The Steel Guitar Forum

Can anyone recommend a Weissenborn style guitar that takes C6 tuning so I could play swing/rockabilly type music in a busking situation? Top priority is that it's loud without amplification. (Would also like it in metal with 8 strings, but that's probably beyond my budget.) I'm based in Europe. Thanks!

Check out Wayne Johnson of innovative guitars

Dobros were made to be loud. That’s what you need for this situation.

I'd agree with the other post. Dobro. Tune it in C6. Or get a battery powered amp like the Roland mini cube and plug in a lap steel. You'll need some volume in the open air space busking.

thanks for your tips @Steve Marinak,@K Maul and @Bill McCloskey - Do you think a semi wooden Dobro (Gretsch Bobtail) would support C6 tuning?

Sure, just do lighter strings. I run C6th on my Dobro. I can look later to see what gauges I have on there if you'd like.

I agree a resonator is going to do what you want (give you the most acoustic volume)...as long as you like the tone from it, of course. I have a tricone in C6. Is your Bobtail the squareneck or roundneck version?

There's also 8 string options (Gold Tone PBS-8) but I've got no experience with them. And the thing I love about 8 string C6 (a low bass C string) would get a bit lost without amplification, so (at least for me) the 6 string makes pretty good sense.

C6 on a wood based dobro, in my opinion is not going to give you what you want, especially an 8 string dobro.

Wayne Johnson makes aluminum 8 string weissenborn style guitars that will be loud acoustically and you can also get him to put in a pickup if you need that.

Here is a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvofA-i5LSY

His prices are very reasonable.

Hi Steve it would be great to know what strings you use for C6 (I'm thinking of C E G A C E from low to high)
- Been going crazy looking at string gauge charts

Nic, my Gretsch is a roundneck

Thanks!

Kathy,
John Pearse C6 strings are readily available in the US.
I have a 1930s Audiovox 7 string in C6.
Gauges.. .015, 17, 20, 24, 28, 32, .036 work well for me.
I own a number of dobros. Seems to me you would get a lot of unwanted rattle in a dobro
with smaller guage strings.
As someone posted earlier, I would stick with a lap steel or know what you are buying is made to take those lighter gauges.

A Dobro would do it but i would do one of my electric 8s through a Roland microcube or Boss Katana mini myself, both are ac/dc amps and small and light, not a bunch of stuff to drag around.
If being acoustic is important then a good reso will work fantastic, if you use the right strings.

Oops!

I don't know enough to advise properly on this, but with the roundneck dobro, you might want to pay extra attention to string gauges (I gather the squarenecks are built to be able to shrug off higher tension). Maybe someone can advise properly on that.

On finding the right setup for a C6 resonator, I'd say, be ready to experiment and take good notes...maybe get some miscellaneous string gauges on hand...

On the electric side...Yamaha THR10 is not one of the cheapest battery amps but I love the way it sounds. Hardly plug into my bigger amps anymore and it would do fine at the volumes I think you are talking about...

Jeffrey, in my experience electric lap steel strings and gauges sound horrible on an acoustic dobro. They just don’t have the downward pressure for an acoustic resonator.

Yep, dobro! I play almost only in C6 on lap steel, dobro, tricone or weissenborn. C6 works well on all these instruments. Weissenborn is by far the quietest, dobro the loudest - as long as you really play hard. Even louder is a batterie amp, but then you have to carry the little amp, the lap steel and something that enables you to play standing when you go busking.
Let me know, when you go buskin in Hamburg!

Yep, dobro! I play almost only in C6 on lap steel, dobro, tricone or weissenborn. C6 works well on all these instruments. Weissenborn is by far the quietest, dobro the loudest - as long as you really play hard.[/quote]

Thank Veit and everyone else here for your sound advice (no pun intended.) I strung up my Dobro with roughly the right strings for C6 tuning and it sounded much better than I had expected, even with a mismatched bunch of spares. So will probably get some better strings and stick with the Dobro for now.

Veit Doehler wrote:Yep, dobro! I play almost only in C6 on lap steel, dobro, tricone or weissenborn. C6 works well on all these instruments. Weissenborn is by far the quietest, dobro the loudest - as long as you really play hard.

Thank Veit and everyone else here for your sound advice (no pun intended.) I strung up my Dobro with roughly the right strings for C6 tuning and it sounded much better than I had expected, even with a mismatched bunch of spares. So will probably get some better strings and stick with the Dobro for now.

Jeffery Mercer wrote:For Cryin out LOUD!
Are you guys really expecting anyone to believe that you don’t know that you can purchase A full Set of eithe 6 string or 8 string C6th String Sets?
GHS makes and Sells C6th Sets already put together for purchase!
Unbelievable! Lol!

I just want to preserve this stellar attitude for future reference.

Thanks Jon!

Whoosh.

Hi Kathy. This reply doesn't answer your question directly but ...
To be a member of the Forum, from London and living in Germany ... me to!

I recently discovered this German Weissenborn builder https://www.mg-guitars.eu/. He doesn't publish prices so probably nowhere near a Bobtail budget.

However this guy is organising an acoustic steel workshop in September, if your interested.

Couple of German string companies to check out are Pyramid and Optima. Both make strings for lap-steel and dobro. Also one can order Pyramid as single strings via Thomann which is how I make up my D8 sets.

\paul

Here is a beautiful guitar made in Germany. Don't know the price, but I think I see $$$$ jumping out of the sound holes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA9vuP3QXo0

Bill Groner wrote:Here is a beautiful guitar made in Germany. Don't know the price, but I think I see $$$$ jumping out of the sound holes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA9vuP3QXo0

Yeah Bill, that sure looks like a "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it" instrument. Just gorgeous.