The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello , I'm the lucky recipient of a Little Roy Wiggins 8 string lap steel guitar and as a beginner I used the recommendations by Cindy Cashdollar for string guage.It sounds pretty thin with a ten for the first string so I changed to a .12 and I'm wondering if the instrument may have a shorter scale than a table steel and have different " needs " because of that with regards to stringing it.

Hi Kevin; you can measure the scale with a tape measure from the top point of where the string sits on the Bridge(right end)>to the top point of where the string sits on the bridge nut(left end).
That will be the scale length and I have composed two tunings I use with scale length guages and you can use that and or omit a string or two for 6-string or 7-string steels.
Hope it helps.
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E13+9 tuning 8-string
(short scale) (other scale)

G# .012 plain .011 or .012 plain
E .015 plain .014 plain
C# .018 plain .017 plain
B .020 plain .018 or .020 plain
G# .024 wound .022 wound
F# .028 wound .026 wound
E .032 wound .030 wound
D .038 wound .034 wound

C6 tuning 8-string
(short scale)

G .013 plain .012 plain
E .015 plain .014 plain
C .018 plain .017 plain
A .022 plain .020 plain
G .028 wound .026 wound
E .032 wound .030 wound
C .038 wound .036 wound
A .044 wound .042 wound

I use and prefer nickle wound
Strings and Malcolm Kirby at
Discount string Warehouse will
put sets together for you for
these guages.1-270-886-2954
strings@apex.net
(tell him Ricky Davis sent ya)
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Ricky Davis


<small>My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 01 July 2001 at 09:22 PM.]</p></FONT>

Just curious about your E13+9 tuning Ricky. Doesn't a 13th chord already include a 9 and doesn't it need an 11 with it to make it a 13th chord? I think I'd call your tuning E6+7.

It would appear to me to be a straight E13 as it incorporates the dom.7th and 9th of the scale, C# being the 13th.

Ricky,
What's that pretty lapsteel in your picture?
I'm looking for a newer 8-10 string lap.
Daqve

The 13 chord must have 1, 3, 5, b7, 13. The 9 and the 11 are optional. So an E13 must have E, G#, B, D, C#. F# and A would be optional. I would describe Ricky's tuning as E13 or E13add9 (or add2).

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www.dougbsteel.com

David, I've seen that guitar up close and I've heard him play it. The playing and sound of the instrument were wonderful, the quality of craftsmanship on the instrument was spectacular.

Thanks for your help on the scale length guages Ricky. Whenever I see your home location of Round Rock Texas listed after your name on the forum , the Dale Watson song of the same name starts up in my interior jukebox.

Some musicians would argue that a 13th chord only requires 3 notes--3rd, b7th and the 13th. Example:

Strings 5, 6 and 9 with just the A pedal on our E9th pedal steel. JD used this "13th" chord extensively in the early PSG recordings. As did others. However, on lapsteels, a "13th" tuning just about always has 1, 3, 5, b7 and the 13th (6th) notes as Doug pointed out. The 3rd, b7th and 13th notes are absolute musts in any case. And as Doug points out, the 9th and 11th notes are optional.

Carl

Hi Kevin,

Many of us non-pedal steelers don't care for anything higher than an E on the 1st string. To my ear any string thinner than that sounds tinny. Jerry Byrd bases all his tunings with an E on top.

Hi Jim; yeah I concur with the rest of the guys on a 13th. When having a b7th tone in that chord; that now makes the 6th tone a 13th>aka 6+7=13
To me I look at the bare neccessities that make up a chord.
Hey David you can read about and find more out about the SS HAWAIIAN on the Mighty Fine Music Website Click Here!!
Plus the Website has "Ricky's Pro Talk"(for all your playing technique needs)and a "Chord Finder" for all the tunings one can imagine; and my pedal steel video is now online just as a test to see if it works ha........
Hey Kevin> "South of Round Rock Texas" is one of my favorites that we do in the Dale Watson band.....go figure ......LOL.
Bob; I too don't play anything over the High E string; but if I want to it's there for the taking> that's why I like it; and to not have a harmony note over that particular string when it's in the root position or b7th position or b3 position; just kills me(but that's me though).
Have fun.
Ricky

I agree with Bob Stone. I think anything higher than E on the top string sounds too thin for my ears.