About the Sierra Pedal Steel Guitar
E9/B6th Universal

As you can see, per the 12 & 14 string universal tuning charts, the key to changing E9 to B6 is by lowering the E's to E-flat. Not only is this accom- plished by the normal knee lever, it is also done on our Universals by a posi- tive action, hand operated lever, a Sierra-exclusive change lock.

This device, when turned, flats the 4th & 8th strings E to Eb. The tuning is now locked into a perfect B6 tuning. The first 3 pedals are standard E9th. Pedals 4 through 8 function exactly as they do on the old C6 guitars. The C chord is now on the first fret, vice the open position of the C6 tuning.

Benefits of the Sierra Exclusive Change Lock are:

2. Better knee lever placement. By placing the E-flat lever on the left, the right knee levers are now available to function on both the E9 & B6 tunings, resulting in the equivalent of 4 knee levers on the right side of the guitar.

3. To achieve the pedal 6 change on other brand guitars, the E-flat knee lever must be released. Pedal 6 on a Sierra pedal steel is tuned as on a standard C6 tuning, and when the pedal is released, the Sierra change lock allows the string to return properly to the locked-in E-flat.

Summing it up! Sierra universals include everything on a double neck guitar, and then some! (B6+9, B7, B9, etc.). Also, the 'B to B-flat' change (RKR) is identical to the 3rd string lower on the old standard C6. The 14 string tuning includes a G# on the top string #1, and a low E on the bottom string #14. A quick benefit of the high G# (string 1) is that it will add the ninth note to the seventh chord with the B pedal and E-flat lever engaged. This ninth on top will resolve the seventh chord naturally, and with a very pleasing sound, not available on any other guitar. Many other bigger & fat- ter chords are now ready to be played in the E9th tuning. These are covered in detail in Sierra's E9/B6 Universal Course of Instruction.