Thought I would never find a steel guitar I didn't like the sound of. Cause I love them all.
( WRONG ) ! Tonight I did. I made the mistake of sitting in with another band on another man's steel. I won't mention a brand name but bailer twine on a tub would of sounded just as good. I turned every button on the amp and nothing changed.
I will never sit in without my equipment again !!!
I remember a gentleman named Harvey Reynolds in the Tennessee area who had a steel guitar that looked like it had been through a couple wars. Jeff Newman once told me he and some others tried to play it and it sounded terrible. But at the hands of Harvey, it sounded like a million bucks. Guess Harvey just knew how to tame the appearance.
I remember such an instrument showing up at the Alaska State Fair with Freddy Fender in 2003. Can't say if it was Harvey or not but the guitar had mis-matched, rusty legs and the body was completely beat. It sounded good enough in the mix but left us shaking our heads wondering what the guy playing it was spendong his money on....
I haven't heard Harvey Reynolds' name in many years but this thread reminded me that I bought a used Fender 1000 from Harvey in 1967. I recall going out to Jersey City to meet him through a mutual musician friend and hearing him demonstrate that Gibson Console Grande. I thought "man, who needs pedals?"
I played that Fender on many gigs and finally sold it and got into other pedal and non-pedal steels, but I never forgot what Harvey could do on a non-pedal. I believe he played Bill Doggett's "Honky Tonk" just to demonstrate the non-pedal style to us on that Console Grande.
I guess he kept that guitar all those years and who wouldn't!
Frank, I believe this demonstrates the truth, it not all the tools, but the craftsman who can use an old axe to carve a master piece. Thats what I think when I see or read of people that critize others for their tunnin. If the picker likes it and he or she ccan make a work of art who care wat the tunning. I tell you the audience doesn't know or care what tunning or neck. The want good sound
"Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first begin to deceive" Someone Famous
I've never had a good experience sitting in with a band and playing somebody else's guitar. I'm so used to hearing my amp and the feel of my guitar that anything else is just foriegn matter to me.
I hadn't thought of Harvey in years, but yeah, he could play that old Gibson! Last I heard he was living in East Tennessee around Knoxville. I think I have a video of him at the 1994 New Orleans show somewhere in the files.
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?
There were a lot of great old timers that played Knoxville. Sure miss that show.
Scotty's show is great too. I guess, like the radio, Scotty leaves out a lot of history.
The 25th show, at St. Louis, I met Curley Chalker at the check in,. After I relized who he was, I ask him if he was playing. He told me he no longer owned a guitar. I guess no one wanted to let him borrow one and could be he would not of played someone else guitar. I sure wish I could of went home and got mine for him. 600 miles each way and the show would of been over. Now he is gone and a lot of others will be too before we get to see them on stage again.
If you young steel players or steel lovers ever get a chance to hear the old timers. Take it. There never coming back. Harvey is one.
I always tear up when I think about meeting Curley!
Last edited by Bill Moran on 9 Nov 2010 4:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I first met Harvey in Kentucky at the Steel Guitar Show. He came in and sat down next to me and began talking... I had no clue who he was but I must say, when he began playing on stage... I learned real quick the meaning of "you can't judge a book by the cover". His playing on that old Gibson was as good as any other there that day. I was a hugh fan of his from that day on.
I too learned the meaning of "You can't tell a book by it's cover" one time about 10 years ago. An older man (over 70) called me one day and asked if I could build him a steel, he'd about wore his out. He says "I want a double eight, no pedals 'cause my legs don't work too good anymore". Sent me a deposit and I built him the one pictured here. I get it done, and he has a friend drive him to my place. I have it all set up, plugged in etc. I'm not expecting too much....he sits down, says "hey I like this.....fiddles around for about a minute, then breaks into the "Sugarfoot Rag" on it. I about fell off my chair!. His buddy gets my flattop, I get my bass....we played great stuff for over an hour. I'll never forget that day long as I live. He's passed on now, his guitar showed up in a music store in Toronto, and was bought by a fellow in southern Ontario that I've talked to several times. A little off the topic but I thought I'd throw this in anyway.
Mac
Harvey passed on a couple years ago. He COULD make that D-8 Gibson talk. His E9th tuning was strange in that it went to D directly from the G#...the string we pedal guys would call string #6. I saw him many times in Knoxville and Saluda. He certainly didn't need any pedals for sure!!!
PRR
Danny, the equipment was almost new. Lexicon, Nashville 1000, Goodrich and the steel is no more than 5 years old. A very sought after guitar.
I don't want to start a fire storm so I will not mention the name. I would not of made an atempt if I thought something was flawed.
I have never played a steel that a few knob turns would not make it playable for me.
I have some ideas. Bad cable or bad Lexicon. Could of been a bad Nashville 1000 ? I have listened to this guitar played before. It sounded right up there with most others I have heard.
I just don't want to be put in this position again.
This happens when you are around friends and they keep on wanting you to " play a few ". You have been there. I just hate it was in front of 200 people I didn't know.
Most pro's will tell you it's in the hands. I have a personal picture of Curly playing an MCI. You all saw him on an album covers with other brands. He sounds the same - good. When I sat with him, he said I have a lot of guts playing a reverse pedal set up and playing a strange geetar'. He's right, I was dumb. I won't try that again.
I went to school and worked with Harvey's nephew Terry for many years. A very musical family. Terry's dad Archie was a well known bass player around these parts too. Harvey really did make that D-8 sing. All those guys used to frequent Ciderville Music, the place where I bought my first steel guitar years back.
Look's like I will get redemption on Dec. 3rd. I'm playing a Christmas party with this band and using my equipment. I will have no one to blame that night !!
To offer another perspective...I found myself in a couple of situations over the years where other steel players asked to sit-in on my rig, and then they proceeded to tell me everything that was "wrong" with my gear, tone, pedal travel, lever setup, tuning, etc.
I never asked for their input, nor did I appreciate the insinuation that I somehow wasn't qualified to make my own decisions.
Keith Murrow wrote:
I never asked for their input, nor did I appreciate the insinuation that I somehow wasn't qualified to make my own decisions.
Keith, Let me offer to you the Kyle Busch salute !
I only made this post for a few laughs. I really don't care what kind of junk this guy plays or you play for that matter. I was taught a lesson on sitting in with off brand equipment !! Salute !
Last edited by Bill Moran on 10 Nov 2010 2:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It could have been that individual guitar rather than whatever brand it was. Perhaps it was the pickup, or a bad volume pedal that sucked out all the tone*, or the way the amp was set.
*without mentioning the brand name, I have a volume pedal that works very well on a guitar but sounds awful when used with a steel. It pulls out all the high frequencies and muddies up the sound terribly. I don't understand why it sounds good on one instrument and not another.
I turned every button on the amp and nothing changed. 
I'm willing to bet we've all been through that at one time or another too. 
picker who had not put on new strings in years!He tought his tone was ok..........yuk 
