Just purchased a 3-neck Fender console steel and I am contemplating tunings for the different necks. Thinking A6 for one of them. Anyone have any suggestions? Also what was Al Perkins' tuning for Torn & Frayed? I believe he played an 8-string, though I know it had pedals. Any help is appreciated.

Info on his site about what he used, no mention of the tuning though...

[www.alperkinsmusic.com]

If you can find a Contact in there you should ask him.

Thanks HM. There was no contact info on his site though. I think he used some variation of E7 or E9.

Hi, I've been playing pedal steel for 7 years now.

Al used a ZB pedal steel for that tuned to a variation of the E9 copedant. In an interview I read he said he'd only just got it so played very safe in that session.

To hear Al at his best, I recommend the album last of the red hot burritos.

By the way, you will never get a pedal steel sound with a lap steel. That's how I started off. You can get a better approximation with a b bender. It's all about bending notes within groups of 2 or 3 notes to get the sound, and a lap steel simply can't do that.

OK, I've just been double checking for ya. Al's 8 string copedant (as used with Burritos) is detailed here: Al Perkins 8 string copendent

I can't find his ZB copedent online but I know how he has it set up. The tuning is an E9 chromatic but he has a low E on the bottom end. It goes like this (low to high) E B D E F# G# B E G# Eb F#. He has a combination of the normal pedals and levers and also some more unusual ones. Pedals 1, 2 and 3 are standard. He has the standard E-Eb and E-F levers. Add in some more non-standard ones like low E-D, B-Bb, Eb-D/C# and high F#-G.

You can play most Al Perkins stuff on a standard E9 setup, but you'll miss those low slide ups he can do with his low E string.

Here's a tasty clip with his Fender:
video: [youtu.be]