In this lesson, i give you an introduction to open D tuning for weissenborn, dobro or lap steel.
Also make sure to read the blog article i’ve written about how to learn multiple tunings.
Learning many different tunings can quickly get overwhelming so watching this lesson AND reading the blog article will hopefully help you in your journey to master multiple tunings!
I often get asked about which weissenborn i use so here is a link:
Gold Tone SM Weissenborn (Amazon link)
There is also a cheaper version with a laminated body:
Gold Tone LM Weissenborn (Amazon link)
These are the strings i’m using right now on my weissenborn:
Martin 13-56 strings (Amazon link)
you can try those as well:
D’Addario 13-56 strings (Amazon link)
or you can experiment with a heavier gauge:
John Pearse 17-68 strings (Amazon link)
For a dobro, you can stick with the same gauge of strings you use with the common GBDGBD tuning, here is a popular brand:
D’Addario 16-56 strings (Amazon link)
I have an Asher lap steel guitar junior and I want to get or buy tabs and other materials that helps me to study this instrument. I have also a dobro guitar but am still a beginner.
Thanks
Check out the lap steel section of my site (or dobro), i have many lessons that will help you get started!
If it’s a vintage Weissenborn, Hilo, Kona, Schireson or a modern instrument built to the same kind of ultralightweight (and rather sloppy) bracing specs – no! The top will basically explode – and I’ve restored about ten of them. and own seven different models (no modern ones – I sold the couple I had as the heavier bracing wrecked the tone.
180 lbs of string pull is the absolute maximum for vintage hollow-necks unless you like to live dangerously. I restring them to 165 lbs max – and that pretty much eliminates GBDGBD Dobro tuning. “D” tuning is pretty , much the standard – but you even have to be careful with it on many instruments.
VERY few commercial string sets are safe, even for D tuning. For years only Newtone “Aloha” sets were the only ones light enough – other than buying single strings and making up your own sets. I’m not aware of any other “sets” I could consider safe.