What 3 strings and how would you tune them

[Leonardocoate]

I’m building a cigar box guitar with only 3 strings. What three strings would you chose and how would you tune them and why. My original thought was D, G, and B tuned to E, A,C#[open A) for easy slide work, but I’m second guessing myself. So I’m leaning on the wisdom of the group

 

[244300]

D G B makes a lot of sense. Easy to move between major and minor. Let the bassist hold down the root.

 

[BelairPlayer]

I’d do whatever the hell Samantha Fish is doing. She rips it up.

 

[Fendereedo]

Three strings are quite adequate lol. Seriously, D, G and B sprung to mind straight off the bat.

 

[fakeocaster]

D A D or D G D . youll be able to play handily in Major and Minor keys

 

[Freeman Keller]

G B D gets you open G with the bass on the third - you can do both bottleneck and fretted (if its got frets). You could also try an Appalachian dulcimer tuning GGC (or the equivalent) and play it on your lap/

 

[bgmacaw]

I usually use GDG for 3 stringers, sometimes tuned down or up a 1/2 or full step. I like the forgiving root and fifth and the low bass note for a drone.

I also sometimes use a single note tuning (GGG or the like). I like to call it a "baby ostrich" tuning.

 

[loopfinding]

DGD like a shamisen

 

[oldunc]

Dele

 

[Leonardocoate]

Dele

I don't understand

 

[johnDH]

Seasick Steve is another great reference for a 3 string guitar. Not sure what his tuning is but it'd be worth finding out.

 

[oldunc]

I don't understand

Sorry- "dele" is editor's jargon for delete. I had posted an answer (tune in fourths, for the record), then decided I hadn't thought it out enough to post the answer.

 

[Leonardocoate]

Seasick Steve is another great reference for a 3 string guitar. Not sure what his tuning is but it'd be worth finding out.

I just utubed the man. What a guy. I get the impression he tunes by ear. I also noticed that his bass string is spaced in the 5th string location and uses the second and third strings. thanks for pointing me in his direction

 

[Zepfan]

I do 4 string CBG's In G-D-G-B using the middle 4 strings of a 6 string pack.

Most of the 3 string CBG's I've seen are the A-D-G strings tuned to G< but those E-A-D strings tuned to D sound really dirty.

 

[Dan Estock]

On my 3 stringer I used the bottom 3 from a 11-52 set and tuned to 1 5 8 after finding a string tension that I liked for the scale length. I think it ended up AEA but I’d have to check.

 

[basher]

Alec Finn, of the Irish trad band De Danaan, does beautiful stuff with a bouzouki tuned DAD. You could also tune it in 5ths, i.e. DAE, and have 3/4 of a mandolin.