Second 8 String Neck Tuning Suggestions

[steviebee74]

Hi Everyone,

About 20 years ago, I got fairly passable at C6 lap steel & Dobro and really enjoyed playing country music etc. but as is often the case, I got married and babies came along so I stopped playing steel. I also started playing regular electric guitar in a pro band because the money was good (and I certainly needed it at the time) so time because short.

I had a Guyatone S6 and later, a really beautiful black Remington D8 that I imported from the USA (though I only ever really used one neck). Both unfortunately were sold off at the time because funds were tight.

However, now I am in a better position to pursue my interests again so I have recently purchased another D8 which arrived over Christmas.

I'm planning on keeping the front neck in C6 but I am looking for advice on another tuning for the back neck.

I play straight guitar in a country rock band as well as sometimes backing singer/songwriters whilst they play acoustic guitar and want to incorporate steel into these.

I did think about A6 but feel it is a bit too similar to the C6 so am looking for something else. Maybe an open E/D/A etc but I haven;t been able to find any options for 8 strings.

Please could somebody offer me a suggestion? Thanks you in advance to anyone who can help.

Steve

[mick hearn]

Well sounds interesting - I might be the lucky owner of your Remington then. I wonder.

Anyway getting to your subject - sounds like a version of E13 that you might be after or maybe an E9. I am currently using Leon McAuliffes E13 however I still find the strings below 4 a little confusing. Thats cos I dont have any real musical knowledge. I blunder about until it sounds right but it sounds like a strum over the guitar does not resolve. I am tempted to go for a G# on top string rather than E and then take a close look at the bottom strings.

Have a look at my post to hear the Remington with the E13 McAuliffe tuning.

[steviebee74]

Well sounds interesting - I might be the lucky owner of your Remington then. I wonder.

Anyway getting to your subject - sounds like a version of E13 that you might be after or maybe an E9. I am currently using Leon McAuliffes E13 however I still find the strings below 4 a little confusing. Thats cos I dont have any real musical knowledge. I blunder about until it sounds right but it sounds like a strum over the guitar does not resolve. I am tempted to go for a G# on top string rather than E and then take a close look at the bottom strings.

Have a look at my post to hear the Remington with the E13 McAuliffe tuning.

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your reply and apologies for me taking so long for me to get back to you but I must have my settings wrong as I didn't get an alert. In the end, I shifted from C6 to A6 (Low to High - F#, A, C#, E, F#, A, C#, E) for the near neck as it seems to make more sense when playing with guitarists.

For the far neck, I also settled (at least for now) on a variant of E13 (Low to High - E, B, D, F#, G#, B, C#, E). Whilst I don't use that neck much, it does give me a nice old country sound though I find the chord positions a little difficult.

Perhaps it is my old Remington you have? I sold it around late-2006/early 2007. I know that because my daughter was born in 2006 and she was only a young baby when I let it go. Two older blokes from the west midlands met me at Trowell services on the M1 to buy it. One thing I like about those guitars is the way they use individual tuners on an aluminium strip rather than the Fender-Style tuner pan. My new one has those but they seem solid enough.

Cheers,

Steve