dan in va - Posted - 05/26/2019:  05:30:09

i'm thinking of trying the C6 tuning on a 6 string Dobro, low to high: CEGACE. i've alway used the GBDGBD bluegrass tuning, so i'm a fish out of water on this one. For other instruments, the Monel wound strings have been great, but i don't have a point of reference for gauge and brand. i'd appreciate seeing your ideas and experience. Thanks...dan

quitos52 - Posted - 05/26/2019:  07:06:38

I have a short scale Weissenborn tuned to C6. I use:

.014, .017, .020, .024w, .030w, .036w

quitos52 - Posted - 05/26/2019:  07:33:57

John Ely’s excellent site, hawaiiansteel.com has a string gauge calculator for different tunings. Andy Volk’s “Slide Rules” is also and excellent resource for string gauges and tunings.

dan in va - Posted - 05/26/2019:  13:17:07

Thanks very much for your replies. The calculators will come in handy at some point, although there seem to be some differences in wound string tensions between the nickel and phosphor bronze wrapped strings, with nickel being a little less.

And there's the phenomena of a set with some variation in tension from string to string sometimes giving a preferred tone, even if not truly "balanced". For this reason i'm hoping that players will post their string gauge preferences for this tuning on their reso of choice. Acoustic flat top guitars are a good example of this.

Not having played your guitar model, what is its scale, and have you ever tried that set on a resonator guitar in this tuning?

Wildeman - Posted - 05/27/2019:  06:46:52

LaBella makes a set for C6 tuning, i have them on my Cole Clark lap dog. Its a Rick knockoff but i dont see why they won't work on a Dobro. They are pure nickel H6C6-1532. Gauges 15,17,20,24p,28w,32w

wlgiii - Posted - 05/27/2019:  15:32:26

For starters, you can retune your GBDGBD to A6- AC#EF#AC# and see how you like 6th tuning.

As for C6 acoustic/dobro sets, they're hard to come by so I order John Pearse nickel single strings online and make a set, with the same gauges as the SIT strings that go on the console steel- .015, .018. .022, .024W, .030W, .036W (.042W, .054W, since it's an 8 string).

dan in va - Posted - 05/27/2019:  16:08:31

Thanks for more helpful info. It's time to change strings anyway, so the C6 will be welcome. There was a McKenna 8 string that was tuned to G6 (EGBDEGBD) and liked it fine back in the day.

Something else popped up in today's string search. LaBella offers a C6 Dobro set with with a high G (E 34, G 26, A24w, C 18p, E 14, G 10). i've heard of a high G tunings, but this is the first set i've seen and it makes me ask if it would be useful than the CEGACE tuning. Maybe the low C is preferred to the high G, maybe not.

allthumbs49 - Posted - 05/27/2019:  18:43:57

I know I got some from Ernie Ball.

gtani7 - Posted - 05/28/2019:  03:04:09

I have 2 lap steels strung c6, 8 and 10 strings. You could try both low and high tunings by buying a .011 or .010 , see how your spider likes them, just have to keep them long/uncut at the tuner. My local shop also sells SIT's 10 string PSG set for $9 each.

Also re that Labella set I've not had good experiences w/large gauge unwound strings, i had to go shopping for replacement wound .022's and couldn't find any locally so i ended up buying the set of Ernie ball slinkies that had it.

gtani7 - Posted - 05/28/2019:  03:46:46

Also don't know if there's any c6 dobro books (Stacy Phillips probably has something) but Andy Volk's "Exploring c6 Lap steel" and Dewitt Scott's "Basic Nonpedal LS method" books are good, tho not especially bluegrassy. Some tricky 3 string slants, which I don't think i could do w/o a bullet bar.

And if you're looking for scales/chords: hawaiiansteel.com/scalelocator/basic.php

Edited by - gtani7 on 05/28/2019 03:52:34

chrisakeley - Posted - 06/03/2019:  09:13:16

How does a bullet bar help you with slants? I've never really used one, but it seems like the more-defined tip on a stevens-style bar would make it easier. (Not that that slants are ever easy!)