Just got a new Lap Steel Guitar... How should I tune it?

[pisces7378]

I wanted a pedal steel guitar for ages but could never afford even a beginners student model. The cheapest Pedal Steel worth haveing was the Carter Student model which is still $700. So I bought a cheap little $100 lap steel just to get my feet wet. Hell I have never even played slide before so I wanted to get started cheaply before making a big mistake $$$!

Now I have the lap steel and it sounds pretty good for $100. I read dozens of reviews of this model on Harmony Central and they all seem to agree that it is a damn fine piece of gear for the money. But I cannot find anywhere how I shoudl tune it.

It has 6 stringsjust like a regular guitar and they seem to be the same thickness as normal guitar strings. So I just tuned it up like a normal guitar is tuned. But I always thought that pedal steel guitars are tuned to open chords thus making them easier to play in songs of that key.

I can't tune the strings on this lap steel to an open E because that would mean tuning three strings higher and would probably pop and hit me in the face.

And then I could only play songs easily in the key of E. What do you guys think?

Any tipps of nuggets of advice?

Thanks!

 

[SHEPPARDB.]

Try this: (from low to high)
D-A-D-F#-A-D
Happy slidin'
sheppard

 

[hixmix]

Check out this link:

http://www.mphase.com/planetd2.htm

 

[philboyd studge]

It won't pop and hit you in the face.

I the lap steel in open E, the Wiessenborn usually in D (like E but a step lower) and the Dobro in open G (GBDGBD). Sometimes I'll take the Wiessenborn down to C or up to E but I rarely mess with the lap steel except that I take the A string up an extra step to get a 'C6' feel.

 

[Dom Franco]

For western swing you need a 6th chord

For rock and roll, tune to any open chord, But
For country you cant beat A6th or C6th

From low to High C# E F# A C# E A6th (you need to cannibalize two sets of guitar strings of get custom gauge strings)

C6 = G A C E G E once again you need special strings.

Dom Franco

 

[Chrisjob]

What kind of guitar is it?

 

[pisces7378]

It is just an Artisan 6 string lap steel. It was really cheap.

Here's a link...

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030901081303068211048150123346/g=home/search/d=tp?q=Artisan

 

[EddieRay]

E-E6-E7

I came across a wonderul little student model Kalamazoo a few years ago at a swap meet and have been playing it off and on since then. I had no clue how to tune it but found quite a bit on the Internet.

I like the familiarity of an E-type tuning so if someone calls out a chord I can find it on the neck quickly. I also like being able to play minor chords and I just love that 6th chord sound so I tune:
1 3 5 1 3 5 for sweet or power major chording,
1 3 6 1 3 5 for country or minor,
1 3 7 1 3 5 for a little more bite

Changing on the fly is fairly easy since only one string is involved.

 

[acidrock]

http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html