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Tuning a 4 string lap steel

Posted by Laurence Owen on April 5, 2020 at 2:07pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Hi all, so I finally at the third attempt managed to build a 'guitar' that works.

It's a four string 2x4 lap steel. I bought some D'Addario EXL145 Nickel Wound 12-54 strings and following the E-B-E-B tuning set it up, first E obviously being the 54 string.
The first three strings progress in tone nicely but the 4th one just sounds out of step.
The tuning for the strings out of the packet is, according to the packet, E-A-D-G.

Now I have ZERO musical knowledge so could someone point me in the right direction as to where I'm going wrong and what I need to alter please?

many thanks.

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Replies

  • Laurence Owen April 9, 2020 at 5:17am

  • Uncle John April 5, 2020 at 5:01pm

    I think you would like the E major tuning that Samuel Brown mentions.  EBEG#.   You will need a chromatic tuner (or any tuner and a bit more knowledge than you probably have right now.)  Have fun.

  • BrianQ. April 5, 2020 at 3:05pm

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGvlAooV7uA&app=desktop

  • Sam Brown April 5, 2020 at 2:26pm

    In order to get a "right" sounding open chord you're gonna want all the notes to the triad (Root, 3rd, and 5th scale degrees).  E is the root, E to B is a 5th, and E to G is the 3rd.  Depending on those intervals you've got a couple of options :

    Emaj : E-B-E-G#    (Major 3rd)

    Em : E-B-E-G      (Minor 3rd)

    E7 : E-B-D-G#      (Natural 7th)

    And as long as you maintain those intervals it should sound "right" with any root note

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