The Novel Shovel

[Bill Hankey]

Chris,

There is little doubt that we both speak the same language. Whether we have many things in common, will probably never be known. Oftentimes a friendship will develop quickly under different circumstances. I'm all for spelling out differences of opinions here on the forum. I'm confident that we both would enjoy picking up on some new ideas now and then. I think I'll call it a day..

[Richard Sinkler]

Bill,

It seems that you and I agree on my point #4. I have both the E changes on my left knee and believe that is where they should be, But, others have the right to place them where they want.

That comment was in response to Andy Hinton's remark:

Another difference that is very important is the knee levers ar also usually reversed. Andy H.

As far as the polls as to how many play Emmons setup or Day setup, WHO CARES. They are both workable systems. These polls on the forum are pretty much bunk. Not everyone responds (just look at the poll on what new guitars were recently purchased), there are so many players that aren't members or have a computer at all. Their votes should count, but it is impossible to get that done. I agree that the Emmons setup is the most USED. A lot of that has to do with the manufacturers offering that tuning as STANDARD and the new buyer not knowing the difference, or having tried, other setups. Some of it is "I want to play what my hero plays". Nothing wrong with that. Whatever works for the player is all that matters.

[chris ivey]

by the way...there are not just two ways of doing it. for thirty-six years or so, my E-F..LKR, E-Eb..RKL, E-F#..RKR, G#-A..pedal 1, B-C#..pedal 2...anyone doing it differently is really dumb, 'cause this is the 'best' way!!! the other pedals are all 'secret' and you can't know about them without going through a special secret training and security clearance!!!

[Richard Sinkler]

Dang Chris, I thought my way was the only correct way.

[Jim Cohen]

Certs is a breath mint...

[Stephen Silver]

Less Filling

[Richard Sinkler]

Tastes great!!!!!

[Bill Hankey]

Richard,

One of the interesting novelties of the steel guitar's versatility is in making mechanical changes. Anyone with a vivid imagination could see Jimmy Day flipping his steel's bottom up, with all the working parts exposed to his masterful inspection. His extraordinary comment about speed picking, offered many clues of how he approached the steel guitar. In the latter part of his heyday, it is believed that his comment about speed-picking is etched in marble. On that special day, when a giber became the recipient of Jimmy's retort, the words were cutting and to the mark, when he said; "I wish that I could play that fast, and if I could, I wouldn't." I'm writing this knowing that the exact wording is somewhat changed from verbatim or as spoken. I have no idea if his retort was made with celerity, or halfheartedly as his genius commenced to unfold, and he presumably startled the quizzer who passed along the famous quote. I'm not aware of Jimmy or Buddy discussing their setups in the past with interviewers, for reasons unknown to me. It is possible that someone in the past may have interviewed either Buddy or Jimmy for making determinations of which setup produces the best results. It may boil down to anatomical resolutions before arriving at which is the most advantageous.
Having the ability to connect with the complexities is far more important than either setup. If the truth ever surfaces of which is better, either setup may be deemed obsolete, due to minor hang-ups in knee lever arrangements.

[Ric Epperle]

It may boil down to anatomical resolutions before arriving at which is the most advantageous.

I think that has something to do with it. In the early days, my dad tried both setups. He just happened to prefer the Emmons setup over Day's. It seemed to be more comfortable for him. I've done the same thing. I've tried both. It just so happens that I can rock my left ankle easier off the A instead of the C. As far as knees go, I use RKR to lower E's. Some guys use RKL. The other 4 are fairly typical but I do experiment alot. That's part of the fun of the steel. Alot of it is personal preference combined with what combinations can be achieved by using knees in conjunction with the floors. Just my opinion.

BTW, I had to use that shovel quite a bit last weekend also. Don't you just love fall? And winter's coming on soon...

[Bill Hankey]

Ric,

I've been busy this morning drilling and tapping two small holes in my pedal rack to facilitate a new idea that swept over me, much like a warm southern breeze. My pedals, just (2) are mounted on a slight bias. I've spaced them with great care to assure that the rocking motion and the proper height from the floor have met with scrutiny. This gadget is made from aluminum angle, and it confines the left foot by preventing it from slipping off the "B" pedal. Your standard "C" pedal is a major hang-up for beginners. Really.. there are two options that best the standard positioning of the "C" pedal. One is at the right knee, and the other a half length short pedal mounted above and between the A&B pedals. The standard "C" pedal is the klutziest piece of work and unfinished business that I've seen at the manufacturing level. I've practiced a few tunes about an hour ago, and the "Pedal Guide" will allow me to concentrate solely at the top of the steel. Like The "LUCKY 7", it's a wonderful addition that reduces the bothersome slipping off the pedal and 3rd string breakages.

[Bill Hankey]

Ric,

I spent a few hours shaping the pedal guide to specs, and to no avail. I've removed it and made other changes that have improved the A&B pedal action. The pedal rack allows for sliding the pedals unit as necessary. I filed a slight bias on the inner edges to the pedals that are made from casted or extruded aluminum. I'm not double jointed which would be ideal for twisting the ankles on and off the the A&B pedals. The total sound depends on changing those pedal pitches with accuracy.

[Bo Legg]

Jim Cohen wrote

Certs is a breath mint...

Jim, I like all your previous witty short responses but the relevant eluded me here. Perhaps you could elaborate.
I know if you have to tell a joke twice....

[Bill Hankey]

Sal, the eighty pounds soaking wet, neighbor, who can easily jog for 20 miles a day, has moved. When the bulk of his collection was loaded into various vehicles, I surmised that much of his collection was given away. He agreed to be out by Nov. 1st, and was taking a rental 1/2 mile down the road. I could see from across the street how it all went down. I watched yesterday as a crew of workers brought two one ton dump trucks, and a van to clear out the articles that he let behind. Every time that I heard sounds that were a bit louder than usual, I'd glance out to look at the workers. It was one of those moments that stirred my imagination. One of the workers had found Sal's snow shovel. Without hesitation, he pitched it in such a way into the body of the truck, that the shiny aluminum may have been looked upon for the last time. If you're ever driving through routes 7,8,or 9 in Pittsfield, MA, you may spot the child size jogger, or hear my steel on the north side of town.

[Barry Blackwood]

Sal, the eighty pounds soaking wet, neighbor, who can easily jog for 20 miles a day, has moved. When the bulk of his collection was loaded into various vehicles, I surmised that much of his collection was given away. He agreed to be out by Nov. 1st, and was taking a rental 1/2 mile down the road. I could see from across the street how it all went down. I watched yesterday as a crew of workers brought two one ton dump trucks, and a van to clear out the articles that he let behind. Every time that I heard sounds that were a bit louder than usual, I'd glance out to look at the workers. It was one of those moments that stirred my imagination. One of the workers had found Sal's snow shovel. Without hesitation, he pitched it in such a way into the body of the truck, that the shiny aluminum may have been looked upon for the last time. If you're ever driving through routes 7,8,or 9 in Pittsfield, MA, you may spot the child size jogger, or hear my steel on the north side of town.

Bill, after this latest regurgitation, wouldn't you agree that this thread, which has run the gamut now from A to B and back again, has run it's course? There's nothing more pathetic than someone laboring to keep a thread going long after it's run out of steam, don't you think?

[Bill Hankey]

Sal, the eighty pounds soaking wet, neighbor, who can easily jog for 20 miles a day, has moved. When the bulk of his collection was loaded into various vehicles, I surmised that much of his collection was given away. He agreed to be out by Nov. 1st, and was taking a rental 1/2 mile down the road. I could see from across the street how it all went down. I watched yesterday as a crew of workers brought two one ton dump trucks, and a van to clear out the articles that he left behind. Every time that I heard sounds that were a bit louder than usual, I'd glance out to look at the workers. It was one of those moments that stirred my imagination. One of the workers had found Sal's snow shovel. Without hesitation, he pitched it in such a way into the body of the truck, that the shiny aluminum may have been looked upon for the last time. If you're ever driving through routes 7,8,or 9 in Pittsfield, MA, you may spot the child size jogger, or hear my steel on the north side of town.

Bill, after this latest regurgitation, wouldn't you agree that this thread, which has run the gamut now from A to B and back again, has run it's course? There's nothing more pathetic than someone laboring to keep a thread going long after it's run out of steam, don't you think?

[Ric Epperle]

Bill, after this latest regurgitation, wouldn't you agree that this thread, which has run the gamut now from A to B and back again, has run it's course? There's nothing more pathetic than someone laboring to keep a thread going long after it's run out of steam, don't you think?

I think that Bill is a bit tired...

We all get that way...

Thread worn out..........

Regards, Ric...

[Charlie McDonald]

At the risk of flying off topic down the hill in a modified snow shovel race (I was actually expecting to see a new lap steel design made from the much adapted tool, including its use as a brickbat):

I didn't get the impression that the implication was that Day players are slow learners.
It's my contention that Day players are smarter.
Therefore we have to take more grief from the less fortunate.

Much the same as you do, Bill, when you exercise your write* to free speech from its tendency to turn into soundbites, or word bites, as it were.
Words do bite sometimes, and wisdom is not biting back.
I'm always bemused (I think that should be demused) at the several who come to bury you, shovels at the ready, and not to praise you, like Caesar. Were there more Marc Antonys and fewer Bruti, casting themselves as hit men eager to do somebody else's dirty work and claim it as a victory... well, if wishes were fishes, we'd all flounder in the ocean.
______________________________
*I myself am a deconstructionist like John Lennon, but nobody cares.

Certs is really the perfect candy mint!

[Bill Hankey]

Charlie,

People who live in the northern parts of U.S.A. need only to glance out their windows after a big snowstorm, to get a better view of the current trending to a mechanized world. Snow blowers are fired up on both sides of the street. The newest idea that reduces the strain of lifting snow, is the shovel handle with a bend. If you go back 100 years and read the absurd claims made, that would make life easier, it would reduce gullibility to almost nil. To be negative is not nearly as much of a problem as the art of duping the general public for sales purposes. EXERCISE IS NECESSARY! Practicing on favorite musical instruments are good mild exercises. The pedal steel is perfect for exercising both mind and body.

[Charlie McDonald]

If you go back 100 years and read the absurd claims made, that would make life easier, it would reduce gullibility to almost nil.

I'm writing a book about time travel.
Maybe I need a novel shovel, because it's getting pretty deep....

The pedal steel is perfect for exercising both mind and body.

I am currently in the phase of turning the psg onto its top, setting it up, climbing underneath it to make the corrections I didn't make, turning it back onto its top.... That's when I get the most bang for the buck in terms of gut exercise.

My pants are falling off since I've worked my butt off; now working on the gut.

And believe it or not, I find you inspirational in keeping up with what I need to do.

[Barry Blackwood]

well, if wishes were fishes, we'd all flounder in the ocean.

Yes, Charlie, and if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his a$$ when he hops.

[Bill Hankey]

Barry

Did you know that frogs have more courage pound for pound than a tiger? The only thing that unnerves them is the snake in the grass. I base this on my own nature studies.

[Stu Schulman]

Bill,Except for the Flying Japanese Sand Tiger that John Lovitz speaks about...Those are the toughest.