Viator tuning, string suggestions?
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 9:29 pm
Hi all - I just found an apparently unplayed Vintage Viator in a pawn shop, which made it about twice the astonishing value it is in guitar shops - it looks like a toy but sounds and feels great (unless you must have bass...). This is the dark greyish brown one with the pickups and USB socket. Bit of a puzzle here - it appears to be a 21.5" scale 6 string slothead Viator, but the headstock has a Viaten sticker on it. Maybe they ran out of Viator ones...
I'm picking up guitar again after a 20 year break, so having such an easy one to play is great. I want to learn to play some of the 00's of Scottish/English/Irish/French fiddle tunes I know (on fiddle) on this guitar by ear, pick up new tunes quickly by ear, and relearn how to busk chordal accompaniments. What tuning would make that combination easiest - how about fourths? I've tried putting it into various tunings, including standard but raised a minor third (which the standard strings coped with fine). Standard tuning and most of the higher pitched ones sound fine, but lower tunings seem a bit loose with the standard strings. The Low E string appears to sound better tuned higher, so maybe I should change it for another gauge?
Thanks, Max
I'm picking up guitar again after a 20 year break, so having such an easy one to play is great. I want to learn to play some of the 00's of Scottish/English/Irish/French fiddle tunes I know (on fiddle) on this guitar by ear, pick up new tunes quickly by ear, and relearn how to busk chordal accompaniments. What tuning would make that combination easiest - how about fourths? I've tried putting it into various tunings, including standard but raised a minor third (which the standard strings coped with fine). Standard tuning and most of the higher pitched ones sound fine, but lower tunings seem a bit loose with the standard strings. The Low E string appears to sound better tuned higher, so maybe I should change it for another gauge?
Thanks, Max