thank you all for all your help. i've heard from a bloke who plays in a trad band and makes the dgbe thing work. and as that doesn't break the strings , i think i'll try that out - to start off at least.

its a bit puzzling that the correct tuning doesn't work. i can't see that the difference between a 10 and a 9 should be that crucial. i suppose its to do wth tensile strength.

anyway - i'll let you know, if i get my shit together! very exciting to be on the cusp of something new at my advanced age!