Have you ever noticed when listening to country music an acoustic guitar sound that seems to have a shimmer all its own?

It's likely that the sound you heard came from a Nashville High-Strung tuning.

You don't have to have a great guitar to acheive this. Just a special set of strings. They are essentially the high octave strings contained in a 12-string set. In other words, the high E & B strings are normal strings. The next 4 are thin strings and are tuned one octave higher than a normal guitar.

The gauges will vary slightly from player to player. The ones I use, high to low, are:

.010
.014
.008
.012
.018
.027 (wound)

The low E is the only wound string in the set.

The desired effect is a shimmering high end response, so you don't need to use a very large guitar body to achieve it. Also, I recomend a very light pick.

For me, the perfect high strung sound can be achieved by using a Baby Taylor. Even though you play in all the same fingerings you've always used, your chords will sound brand new.

You may just re-invent yourself!

Good luck!