Questions about a Stringtone pitch changer

Peeler, Ben · Post by **Peeler, Ben** » 6 Sep 2000 11:01 pm

I recently purchased this thing, a "Stringtone" pitch changer made by Rowe Industries of Toledo, Ohio.
It has three settings, the first (labeled "A")raises four strings, the second (labeled "E")affects no strings and the third (labeled "C#")raises one string.
Can anybody give me any information about this unit and/or tunings for it?
Thanks

K Maul · Post by **K Maul** » 7 Sep 2000 9:24 am

I have one of those things on a lap steel.You should try using EBEG#BE(lo to hi)as your basic tuning.It will give you an A (EAEACE) or an E6/C#m in the other setting,I believe.Or use D,which I do and get the corresponding G and Bm.
They aren't that accurate but will get you in the ball park and then you can tweak it into tune.Maybe a little faster than retuning using the keys.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 7 Sep 2000 11:13 am

Hi- I tried those in the "30's" for what it is worth, and they were ok, but I found , as mentioned, that to be more accurate and just about as fast to just tune the tuning pegs....al

George Keoki Lake · Post by **George Keoki Lake** » 10 Sep 2000 12:57 pm

I had one, probably similar to the one described back in the forties. I have no idea what ever became of it. I tuned it basically to E Major, and it would flip into C#m also A Major...(not too well, I might add). Today, you could almost think of it as being a 'poor man's pedal guitar' in a sense, (only pedal guitars were hardly known back then).