Nashville stringing.

After reading about this technique for years,I finally got off of my
ass and tried it.All I can say is WOW!!!!!This technique can really breath some life back into a stale tune.It can also give you a renewed interest in that old banger acoustic you have leaning up in the corner.
I have an Ibenez acoustic that I inheirited when my older brother was killed in an accident.I never really liked playing it because it just feels stiff to me,but after stinging it up nashville style it plays a whole lot better.I also noticed that it seemed to project better and have a much more even tone and volume than it ever did strung in the traditional manner.
For anyone that wants to try it,all you have to do is string your guitar as follows:
1. 012
2.016
3.010
4.016
5.24(wound)
6.32(wound)
There are variations on the gauges,this is just the one I decided to try first.
Happy pickin'
sheppard

You left out a very important piece of information for those not familiar with Nashville tuning. Namely that the bottom 4 strings (E,A,D & G) must be tuned an octave high (It's like splitting the strings of a 12 string between 2 guitars...). I keep a Nashville tuned Wasburn in the studio, and regularly place it in the hands of a guitarist who has just finished an acoustic track and tell him/her "Now do it again the same way on this..." Magic often ensues.

Scott

Exactly so. For those of you playing at home, go to the music store and look at a set of strings for a 12 string guitar. Use the three high strings for E - A - D and the regular strings for G - B - E . When you play your normal fingerings, you get the correct notes, but in new voicings. Give it a shot and see if you like it.

DigitMus,
Do you normally keep the first pass or ditch it completely in favor of the Nashville strung guitar?

Simmons

DigitMus said:

You left out a very important piece of information for those not familiar with Nashville tuning. Namely that the bottom 4 strings (E,A,D & G) must be tuned an octave high (It's like splitting the strings of a 12 string between 2 guitars...). I keep a Nashville tuned Wasburn in the studio, and regularly place it in the hands of a guitarist who has just finished an acoustic track and tell him/her "Now do it again the same way on this..." Magic often ensues.

Click to expand...

How do you tune the E, A, D, and G an octave higher without breaking a string?

scottboyher said:

How do you tune the E, A, D, and G an octave higher without breaking a string?

Click to expand...

Did you notice the string guages in the first post? They are the same as the 'octave' EADG strings in a 12 string set - they tune up just fine.

Simmons - That would, of course, depend on the song. HOWEVER, the usual use is to double the original, and pan them apart (not hard L & R, but a decent spread) for the illusion of a 12 string this [holding hands way apart] big!

Scott

DigitMus said:

Did you notice the string guages in the first post? They are the same as the 'octave' EADG strings in a 12 string set - they tune up just fine.

Click to expand...

Gottcha.. I am illiterate..

I'd like to give it a try on some stuff we're doing. Do you generally use a full bodied guitar or a smaller parlor type?

Since you have eliminated the three lower bass strings, a smaller guitar will better emphasive the extra higher tones.

TexRoadkill said:

I'd like to give it a try on some stuff we're doing. Do you generally use a full bodied guitar or a smaller parlor type?

Click to expand...

The guitar I am using has a shallow body and is not as big as a jumbo and it sounds great.Up until now this guitar was useless
for recording,it did'nt sound good miced or direct,but all that has changed with the nashville stringing.

Any guitar will work for Nashville tuning, and they will all sound a little different (just like a standard tuned guitar). The one I keep Nashville tuned is the first acoustic I made (signed by Janis Ian, BTW), which is a OOO sized body. I kind of want to try a Dreadnaught, because I think the exaggerated low end they usually have would be nice on a high-strung guitar. First I have to make a Dred though.

Just as a side note, intonation on high-strung guitars is very different from standard tuning, which becomes very noticeable when it is recorded. If you chose to have a guitar permanently high-strung, it is a good idea to have your repair person set it up that way. I have a compensated saddle on mine (expensive for most, I know), and it sounds much better because of it.


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Tom Hicks said:

Since you have eliminated the three lower bass strings, a smaller guitar will better emphasive the extra higher tones.

Click to expand...

By the way, it is usuall done on all four wound strings (E A D and G)


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I was thinking using a bigger guitar might mellow it out a little but of course I'll just have to try it. I've got a friend with a Big Baby Taylor and I have a feeling it would sound pretty cool with Nashville stringing.

Cool idea. I hadn't heard of this before. Sounds neat.

I have a cover song we're working on that has a strumming mandolin in it. Since I don't know how to play a mando, I'm thinking this might make a good substitute. (Course, some might argue I don't know how to play guitar either, but that's a different problem. )

Compensating a nut on an acoustic guitar is pretty easily done. Just use a file to move the string contact point back or forward. If you screw up, replacement nuts are just a few dollars. Stew Mac is selling "vintage cowbone" similar to also legal mastodon tusk material. Ivory is illegal, of course. DuPont corienne (countertop material) also makes good inexpensive guitar nuts.

Tom Hicks said:

Compensating a nut on an acoustic guitar is pretty easily done. Just use a file to move the string contact point back or forward. If you screw up, replacement nuts are just a few dollars. Stew Mac is selling "vintage cowbone" similar to also legal mastodon tusk material. Ivory is illegal, of course. DuPont corienne (countertop material) also makes good inexpensive guitar nuts.

Click to expand...

Well, it is impossible to intonate a NUT. A nut is a nut. (don't get me started on the whole Buzz Fientien thing). Intonating a saddle on an acoustic guitar is simple in theory, but it is a pain in the ass to do, and it takes time to do it right. You can expect to pay 100-150 to get it done by a professional, and you have to use a wider saddle blank, so you need to make the saddle slot wider, which requires a couple hundred dollors worth of investment to do right. Please leave this to the pros, we know what we are doing.


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