are working with a band, if someone sounds out of tune it will always sound as though the steel is the culprit! Don't sweat it, because; your steel will always get the blame! Everyone will need to check themselves. And then, when everyone is satisfied that they are in tune, you may still sound out. You just have to grin and bare it, and don't give up, if you know you're right! No one has proven anything up to this point! "Big John"