The Steel Guitar Forum

I took the plunge and converted a universal Mullen guitar into an extended E 9th and I wish I had done this 20 years ago. What I am after is your setups. I have just the first ten strings exactly like I have on every other D10 guitar that I've ever had the last two strings are G# and E and I am using a .046 for the G# and a .054 for the E. What are you guys doing with those 2 strings? What is the usual setup for one of these tunings and the string guages?

My extended E9th has A(.044) and E(.056) for 11 and 12. I don't move either string as I like them as root for Maj 7th's. Most players probably have G# 11th string and raise it to A with B pedal. I've always been an outlier. You could also make a good argument for lowering 12 to C# or raising to F using the F lever. You might need some adjustments to keep it from making the F lever too stiff.

Today I put on a new set of Daddario strings with .046 for the 11 and .052 for the 12th string. Its tuning up really good so far and sounds full. I fo raise the 11 string G# to A on the B pedal. This guitar has 8 pedals and 5 knees so I can experiment quite a bit. So far I'm using 5 pedals with the Franklin pedal on the 1st pedal. The next 3 are the typical Emmons set up. No 5 is raising the 11 a half step to A and lowering the 12th a whole step down to D. Its different but its useful for playing a 7b or even the 4 chord. Im still experimenting but I'm looking for a cool chord on pedal 6 if I pull the right strings. I figure theres no point in not using these pedals if I can find something cool in them. I sure wish I'd done this a long time ago.

This is my S10 version of Ext E9… the F lever lowering E to C# is a must! ..

It’s been said that Buddy Emmons thought up the double neck tuning in a few days and not much has ever changed with it over the years. He also has his extended E9 tuning available in Winnie Winston’s book ( his basket weave single 12 ) surprises me someone doesn’t dust that off and give it a try. What Buddy played with it was typical genius. Frank do you play yours anywhere in Nashville? I would be curious to hear it if so.

Mike I'll be at The Pit in Springfield tonight with my second time out with this tuning. Ive got a long way to go with it but its sounding better every day. Next week I'm at the old Beer Box now known as J & Rs in Ashland City on Friday and Daisey Dukes in Lafayette on Saturday. You are welcome to come sit in. Ive got that album with Buddy and he certainly played as good as ever on that one. He and Lloyd Green were both geniuses when the pedal steel was forming.

Frank, I love the Extended E 9 too. Like you, I tune 11 and 12 to G# and E, just continuing the sequence of the other intervals. I had John Fabian put the 12th string E lower to C# on the F lever, as Larry points out. That’s low enough to scare guitar players (!) and almost as low as a C6 boo-wah pedal. So on Fret 1, with Pedal A and the E to F lever, I can get a D chord with the D root on String 12. Cool for Waylon’s tunes!

I use an .046 for the B; and an .056 for the low E.

As Frank does (and Steve notes), I have Pedal B pull up the 11th string G# too.

Larry Allen: "the F lever lowering E to C# is a must!"

Do you have a typo error?
Do you really mean the LKL-1?

Here's my full-figured and scary copedent, a work in progress, about to be set up on my SD-12 8+5 Rittenberry. If you truly want to closely study this, PM me for a higher res PDF of this copedent, this JPG is almost unreadable. Hope someday we can upload the PDF format to the forum:

AJM…yes…on my chart the F PEDAL is not what I referred to, LKL1 on my chart is the F LEVER. just because it raises the 8 & 4 to F…. Larry:)

Here’s mine on my D-12

I've been playing Universal since 1981. These players Zane Beck, Reece Anderson and Julian Tharpe all sold me on the idea of the Universal Tuning years ago. They could play it all! I might add all are Steel Guitar Hall of Fame Inducted too! Your on the Uni Road Brother! Congrats!

My lowest 2 strings on Ext E9 are
11) G#....B pedal raise to A
12) E... No changes

I have thought some about a whole step raise to F# on the low E.
Rick Schmidt, do you find a lot of use for that one? More or less than dropping to C#?