Same old thing, my two cents

Johnny Cox · Posted 6 Mar 2009 3:32 am

Well most of you know or have heard by now that I have put my guitar under the bed as far as a career. Yes I'm driving a truck hauling freight all over the country. After the last two atempts to make a living with this thing Joan and I came to the decision that further attemps would not be in our best interest. No problem with that for me. I have already done what most folks only dream of. Now I'm one of the many guys that will pick for fun and not worry if I'll make enough money this week to take Joan to supper.

Now to what this post is about.
?????? How many ways are there to build a ZumSteel?????
I see post about so and so's new guitar they have just designed and built. So tell me how many ways can you build a Formica cabinet with aluminum necks and a all pull scissor changer? Where are the inovators like Paul Bigsby, Shot & Buddy, David & Harry, Bud & Reece. With the exception of MSA & Jackson nobody has changed anything of any significance since Bruce designed the ZumSteel that accomplished what the LaGrande failed to. No one has improved on Bruce's design except Bruce.
Ok, now I've done it, I'm going to really get flamed for this but just see for yourselves.
Now MSA inovated with the carbon fiber body and improved on their original changer design. I am very honored to have been a small part of MSA's design and manufacture of something NEW. Now the Jackson brothers are taking the bull by the horns and developing completely new and fresh designs for the guitars of the future. Steel builders are just like steel players, there are few that inovate like Hal, Buddy, Jimmy, Lloyd, Curly and a few others. Then there are the guys like me and most of you that try to play just a little of what the inovators played. It the same with the vast majority of psg builders, they are simply making attemps to recreate what's already been done. I wish them success but come on guys, Bruce did it in 1976. Put your brains to work and give your customers more than warmed up left overs. They deserve more for the money they are spending.
Disclaimer: these are my opinions only and are not directed to any certain manufacturer or individual presently or formerly the builders, designers or assemblers of any particular pedal steel guitar.
Not a bad disclaimer for a country bumpkin truck driver. And I didn't even ask my lawyer.
Tah Tah,
J.C. better known as "Troubadour" in my big truck.
P.S. If I have offended anyone you can't punchme put in Dallas, I won't be there. All in good clean fun. Razz

_________________
Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
"YANKIN' STRINGS & STOMPIN' PEDALS" since 1967.

Jack Dougherty · From: Spring Hill, Florida, USA

As far as people I know, Johnny and Joan are two of the best human beings I have met. Guys I wish you nothing but the best and offer a prayer for your continuing success. Your decision to park your guitar must have been a difficult one. In these present times it is totally understandable. You owe me no apology. Family and health. Anything else is a gift.

As to the guitar issue. And Johnny I will stand in the flames next to you on this one. Since 1983 I have owned only one guitar. The reason is simple. It works.
I have offen told Bruce he will never retire based on the number of guitars he has sold me. Yes, there is and continue to be a diversity of psg builders. That's a good thing. As Johnny said improvements yes but no major earth shattering inventions. (my words) Will the psg continue to evolve? Well there are a ton of threads on this forum regarding that.

Anyway, this is about Johnny's choice. Johnny and Joan, as my thoughts and prayer go with you both it must be remembered the great contributions you have made to your craft, Above all, honesty and integrity.

God Bless my friends

JD

Michael Douchette · From: Gallatin, TN (deceased)

How many ways are there to rout a block of wood for a solid body electric? How many ways to displace water and float a boat? How many ways to shove a firing pin into a primer?

Some things, along basic lines, once discovered, remain fairly constant. Once the radical things are done, it's pretty much refinements, different approaches to the same end after that.

(I'm still waiting for "Think-a-change." THAT would be awesome!)
_________________
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Music hath the charm to soothe a savage beast, but I'd try a 10mm first.

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(other things you can ask about here)
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Jack Dougherty · From: Spring Hill, Florida, USA

"I'm still waiting for "Think-a-change." THAT would be awesome!"

MD.....I can't think that fast Laughing

JERRY THURMOND · From: sullivan mo u.s.a.

Hi John
Good luck to you an Joan, I know you two will
do fine what ever you decide to do.

Jerry

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Maybe we should invent a pedal guitar that plays itself? After all, no one ever complained about the player piano being out of tune. Rolling Eyes

Let me preface what I'm about to say by first saying I'm not a great player, never will be. Nevertheless, being involved in this stuff for almost 50 years has taught me a thing or two.

That said, hey, I'm all for invention and innovation, but that only gets us so far. Sure, Bruce makes an excellent guitar, as do all the rest of the builders out there. Who cares who makes 'em...or why? Guitars today are better than they were 30-40 years ago. But...you see, we also had some excellent guitars 30-40 years ago, guitars that made some of the best sounds ever to be played.

So many players today bitch about this and that that it makes me wonder how Emmons, Chalker, Day, Myrick, Mooney, Drake, Green, Charleton, Hughey, Rugg, Brumley and all the rest ever earned a living, let alone played great music and got a little "famous" along the way.

Look, I listen to a lot of players, and I must admit that 98% of what I hear that's bad ain't "guitar problems", or amp problems, or pickup problems, or whatever. Yup, most all the deficiencies I hear are player problems, pure and simple. (YouTube's getting to sound more and more every day like Ted Mack's amateur hour.) No doubt about it, even a doofus could check in here one time and discover that the greatest pastime on our beloved FORUM seems to be whining and complaining about the equipment, and that the equipment MUST be the reason why they can't sound like one of the guys I mentioned above.

If it weren't so sad, it would be laughable.

Jack Harper · From: Mississippi, USA

on another note...
if you would post each week on the forum where you are trucking to, an in advance pre-log book, then, every nite you could play somewhere along the way.
we would furnish the steel and the set-up when you come our way and i'm sure you would never have to lug that ol' guitar around again.
you could have bill mack give your itenarary every mornin' on the xm and eddie stubbs every nite on am.
in fact, where is your next drop, we'll just meet you there. music a plenty along i-20....burma shave
at the crossroads ...johnny cox live....tonite.
or, is it none of our truckin' business!
be safe troubadour.
...jack....

Alan James · From: San Francisco, CA, USA

Johnny,

Yes, Bruce does build a fine guitar and has done so for many years.

That said, I do not think Bruce's combining a push-pull style body with a modified MSA changer mechanism constitutes the innovation that you seem to be craving.

Notice I did not say this was not innovation. It just does not appear to be the innovation you so sorely seem to crave.

Additionally, some could say your post sounds like hype by an endorser.

Same disclaimer also including endorsers

Steve English · From: Baja, Arizona

I kinda like my old steels just as much as my new ones....

What would be a real innovation would be to take your concept and apply it to trucks, and cars....about twenty years ago! Very Happy

_________________
Always remember you're unique..... Just like everyone else

Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

Dumplin',,,,I will miss seeing you and Joanie in Dallas!!!!,,,and I couldn't agree with you more about innovation,,,,however,,the world is VERY reluctant to accept change. Take my Lamar,,,and the builder, Lamar Colvin. This guitar not only has the most compact and efficient keyless tuner,,,but also a straight pull changer(now that's innovative) that refuses to break strings(I've had it 3 1/2 years and have NEVER broken a string!)! Is that innovative?,,,is the PSG world beating a path to Lamar's door?

When I think of all the new builders that have come out in past few years,,,,,T.V. re-runs is a word that comes to mind,,,,brand X is just a re-run of brand Y that came out last year,,,how "precision" can you make the same bell crank,,,,let's face it,,,they are ALL "precision" now,,and flawless finish,,,,but what is actually new!

If I were 30 years younger,,and were going to build a PSG that the world would want,,,what would I do first,,,let's see,,,huummm,,,maybe I would consider,,,"what is the most sought after PSG in the world",,,,Anapeg comes to mind,,,with it's 5 year waiting list,,,and is it innovative?,,,,yes,,I think so,,,,is it a re-run of a dozen other guitars,,,I don't think so. If I were one of the 6-8 "new" builders that has come out in the past 10 years, I wouldn't be copying the last guy,,,trying to make something significantly more precise,,,or shinier,,,I'd be copying the guy that is in MOST demand,,,and maybe even trying to improve on that.

Does the PSG world really want something new and innovative???,,,,(not unless "Mr. Famous" plays one they don't).

Johnny Cox · Posted 6 Mar 2009 7:26 am

Thanks for the well wishes guys. Sonny, you hit the nail on the head. When I got my first Zum in 1979 Mike Smith and I were the only guys in Gnashville that had one. Nobody would even hardly sit down and try it. Well about a year later and Vickie getting tired of me calling everyday, Hal got one. Amazingly players started taking notice. Same guitar as mine too. I think everyone should read the 2nd part of this post at least twice, some folks aren't getting the point. I failed to mention Chuck Wright, Zane Beck and Bill Rudolf as inovators.
_________________
Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
"YANKIN' STRINGS & STOMPIN' PEDALS" since 1967.

Jeff Evans · From: Cowtown and The Bill Cox Outfit

Sounds like being freed from the professional politics of popularity is liberating. Congratulations.
_____
Informed opinions especially welcome.

Barry Gaskell · From: Cheshire, UK

Hi Johhny
You're spot on there my friend.
Years ago when Buddy Emmons came to England to play at one of Gerry Hogan's excellent festivals. Someone asked him about metal expansion and the problems taking a guitar out of a car into a warm club. Buddy mentioned using a hair dryer to help the acclimatisation and condensatiom problems.
A friend and I started a rumour that there would be available soon, the Emmons hair dryer, with specially adapted changeable heads to reach awkward places. You wouldn't believe how seriously some people took it. I'm sure we could have sold some that weekend ! ! !
Best wishes with your endeavours.
Barry

Brint Hannay · From: Maryland, USA

Johnny, I'm glad in your second post you mentioned Bill Rudolph as an innovator. I was going to jump in and bring that up.

(For any that don't know, Bill is the designer of Williams PSGs.)

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Johnny, I just want to say that I hope your decision to drive a truck instead of picking for a living is the right one, and that it brings you and Joan the happiness you deserve.

It is an honor for me to be able to call you and Joan my friends.
_________________
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Brad Malone · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Hey Johnny, Good luck with your new occupation...no matter how glamorous an occupation is, if it fails to pay a livable wage and relegates one into poverty it is not worth one's time and effort, IMHO.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Johnny........sorry to learn of your musical retirement.

Please tell us MORE, about the BIG BUCKs you are gonna be draggin' home from driving that BIG RIG all over creation for six or eight months at a time. It's gonna loft you way up into the higher income bracket and that means higher taxes so the new administration can redistribute our nation's wealth.

Hope it was the right decision.......for you.
Best Wishes.

Don Brown, Sr. · From: New Jersey

Johnny, I'm not going to say sorry to hear that. Instead, I'm going to Welcome you into the world of retired steel players.

When you decide to dig that steel, out from under your bed, and set it up again, I believe you'll find that you'll get more enjoyment out of playing than what you previously did. However, in a much different way.

Sure you'll miss many of the great times, and many of the not so great times as well, but that still made them all special in their own ways. The freedom of being able to play when YOU want to, for yourself, or get together and jam with others, (if and when you choose) will make it all worth while.

I seen the offer above on doing the road sit ins.. Now in your position, that could be a real cool deal. Again, you pick and choose the spots along the way.. Very Happy

PS: I believe there have been quite a few changes on Pedal Steels. Most of them have been changes that don't appear until you really get digging down through the undercarriages.

Are they for the better? Yes, as far as ease of copedent changes, along with being able to add far more knee levers, etc.

My question is, do we really need all of those or, is it more for wanting the MOST, as like in, I want ALL the Bells and Whistles, (whether or not) I know how to use them, type of deal. I'll bet that after seeing JH's setup, with all the knees dangling, that many steels were ordered with his exact setup, when most of the players ordering them, hadn't learned how to properly use the four or five they already had on their previous steel. Just my best guess.

Now, there is one area, I'd sure like to see take place.. That is, in the area of Lowers, on the Knee Levers. I know it can be done. At this time, no one has been able to engineer a better design than what we currently have. And that is Fighting a Return Spring, for the lowers, to bring them back up to pitch. There's got to be a better way of doing that. Then, think of how many lowers on one lever would be possible! It can't be if we're fighting against the spring, that must be stronger than the strings up to pitch tension, in order to bring it back up..

Now after saying that, I'll go on to say, whoever comes up with a better idea in that department, will be the TOP selling Pedal Steel on the market. Remembering that a string all by itself, (given the chance) WILL lower. What's needed is allowing the strings to do just that, without us having to overcome the strong tension of the return springs, until (at which time) they are needed. Possibly by a trip (trigger) disengagement of the heavy spring, and transfers to a lighter spring on it's way down,(so you don't lose the complete feel) until it rehooks back to the heavier return spring, upon release of the knee lever, to return the string.

"That would be the invention of the CENTURY.."

Other than that, I say, don't change what isn't broken. Look what modern tech has brought us. Some of the ugliest automobiles on the market. Embarassed

Wishing you all the best,
Don

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

At the risk of offending anyone or getting flamed, the Nashville community is a "flavor of the day" as far as instruments. If so and so is playing a certain brand or endorsing a certain brand then that is the "flavor of the day". I remember that when I was there, including lead guitars. In the early 70's it had to be a Gibson 355 Stereo with the switch selector set to one position. Also in the early 70's the "Brand X" steel's were losing a lot of ground to the Emmons.

In the early years of the pedal steel development, whatever was available was used and those of us on the "outside" never knew about all the mechanical problems, strings and tuning, etc that the pickers had to put up with. I remember when a 5 watt amp with a 10" speaker was "big time", but it was what was available at the time.

As far as what is the "best" steel today? It's very debateable. I don't think there is a one "best" steel made today - they are all great.

Joe Rogers · From: Lake Charles, LA USA

Johnny,

Debbie and I wish you the best in your new endeavor. If your truck driving is half as good as your bus driving, your employers need never be concerned about their payloads. I am forever indebted to you for all you have done for me over the years.

God Bless you brother !!

Joe Rogers

Bobby Bowman · From: Cypress, Texas, USA, R.I.P.

A light bulb,,,,,it's purpose is to give us light in dark places. Once it is turned on, we as users have little to do with it. But, the original as well as the "new inovaters" started looking for "a better light bulb" and have kept on trying to improve the original idea. And they have certainly accomplished that. All we have to do is flip the switch and enjoy the fruits of their quests, labors and countless hours of dedication.
The pedal steel on the other hand is a mechanical/electronic music machine. The "inovator" is only partly responsible for what takes place after the the "user" takes command of it. (so to speak, "turning on the switch") That "inovative" redesign, be it better or worse than the predesessor that it was to replace, was an effort to "make it better". As we well know, some succeded, some didn't.
Me personally?,,,,I'm extreemly glad they/we did. We have "a better light bulb" becausse of the "not so inovative unsucessful efforts" of some as well as the more sucessful inovations/ideas of others.
Musicians, and especially steel playing musicans, are generally a hard group of people to accept change in their instruments, especially "radical" change.
If any builder, rebuilder, repairman, tech etc., can make or cause an instrument to play and feel better or to sound better, then my hat is off to them whether we view them as inovators or not.
Bottom line to all this is the "user"/player.
You either can play good or you can't or somewhere in between.
The real important place to be an "inovator" is between your ears and in your playing.
Most of the time if what you are playing does'nt sound good, it's not the guitar or the amp or the "inovator" or whatever else that is the culprit, you'll usually see it in the mirrow.
Inovation is a good thing. Learn what it is and learn how to use and apply it.
_________________
If you play 'em, play 'em good!
If you build 'em, build 'em good!
http://www.bobbybowman.com

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

I think a drink holder should be standard.

John De Maille · From: On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.

Johnny,
I really wish you well in your endeavor. Times are tough for most and a man has to do what a man has to do to survive. But, don't completely give up your steel playing. I gave it up in the late 80's for about two yrs. and it damn near mentally killed me. It really is a part of our mental lives and needs to be nourished more often than not.
As to steel guitars... I don't think there is a steel built, within the last decade or more, that, isn't good or great. Prior to that, there were problems with bad metals, stabilization, staying in tune and weight. Some older steels are being renovated with modern parts and finishes and that kind of makes them like NOS ( New Old Stock ) And, that's a good thing for a classic steel, instead of becoming a dust collector. I, personally, own two steels, an older RusLer ( a classic to me ) and a new ZumSteel. I love them both for different reasons. But, no steel is going to make you play like our idols, no matter what. They play the way they do, with their own styles and we play the way we do, with our own styles. If mentality and physique could be cloned, we'd all play the same and that would be terribly boring and non productive. You are who you are and your skill level is as such. No equipment can change that, only your dedication can make it better.
These statements are my opinions, take'm or leave'm.

Brian Henry · Posted 6 Mar 2009 3:54 pm

Hi Johnny,

I couldn't agree with you more. Welcome to the club! It is much better to be a wealthy truck driver with money to spend, with medical insurance and with some time to play steel for pleasure, than to be a full time steel player, who is constantly poverty stricken and has no medical insurance.
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