JEFFERSON AIRPLANE's Paul Kantner

[mark_telfer]

I'm interested to know how Paul Kantner has tuned his 12-string Ricks. I've read that he has used an open C tuning, but don't know how he achieves it. Is it open C with or without a capo ? "Have You Seen The Saucers" is amazing. To my ears the octave strings are tuned a fifth apart. Can anyone offer any more detail ?

[davidg25]

Kantner indeed uses the open c (sometimes a b to accomodate his voice better these days) for 'saucers,' 'blows against the empire,' and capo up to 'd' for 'we can be together.'

of course, you need to use slightly heavier strings to compensate.

[mark_telfer]

Thanks, David.

[rick12dr]

David,
When I met Kantner in '75 on the "Red Octopus"
tour, I got to schmooze with him a bit during the afternoon soundcheck. He Definitely used Rick o sound outputs/stereo, though Not a ROS box.Instead, he had a custom made Alembic "Y" cord.I'm not real clear how his amp setup was configured, but I recall a couple Fender Twins
w/ JBLs and a couple large Alembic #15/JBL ext cabs, as well as a McIntosh 2300 amp[also mainstay powersource choice of Grateful Dead at the time...]I asked Paul about the "Saucers" tuning, and it was an open "C",and he asked me if Rick sold custom guaged flatwound sets that could accomodate dropped tunings.I deferred that q to Rickenbacker, but the answer was in fact, "No".
The only 12 string set Rick used[flatwound] was the #483 set, mfd. by Maxima of Germany.So he used stock #483s, and a light strumming motion
when picking. No capos here.The version of "Saucers" from the '73 LP "Thirty Seconds
Over Winterland" vividly presents this open "C"
tuning as the song begins, very dark and lush
sounding, and almost immediately accompanied by the roaring bottom end bass Jack Casady added.
One of my alltime favorite Airplane tracks.