Origin of the Pedal Steel Guitar

[Alex Cattaneo]

Hi folks,

I'm looking for articles or websites dedicated to the history of the pedal steel guitar, the transition from non-pedal to pedal if you will. I would like to better understand how it happened, the Bigsby guitars, the start of Sho-Bud, etc.

[Dave Grafe]

There was a fabulous article in the old Steel Guitar Magazine, b0b may still have some for sale here...

Here are a couple of relevant links:

http://www.planet.eon.net/~gsimmons/shobud/buddy.html

http://pedalsteelguitar.org/history.html - this one is very basic and has some inaccuracies...

There is a lot more out there but these came up with a quick google search...

[CrowBear Schmitt]

Leo had one back in the Renaissance ...

[Alain-Yves Pigeon]

Why don't you check with forumite Carl "Pat" Dixon, he has written a book called The Evolution of the Pedal Steel Guitar.

He had a few copies left a couple of years ago, better send him a PM. Maybe b0b knows about this.

If you want his personal email address, send me a PM and I'll give it to you.

Best,

ayp

[Donny Hinson]

Google "Hawaiian Harmolin", as that's where it all started. The Harmolin, an acoustic steel guitar, was probably the first commercially made steel guitar with tone changing levers for individual strings that could be activated while you were playing. These were knee levers, and this was several years before Jay Harlin designed the first "pedal steel", which later became the Multi-Kord.

Yes, it's a fact. Knee levers came before pedals.

[Michael Lee Allen]

deleted

[Doug Beaumier]

Some early PSGs, before Bigsby, Fender, Sho-Bud, were the Harlin Bros. Multi-Kord and Gibson's Electaharp, early-mid 1940s. The pedals were used more as "tuning changers" back then, not so much to play pedal licks within songs, as they are today.

[Alex Cattaneo]

Thanks guys! I will look into all of these.

[Danny James]

Here is a great article by Bobbe Seymour which has a lot of history of the pedal steel guitar.

http://pedalsteelmusic.com/?p=802

As you read on through it, there is mention of Harlin Bros. Multi-Kord.

Jay Harlin of the Harlin Bros., by the way held the first patent on a pedal steel guitar with his Multi-Kord. His personal Multi-Kord had 15 pedals. I have seen it and heard him play it many times.

http://www.hawaiianaires.com/misc/artic ... lywood.htm

[Paul Gates]

This use to belong to my dad.. he got it in the 50's and toyed with it.. then I toyed with it as a kid in the 60's and it was put away.. I may just have to get it out and play with it again.. just for kicks. I still have all his lesson tabs and sheet music from those early days.

[Danny James]

http://www.hawaiianaires.com/misc/artic ... lywood.htm[/quote]

If you look at the young fellow in the front row on the right end, he is playing a 4 pedal 6 string Multi-Kord exactly like the one my father bought for me at Harlin Bros. in 1948 when I started taking lessons in their studio in Indianapolis when I was ten yrs. old. (after 4 years, I taught there for two) That Multi-kord body is made from a one piece all Aluminum casting. The lids on each end were cast Aluminum as well.
There was one earlier model Multi-Kord, that had square corners instead of being rounded like this one.
The next newer models from these all had wood bodies, as does Jay Harlin's 15 pedal. Prior to his 15 pedal Custom M-K there were two that I know of with 11 pedals each.
Some Multi-Kords had natural wood finishes, and some were painted, but most were covered with a mother of pearl finish. They had different colored plastic lids over the tuners, and the changer on each end.
Multi-Kords came with 4 or 6 pedals, in 6 and 8 string models. They also made some with two necks, but those only had pedals on one neck and none had knee levers.

[Willis Vanderberg]

The Multi-Kord was more than a changer of chords.
My late friend Gene Mears of Battle Creek Michigan could play most of the licks for any Buck Owens Songs. He used both feet on the pedals and his little finger on the right hand ran the volume knob
He had an eight string axe with four pedals.
Gene came from Indianapolis and was a great picker.
Sad to say he passed away some years ago.

[Stuart Legg]

My father discovered the PSG
Click here