Last year at Aloha Camp, several of these inexpensive "table" steel guitars showed up. They seem to be easy to transport. I expect to see a few more next summer. Here is the obligatory link to musicians friend. (Note: they classify this as a "folk" instrument?)
Last week, a woman was visiting Kona, and asked if I would give her a steel guitar lesson. After the lesson, she ordered one of these EA-3's and sent me the scale length: 20.5 inches. Heavens, what a short little runt!
The ones that showed up at Camp last summer had the original strings... which were kind of mushy in TaroPatch tuning.
This year, I started playing a new G6th on my solid body guitar. (G-D-E-G-B-D) The Hawaiian musicians here in Kona really enjoy the sound of this guitar, so I am hoping that a few Campers will be interested in G6th.
So how should one string up this little guitar for G6th? Using the handy dandy online string tension calculator, I came up with the following string set. All of these gauges are available at JustStrings.com under "Individual Guitar Strings"
Hi D - 18 gauge plain steel B - 22 gauge plain steel G - 30 gauge nickel wound E - 36 gauge nickel wound D - 40 gauge nickel wound G - 60 gauge nickel wound
One thing: Please note that these string guages are for this specific guitar, which has a short scale. Wire up your prized Weissenborn with these puppies and you'll pop the bridge right off.
I know Bob made that point...
quote:the scale length: 20.5 inches. Heavens, what a short little runt!
but I also know some folks tend to miss stuff like that when one is skimming through.
I've had several students who started on Rogues via Musican's Friend. I, of course, teach in the C13 tuning ala Bobby Ingano, et al. Doesn't really matter, though, except the 6 an 1 note are a string higher on the C13 (Bb E G A C E) than on the G6. I like it because most slack key and uke folks like to play in G and F which is in the middle of the guitar in C6, so you ahve more room to slant and move up and down. C, of ourse, is at hte 12th fret. Also, since A and C are the 3 and 5 notes (mi & sol), there is a C on the 2nd and 3rd stings at the G position, which is how "Blue Hawaiian Moonlight" is played, e.g. The G6 is easy to convert and play older songs like Moana Chimes. byw, I get a kick out of the old instruction manuals that call an E6 a "C# minor 9th tuning". So G6 is and E mnior 9th tuning, and C6 is an A minor 9th tuning.
One thing: Please note that these string guages are for this specific guitar, which has a short scale. Wire up your prized Weissenborn with these puppies and you'll pop the bridge right off.
I know Bob made that point...
quote:the scale length: 20.5 inches. Heavens, what a short little runt!
but I also know some folks tend to miss stuff like that when one is skimming through.
quote:So G6 is and E mnior 9th tuning, and C6 is an A minor 9th tuning.
Ya lost me there, Slip.
C6: (C E G A C E) looks like its A minor 7th to me; A-C-E-G being the operative notes here.
Maybe you are thinking about an 8-string tuning?
C 13 (Bb E G A C E) would be A minor 7 flat nine. Great if you are into Jobim....
(That's a joke. It is a great tuning cuz you get major, minor, seventh & diminished chords with minimal slants. But Slip can expound on that better than I. Although I think I will try some Jobim as soon as I turn off the furslugginer computer.)
Speaking of G6th steel tunings, here's the one I use on my Weissenheimer sometimes: G-B-E-G-B-D. So it is essentially dobro tuning w/ the fourth string raised a whole step. I buy off-the-shelf light dobro strings for that one.
Be sure to check string gauge charts for your instrument before attempting any of these.
quote:So G6 is and E mnior 9th tuning, and C6 is an A minor 9th tuning.
Ya lost me there, Slip.
C6: (C E G A C E) looks like its A minor 7th to me; A-C-E-G being the operative notes here.
Maybe you are thinking about an 8-string tuning?
C 13 (Bb E G A C E) would be A minor 7 flat nine. Great if you are into Jobim....
(That's a joke. It is a great tuning cuz you get major, minor, seventh & diminished chords with minimal slants. But Slip can expound on that better than I. Although I think I will try some Jobim as soon as I turn off the furslugginer computer.)
Speaking of G6th steel tunings, here's the one I use on my Weissenheimer sometimes: G-B-E-G-B-D. So it is essentially dobro tuning w/ the fourth string raised a whole step. I buy off-the-shelf light dobro strings for that one.
Be sure to check string gauge charts for your instrument before attempting any of these.
Happy slidin'
You are right, compadre, as usual. I'm still adjusting to musican's hours (retirement is great!), and minor 7th it is.
Can you guys advise a newbie in how to select strings for one of these EA-3's? I measure the length between the nut and the 12th fret at 10.5 inches and the length from the nut to the "bridge" at 21 inches. I think I would like to start by tuning the thing to what Brad's Page of Steel refers to as low bass G, which is taropatch unless I'm mistaken. I've found information on how to predict string tension, but I haven't found anything that says what a reasonable string tension goal would be. Is the intent to have the string tension for all strings within some narrow range? Or is there something else going on? I think I would like to try messing with some of the songs in King's Book of Hawaiian Melodies, but I don't even know how to tune this thing.
I have helped several people set up the EA-3 using the following strings. The idea is to have a set of strings that are between 28 & 30 pounds of tension so that you have good sustain, and a minimum of bar chatter when you are playing. You will note that the tuning I am advocating here is a near relative to taropatch, but with the low D removed and an E (the 6th) inserted as the 4th string. I love this G6th tuning, especially on a short scale guitar like the EA-3. It gives you the simplicity of taropatch on the top 3 strings. It gives you minor chords using strings 2, 3, and 4, and the 6th ready if you want a nice rich Hawaiian sound. Compared to C6th, it is just a little less mellow but it does a great job on many different kinds of music. Give me a call if I can be of any help. Aloha, -Konabob (808) 322-4714
Somewhere on the 'net, Konabob has an article about getting started on steel guitar. I can't seem to find it today, but it's a good starting point. Konabob, where did I find it? Seems like everything I put down goes into hiding. Unko Paul
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello
Hi Paul, You're probably thinking of the PDF file in my Taropatch Steel page. By the way my lap steel 6 string banjo is supposed to arrive on Monday. Now I have something to back up Shirley's fiddle playing on!
Lap Steel 6 string banjo? I can hardly wait to see some vids! Here's a similar idea in a Mountain (lap) Dulcimer, designed to be played with the fingers, rather than a steel. http://sweetwoodsinstruments.com/specialties.htm Also check out his Dulcinator, a lap steel/ dulcimer hybrid. I looked at one a couple years ago at a festival, and was impressed with the sound and the concept. The PDF is probably what I'm remembering Thanks for the assist. I'll book mark it for future reference. Unko Paul
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello
Thanks for the link--those look like real nice instruments
The banjo-dulcimer idea's been around for a long time, as you probably know. A guy in Clairemont CA -- home to David Lindley--used to make 'em in the 80s.
David Marks, of Folkcraft up in Connecticut, built a couple hybrid Weissenborn-style dulcimers quite a few years ago. I have one of the pair, set up like a standard dulcimer, but with an extended bass range. There's pix on my website, and it's all over the "Ke Kukima Polinahe: Hawaiian & Polynesian Music for Appalachian Dulcimer" CD.
The other one was set up for playing like a steel--only it was strung like a dulcimer (for them's that don't know, on a dulcimer, the highest strings are on the near side, opposite of steel.) Consequently no steel player could play the dang thing! Don't know what happened to it--it sounded amazing.
When he gets that weird 6 string banjo-steel, Bob's going to have to learn to put up with all those banjo jokes.
And, as Paul well knows, the only person who gets less respect than a banjo player is... a dulcimer player.
When he gets that weird 6 string banjo-steel, Bob's going to have to learn to put up with all those banjo jokes.
And, as Paul well knows, the only person who gets less respect than a banjo player is... a dulcimer player.
Q: What's the second most satisfying sound in music? A: The sound a bnajo makes going into the dumpster. Q: What's the most satisfying sound? A: The sound the banjo makes when it hits the dulcimer. Seroiusly, I like the idea of the resonator dulcimer, because, like an acoustic steel, it needs amplification when other instruments are playing with it.
I don't know if the dulcimer player gets as many jokes as the accordion player gets. Folks have been pretty good at accepting it in the park, etc. As a dulcimer player, it's possible to deflect a lot of the jokes. Most people ask something like "Is that a mandolin?" We can lie & say "Yes, it is." Banjos and accordions are instantly recognized. No deflecting those jokes. I got all the above, except the mandolin, in my house. I can't play the squeeze box, though. Unko Paul
"A master banjo player isn't the person who can pick the most notes.It's the person who can touch the most hearts." Patrick Costello
G6 strings for the Rogue EA-3 Steel Guitar
Posted - 11/15/2009 : 6:47:56 PM
