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How did Gibson Get it so Wrong?

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Author	Topic: How did Gibson Get it so Wrong?
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 22 August 2005 12:10 PM profile send email edit Their description of the strings as High BASE? I always understood it to be because the lower strings were "Higher" than the normal A tuning the Reference was to the BASS strings.. ------------------ quote: Steel players do it without fretting
Andy Volk Member From: Boston, MA	posted 22 August 2005 12:25 PM profile send email edit It's correct, Baz, if E is string #1. It should, however, read 'bass' not base.
Danny James Member From: Columbus, Indiana, USA	posted 22 August 2005 12:25 PM profile send email edit To my understanding that is correct for high bass. Hi to low E,C#,A,E,C#,A Low bass Hi to low is E,C#,A,E,A,E Regards, Danny
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 22 August 2005 12:39 PM profile send email edit Maybe my first post wasn't punctuated correctly.. I'm not questioning the string configuration, I'm talking about their spelling of BASE ? shouldn't it be BASS ? The fact that they apparently didn't know the difference ..or the reasons why [This message was edited by basilh on 22 August 2005 at 12:57 PM.]
Earnest Bovine Member From: Los Angeles CA USA	posted 22 August 2005 01:02 PM profile send email edit Yes, of course is should say BASS, not BASE. I think they did that deliberately, just to see if you were paying attention. Remember that Americans are a well-educated people. I don't think that anybody with bad grammar, or who advocates teaching primitive superstition instead of basic science, could rise to an important position such as designing guitar labels in this great nation.
Lee Baucum Member From: McAllen (Extreme South) TX - The Final Frontier	posted 22 August 2005 03:24 PM profile send email edit Perhaps they were referring to the lowest string as the "base" or "foundation" of the tuning. Lee, from South Texas
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 22 August 2005 03:39 PM profile send email edit Lee .,.Yes I thought of that, but I'd prefer to think they just plain got it wrong
Rick Aiello Member From: Berryville, VA USA	posted 22 August 2005 06:17 PM profile send email edit ------------------ Aiello's House of Gauss My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield
Craig Stenseth Member From: Naperville, Illinois, USA	posted 22 August 2005 06:19 PM profile send email edit I thought bass was low? I'm new.
Gerald Ross Member From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA	posted 22 August 2005 06:21 PM profile send email edit Did Gibson even make those strings? Or did Gibson commission a generic string company to produce "Gibson" brand strings? "daddy sang bass, mama sang treble, me and little brother would add a bit a reverb..." ------------------ Gerald Ross 'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar' CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association [This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 22 August 2005 at 06:30 PM.]
Andy Volk Member From: Boston, MA	posted 22 August 2005 07:28 PM profile send email edit Mamma sang base daddy sang tenyr.
steve takacs Member From: beijing, china	posted 22 August 2005 07:39 PM profile send email edit Earnest, I just caught the meaning of your comment after a second reading. Boy, did it make me laugh! Thanks, steve t
George Keoki Lake Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada	posted 22 August 2005 08:01 PM profile edit BAZ...If you have a box of GIBSON Hawaiian Guitar strings in an original GIBSON box, you have a collectable. I am not aware of Hawaiian Guitar Strings being available as a set these days...one has to order them singly by gauges. Go into any music store and ask for a set of Hawaiian Guitar strings and just watch the clerks expression !
Jeff Au Hoy Member From: Honolulu, Hawai'i	posted 22 August 2005 11:33 PM profile send email edit i hear you can find altered scales more easily on a high bass
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 23 August 2005 01:15 AM profile send email edit "Scales" on a "Bass" sounds a bit fishy to me.. Oh yes, George I have an Un-Opened box of Gibson "Electra-harp" strings, no when I say a Box, maybe I should say a carton of 12 sets .. I bought them to ad a little colour to my 1954 "Multi-Harp" when it's on display.. I'll post a picture of the strings later. [This message was edited by basilh on 23 August 2005 at 01:53 AM.]
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 23 August 2005 01:53 AM profile send email edit Here they are..
Jim Phelps Member From: Mexico City	posted 23 August 2005 08:27 AM profile edit Earnest - one of the funniest posts I've seen in a while. [This message was edited by Jim Phelps on 23 August 2005 at 08:27 AM.]
George Keoki Lake Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada	posted 23 August 2005 10:58 AM profile edit BAZ...Neat! I have never seen Electraharp strings in cartons. That's a by-gone era !
Danny James Member From: Columbus, Indiana, USA	posted 23 August 2005 12:01 PM profile send email edit My intentions were to be helpful. Sorry I misunderstood the question.
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 23 August 2005 12:02 PM profile send email edit Well I've just measured them...INTERESTING.. .014"-.0165"-.021" All Plain.. -032"(WOUND).0325"W-.038"W -.044"W -.054"W. Now the thought occurs to me as to what tuning(S) these strings were intended for..It looks like the .032 and the .0325 were intended as the strings a whole step apart..So as .032" on a 23" scale = E with a high of F# ..it would seem that the intend open tuning is Probably A6.. Any thoughts from the "Gurus" I have NEVER seen a Recommended tuning chart for a six pedal Gibson..
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 23 August 2005 12:17 PM profile send email edit Taking the usual tensions and gauges I think this could be the intended ranges... The first 3 strings would seem to be for the ranges E-F#...C-D# and A-B The forth is F#-G# and the fifth is E-F# the sixth B-C# the seventh G-A and the Eighth probably anywhere between D to F# So... What on earth were the tunings available on the six pedals ? How many usable ones are there?
basilh Member From: United Kingdom	posted 23 August 2005 12:21 PM profile send email edit Mr. Brad Bechtel Sir !!! I know that this is now in the realms of "Pedal" steel .. But those guys over there wouldn't know much about this ancient machine.. anyway the pedals were just a substitute for extra necks.. Leave it here with us "Ancients" like myself and Ernest and George !!! PLEASE [This message was edited by basilh on 23 August 2005 at 12:42 PM.]
Danny James Member From: Columbus, Indiana, USA	posted 23 August 2005 01:53 PM profile send email edit Well I will stick my neck out again---Here are tunings and string dia's. that I use for a 6 string ( 6pedal or equivelant of 7 neck lap steel ) Multi-Kord. Many of these tunings will work for a 6 string lap steel as I sometimes depress one pedal and play the song all the way through without releasing it. (low bass) 1st .016 2nd .017 3rd .022 4th .030 -W 5th .038 -W 6th .050 -W High to low A tuning -----------E,C#,A,E,A,E A6th tuning---- ----E,C#,A,F#,A,E D7th added 9th -----E,C,A,F#,A,D C6th----------------E,C,A,G,A,E EMi.----------------E,B,G,E,B,E E ------------------E,B,G#,E,B,E C#mi.7th------------E,C#,G#,E,B,E
Jody Carver Member From: The Knight Of Fender Tweed. Dodger Blue Forever	posted 01 September 2005 03:24 PM profile edit Gibson strings for the most part were manufactured by Squire. however when CBS purchased Fender Squire was part of the CBS Fender aquisition ,Gibson went elsewhere to have their strings manufactured. Squire was located in Michigan a stone's throw from Gibson. From that time on Gibson contracted with various string manufacturers to get a cost efficient price. [This message was edited by Jody Carver on 02 September 2005 at 08:10 AM.]