I play six-string steels tuned E9(B6), with a very simple pedal, literally made from a coat hanger, that raises the B to a C.
I'd like to compare notes with anybody who's done this kind of thing. I've seen reference to steel guitarists of the 40s and early 50s modding their instruments with coat hangers and bailing wire, and I'd like to find out more specifics about what they were doing.
My 3rd (B) string is hooked by the coat hanger between the nut and the tuner. The only permanent mod to the guitar is an 1/8" hole drilled through the peghead and/or tuner pan.
I often wonder why early PSG developers walked away from string benders like this. Was it driven by the need to raise two strings with one pedal? It's really surprising how smoothly such a simple bender works. It's quick, fluid, always returns to pitch, is dead silent and you can play it in bare feet.
I'm also curious if anybody knows what early "coat hanger" pedal steel players were doing to what sort of tunings. Any Rico Turchetti buffs here?
As far as what good is a single half-step raise, I'll try to briefly explain why I like my tuning and copedent (if you can call it that):
1 F#
2 D#
3 B -->C
4 G#
5 F#
6 E
The tuning is the same (down a half-step) as Chuck Lettes' "Modified C6", but you will no doubt see it as an E9 PSG tuning without the 3 & 4 strings (and the 2 low strings). As with the Lettes setup, you can do all the usual C6 non-pedal techniques, but the pedal opens up a world of other stuff. A I - IV change that sounds a lot like stomping A & B pedals is accomplished by pressing the pedal while moving the bar up one fret. With the pedal down it's now a complete 7th chord (root on string 4), which can be slid up to the V chord, and then slanted from there to another voicing of the root chord. And a number of slants that almost work on a C6 can be brought into tune with the pedal. Another benefit is that it puts C, D and E major triads into a better-sounding range on the neck than they would otherwise be. Of course, it's great for harmonized scales on strings 2,3 & 4, because the the pedal is changing the third. And thanks to the pedal, scales and melodies can be played moving the bar just between two adjacent frets, so some speed can be developed.
Jon Blackstone
