Well, I should have known. It was bound to happen, just a matter of time...... :roll:
After buying the Bel Aire and getting seriously hooked on more exotic tunings than the standard major ones, the idea started growing,- "Hmmm, let's see.... a 6th here and a 7th there is all well and good, but what if I had two more strings... hmmmmmmm........"
Off to eBay, and incidentally the good Mr. "GeorgeBoards" - George Piburn - had a couple of models up for sale at a price I could manage ("I was old and didn't need the money"......). After looking at this Darth Vader looking beauty for two days I caved in an clicked the "Buy It Now" button....
My plan is to tune it to C6add9 (or thereabouts), that would be, low to high; A C E G A C E D (yup, the top string is one whole-step lower than the 2nd. I've tried this before and it is real nice for certain harmonic variations, plus it opens up a lot of possibilities for fast solo runs).
So, at $550, plus $150-200 shipping, plus 25% import taxes,- here she is:
Now I'm broke.
8)
Steinar
My goodness! That's a nice looking one.
I have enough trouble keeping up with 6 strings that are tuned harmoniously if I hit the wrong one. I don't think I could handle all that.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Steinar. so now you are broke. ah but the smile you must be wearing is worth a million.
really nice lap steel. the hula girl fret markers are a nice touch.
I am not surprised that you moved to an eight string. from the samples you submit to the forums you definately have the ability to wrestle with them.
I too have been thinking of an eight string. my ears tell me that two more strings would be nice.
my brain is telling me to give it a break; forweard slants, reverse slants, oepn G, C6A7, E9.......ow.
I am not surprised that you moved to an eight string. from the samples you submit to the forums you definately have the ability to wrestle with them.
Thanks Randy! I bought an 8-string GeorgeBoards almost two years ago, but lost interest after a while, guess I just wasn't ready for it then. It wasn't so much the tuning (I ended up tuning EBDEG#BC#E then, which is pretty easy to handle) or the number of strings that put me off, but the string spacing. I kept 'stumbling' into the other strings, and having to be so careful with my picking got really frustrating. But I think I have more control now, and hopefully it will pay off this time....
Steinar
S. string spacing; I hadnt thought of that. string spacing would be important for me I bet.
when I build my lap steels I base my measuremnets on an Epiphone lap I own. the string spacing on that instrument (on which I learned how to play ) the string spacing was near 3/8".
after reading the forums that appears to be the preferred spacing.
so an eight string has slightly less spacing? that would throw me off, as it did you.
still I will not be dissuaded. when I want GAS I get GAS.
and when I get GAS there is no stopping me. not even my creditors.
those hula girls are hot.
The string spacing on my previous GB-8 was 65mm at the bridge. In comparison my 6-string Asher is 62mm (standard Weissenborn spacing) and the Bel Aire is 58mm. So naturally, the strings are quite a bit closer on an 8-string than a 6-string, but you can get used to it..
George still has this one on eBay, for $600.......... :wink:
Steinar
Hi Steinar,
Too bad you have to pay SO MUCH for shipping and Import Taxes. That is ridiculous.
I am always broke too. I am on low income medical disability, stay at home almost all the time rarely go out in order to save money. I spend it on music stuff and everything else gets neglected.
I just bought two new boom mic stands yesterday to go with a BR864 with two mics that I bought off ebay which is in shipment status.
On the way back from the Bank after depositing money in my neighbor's credit card account for the ebay purchase, I got a speeding ticket, $177. I was going the speed limit at 35mph but I didn't slow down fast enough for the 20mph school zone sign and I think that THIS cop did not like my long hair, which he noticed before I ever got to the school zone sign, or he may not have stopped me.
Oh well, that's all of my extra music money for next month, going to support the over paid City Police Dept.
Hey I liike that Bel Aire, what a fancy nice guitar! It made me recall the Easy Rider movie sound track, the Flying Burrito Brothers and one of my favorite songs of all time Wasn't Born to Follow by Carol King and her songwriting companion (I can't recall his name) BUT, that is one fantastic song!! It ranks amoung the best songs ever written in my opinion, beautiful lyrics. The best version in my opinion is by Dusty Springfield. That version has some nice slide guitar work too.
Now you have this new 8 string one. I don't know what to say, Steinar, but you can imagine what I am thinking. Some issues are better left not talked about.
Later,
phangeaux
Phangeaux
BadBadBlues
If you mean Carole Kng's regular songwriting partner from the late 50's to the mid 60's, it was her then husband Gerry Goffin....
The version I know of "Wasn't born to follow" was done by the Byrds....
They also covered another Carole King song, "Goin' Back" which was also done by Dusty Springfield.....
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Here's a question on string-spacing that I was just wondering about reading this thread: On a regular guitar, there's the problem of having to get your hand and fingers around the neck to fret the notes and whatnot. On a steel, since you don't have to do anything close to that, shouldn't they just leave the string-to-string spacing the same? I mean, you'd have to get a wider steel in some cases, but...I think the picking hand would appreciate it.
Or, keep the string spacing at the bridge the same, but angle the strings more as they reach the nut.
Naw forget that; that might be too weird.
But why don't they just make the spacing the same between a 6 and an 8?
Just wondering :)
Or, keep the string spacing at the bridge the same, but angle the strings more as they reach the nut.
This is actually quite normal, most lap steel's string spacing narrow down a bit towards the nut.
String spacing at the bridge vary a lot between different models, usually between 56mm and 62mm (my Asher is 62mm, which is the standard weissenborn spacing and quite a bit wider than a standard guitar).
I don't think having the 6-string spacing on an 8-string would be very practical (or comfortable), and imagine what a 10 or 12-string would look like,- a friggin harp! :lol:
Steinar
