The Steel Guitar Forum

i've got my 6-string lap steel tuned to a G6 tuning-high to low D-B-G-E-D-G. i don't see much info at the tuning sites about G6. it's more intuative to me than C6, as i've played banjo and dobro for a while.
does anybody use an 8-string G6 tuning? what kind of string guages would be good?
thanks, john

JOhn, I've seen a lot of players (and myself) tuning the lower fifth up to a sixth, so low to high: DBGEBG. That puts you closer into the standard patterns and there's some instructional material in that tuning in the Stacy Phillips books and I think Cindy Cashdollar's second Reso video. Gay Morse's wonderful "Resophonic Rodeo" Cd was cut with a 7 string with the 6th just added into the "normal" tuning- you could get a lot of mileage by copping some of his tunes. Just retuning the middle D to E doesn't require a different gauge, but probably something around a .030-.032 W should do it.

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Stop by the Steel Store at: www.markvanallen.com

John
You might try !
G 10
E 12
D 13
B
G Reguler Reso Set
D
B
G 54

Bob

On my 24" scale steel, I use:
D .016P
B .017P
G .020P
E .026W
D .032W
B .034W
G .042W
E .054W

John, don't change a thing! I've got the same tuning on my lap steel and one of my Dobro's. It's a very versatile tuning and by just retuning two strings (1st string to E and the 3rd to G#) you have an E7th tuning which gives you the ability to play some of the older steel instrumentals (Steel Guitar Rag, etc.) in the correct keys. The open G dobro things are all right there and actually even better with the E note on string 4. I do "Old Joe Clark" in the key of A with a capo on the 2nd fret. The E notes eliminates a lot of unnecessary bar movement and gives you some extra positions you wouldn't have without it....JH

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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Paul Beard sells an 8 string G6 set of phosphor bronze strings, called BR 80's. The gauges are as follows;
17, 19, 27, 30, 35, 45, 56, 59.

I beleive they are made by D'Addario, and packaged for Beard.

For some fine G6 REso playing, listen to Gary Morse, "Reso Rodeo". Listed in the CD section.
yeh,yeh a little topic drift. ha

Ron