Recordings of 6th tuning on dobro

[Ben Feldman]

Hi all, I know there's a few threads already on pros/cons of different tunings on dobro. I'm hoping to start a thread where we can share examples of what a 6th tuning can sounds like on a doboro/reso style guitar.

I'm a novice pedal steel player thinking of buying a dobro. I play a lot of old country stuff with other people who play exclusively acoustic. I'm thinking of using a 6th tuning on dobro but haven't heard many examples of what that actually sounds like.

This J Byrd recording is one of the only ones I've identified:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_oaEw0p3js

Do y'all have any other examples 6th tunings on dobro to share?

[Mark Eaton]

Here is a superb example of Cindy Cashdollar on her Beard Odyssey BelleBeard in G6 tuning, this is presumably GBEGBD low to high, which is her normal 6th dobro tuning. C6 can sound a little wimpy on a dobro because the light string gauges may not “load” the cone enough for optimum tone and volume.

https://youtu.be/9sKDVYj50QA

[D Schubert]

Mike Auldridge, Eight String Swing

https://open.spotify.com/album/3fPI8UL5 ... vwythXzugQ

[scott murray]

I believe Norm Hamlet (Merle Haggard) also plays an 8-string tuned 6th, at least later in his career. I'm a diehard 8-stringer myself

[Ken Pippus]

https://www.steelguitarshopper.com/prod ... Rodeo.html

Killer, essential, and cheap like borscht from b0b.

[Howard Parker]

Google "Greg Booth". In G tuning he drops string 6 to an E.

Lots of melodic possibilities in his approach without sounding "6thish".

Great contemporary player.

h

[Mark Eaton]

Ben wrote in the original post that he is a novice pedal steel player and is considering taking up dobro. So I am assuming that he has little or no experience in 6th tunings either on pedal or lap/non-pedal.

We have multiple examples so far of 7 and 8 string 6th tuned dobros. The Robbins/Byrd videos from the mid 1960s featured Jerry on a 7 string dobro. We had discussions about these videos here years ago that went on for many pages, and also long threads on the no longer Reso-Nation Forum.

In just getting started on dobro, when it comes time to shop for your first guitar, I would recommend a 6 string guitar, and avoid 7 or 8 stringed instruments. Might be a little like diving into the deep end but you don’t really know how to swim very well.

A tuning on a 6 string Reso where you change the pitch of one string from Open G, like the Cindy Cashdollar tuning, or Howard’s suggestion of lowering the 6th string G to E like Greg Booth are good jumping off points. And as he wrote by dropping the low G down to E, it doesn’t always sound so “6thish.”

[scott murray]

almost forgot Barney Isaacs, a wonderful 6-string dobro player from Hawaii who tunes C6/Am7: CEGACE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQRZfxX ... F8&index=1

[Dave Mudgett]

For someone who is working on 10-string pedal steel, is not a dobro player, and would like to transfer basic steel guitar techniques to an acoustic instrument, I would suggest an 8-string for a 6th tuning. On resonator, I personally like G6 = E G B D E G B D, which is just my "most common" nonpedal A6 tuning, but one whole step lower. I agree that higher tunings don't really bring out the best in an acoustic resonator like this. I tried A6, and the G6 really sounded a lot better to me.

The above preamble describes me - I'm a guitar, slide guitar, pedal and non-pedal steel, and sometimes banjo player, not really a dobro player. I can play a bit of standard bluegras dobro, but when the steel guitar bug hit me, I went for pedal steel right away. I know some players do just great with 6 strings, but I personally find 6 strings harder to get around on for 6th tunings. 7 would be OK because I can have all the full triads with the 6th tone in the middle. But I really prefer 8 to get that nice bottom note, and also for tuning the 7th string up a half tone to G# for G6/E7 with the root on the bottom string.

Again, acoustic resonator is not my meat-and-potatoes (by far, lol), but here is a recording of one of my bands a few years ago learning a new tune for us (Cow Cow Boogie, first recorded by Ella Mae Morse) - she wanted acoustic, so I brought my 8-string McKenna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfji6z-YgG0 - don't expect too much, we didn't know the tune yet, ha. Just a boom mic in the room and a cell phone camera pointed at us.

Anyway, I'm going by the OP's stated purpose, which I relate to completely.

[Joe Krumel]

Hi Ben. I never gave much thought to dobro tunings since I don't own one(for now!)Ha. Dang,I like the sound of that tuning. It really caught my ear.

[Ben Feldman]

hi all, lots of good input and listening here. thanks for your responses.

Mark, youre not wrong to assume I play very little 6th tuning. Like many pedal steels, my c6 neck does not receive the love and attention it deserves. I played a little bit of c6 lap before plunging into pedal steel but its definitely not my comfort zone. I guess my desire to play dobro might be a bit like Dave's--i.e. to play acoustic lap steel rather than play dobro.

After seeing nothing for sale in spokane for the past year and a half, I found a starter dobro at a pawn shop this weekend (morgan monroe) and bought the thing. 6 strings. I am going to try to learn the whole open 135135 G situation for now and maybe switch in a few months if it doesnt take.

thanks yall