The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been playing 6-string C6 tuning for about a year and am amazed how well it suits Western Swing, country, Hawaiian and jazz. (Try "Skylark" or "Where or When" - they're both built around a sixth as a starting chord.) I've borrowed an 8-string and find the strings very close together, causing much fumble-picking, and making bar-slants much more difficult (greater angle required). Do the advantages of the extra strings make it worthwhile me struggling on?

You have NO IDEA what you're missing. -MJ-

Not all 8 stringers have narrower spacing. The new lap steel from Sierra, for example, has very wide spacing. I think that most Rickenbackers and Gibsons have fairly wide spacing, but Fenders are pretty narrow.

If you're gradually moving towards pedal steel, I would suggest using a Fender Stringmaster. It's not hard to go back and forth between a Stringmaster and a pedal steel. It sometimes takes me a while to adjust when I switch from pedal steel to the Sierra lap steel, because the difference is radical.

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Bobby Lee www.b0b.com/products
Sierra Session S-12 E9th, Speedy West D-10, Sierra S-8 Lap

When I first started playing my Fender Deluxe 8, I found the string spacing to be much narrower than on my Fender Champion (or any of my other six string lap steels). I kept with it though, and now I feel that I handle six string steel much better because of it. I'm used to the narrower spacing; the wider spacing seems to give me even more room to breathe.
As far as the extra notes go, you'll definitely find them useful.

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Brad's Page of Steel:
www.well.com/~wellvis/steel.html
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

I agree with Bobby that Stringmasters have a closer spacing similar to a pedal steel.
But I really enjoy playing Rickenbackers with the wider string spacing, and I've always wondered if the narrower spacing is a real advantage or not.

I have found the string spacing on a fender 8 to be a problem if I don't play it for a while, but like anything else, you oil up the creaky parts after a while...If I were to be in the market for a new 8...I would definately look into the Sierra just because of the string spacing alone....If you get an 8 with a comfortable spacing to you....It is definately worth the 2 extra strings...IMHO
Aloha,
Mike

check this one out....

www.melobar.com/lapsteels_cc8.htm

you wont be disappointed....
the string plalcement is real comfortable...
the tone is rich.

I think six is better, nicer spacing, less bar friction, and you can still play all the tunes.