lap steel

[earltwitty]

tuning a lap steel to c6 (cagace) the c and a are kinda loose but turning up a octave seems like they would break. Does that seem right? I'm using regulular set of guitar 10's

[Lester Z]

The usual C6 tuning, C-E-G-A-C-E low to high, takes a different set of strings since the third and forth strings are only a step apart. A set to try would be .036, .030, .024 wound, .020, .017, and .014. You can use heavier strings on a lap steel since there's no worry about the action or about warping the neck. The Strings section of The Steel Guitar Forum can give you some ideas about C6 and other tunings.

[Tom Pettingill]

As Lester Z points out, different tunings can mean different gauge strings for optimal performance. I'd highly recommend reading John Ely's great page on lap steel strings. It covers gauges and has a handy chart too.
http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/learning/gauges.php

In a pinch you can build sets out of singles / mixing sets, but its easiest to just buy appropriate sets from the start. Juststrings has a decent selection and something like these semi flat SIT's sound good and won't break the bank.
http://www.juststrings.com/sit-sc-c6...=sit-sc-c6th-6

[Tim Bowen]

The C6/A-7 tuning on my Gold Tone eight string lap is, low to high, ACEGACEG. I used the gauges suggested on Cindy Cashdollar's site.

http://www.cindycashdollar.com/tunings/

I'd previously been playing a six string Supro lap in open D, and the tension there is somewhat loose and floppy. When I first tuned up the Gold Tone for C6, I actually pointed the strings away from my face, as it seemed some of the thicker gauge strings were just gonna pop. But... they didn't.

[tele salivas]

I used to mix and match guitar strings for my lap, but then I said what the hell and bought some Lap Steel strings, and it made a big difference in tone and dynamics. Do yourself a favor and get some lap steel strings. They are like a semi-flatwound, and quite chimey and bell like, where guitar strings tend to sound thin and weak, in a bad way, comparatively.

[Paul in Colorado]

The SIT C6 set I have before me are .015 .018 .022 .024 .030 .036. I got 'em from Just Strings .com for around $5.00.