ZK Plays Jackson 6 String "Release Me" Video #1

Zane King · Post by **Zane King** » 7 Aug 2012 2:53 pm

Here is a quick introduction to the Jackson 6 String Pedal Steel Guitar that you play standing up. This is a more traditional "look" at this instrument. Right now, I'm at work on a more "rock/blues" introduction as well. It really has a lot of versatility. And best of all it is very simple to play. I will be making a video about that too.

Let me know your thoughts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU9NFCZySbw

Larry Bressington · Post by **Larry Bressington** » 7 Aug 2012 4:02 pm

I think it's a great idea for a person who wants to play it as a secondary instrument, especially if they are doubling or tripling with multiple duties...Act's these days need the diversity in their sound, 3 back-up multi-pickers could play 9 instruments and have a very interesting sound in a 5 piece band. You don't have to be a master picker at them all or even one of them, but it would be nice!

Wally Taylor · Post by **Wally Taylor** » 7 Aug 2012 4:32 pm

I think it is just cool as can be, a little something for everyone and it sounds great. Hope it catches on everywhere.

Josh Rossow · Post by **Josh Rossow** » 7 Aug 2012 8:38 pm

Hey Zane thats pretty cool, Is the reason for no knee levers because it would be to awkward standing up to move them? It would be cool to add an arm lever like on your other steel.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 8 Aug 2012 4:22 am

how much is it?

Zane King · Post by **Zane King** » 8 Aug 2012 11:07 am

Larry - no question it is a secondary instrument. Unfortunately, the steel guitar seems like a secondary instrument in many environments. This doesn't have to be the case with steel but just recently I observed in the "family entertainment market" of Branson and Pigeon Forge that almost every steel guitar being used was for about 1 or 2 tunes per night.

Zane King · Post by **Zane King** » 9 Aug 2012 5:51 am

Josh - no knee levers because it would be a bit awkward. The idea with this instrument is to keep it very simple. I think if someone wants to advance to the next step it would be to a standard pedal steel. Make sense?

Bill - obviously this is still in development but I think the price is going to be very reasonable. I will find out more for you soon.

Stay tuned,

Zane

Larry Bressington · Post by **Larry Bressington** » 9 Aug 2012 6:08 am

Zane..I think what you are doing for the world of 'Steel guitar' is absolutley amazing, not only in your playing, but in the development of 'Outside of the Ring' standards...Just this arm lever you have on your guitar is brilliantly thought out and beyond. You remind me of a young Buddy Emmons, Julian Tharpe type person of today..You have a new fan!!

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 9 Aug 2012 6:11 am

Zane, it appears to be pretty "wobbly" which I guess is because of the extra length of the legs and such. Is there anything they could do to make it more stable as it seems that like most other things, the more it was used the "looser" it'd probably get. Maybe some cross rods or something or even a plate across the front maybe six or eight inches wide about half way down the legs might stablize it a little more.... But then again maybe it's a mute point....... Anyway, I love what you're doing on it and there is a lot of potential here. I think I'd like one at regular height.....JH in Va.

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 9 Aug 2012 6:41 am

The steel you're playin' is the new Jackson "Lil' Bud".

Brett

Zane King · Post by **Zane King** » 9 Aug 2012 8:39 am

Larry - you are too kind. Just to be mentioned in that company is humbling to say the least.

Jerry - David Jackson watched the video and noticed that immediately. It really doesn't bother me but David said the next version would not do that. This is just a prototype. The Jacksons have some very large scale plans for this instrument.

Brett - The Jacksons I think are rethinking this whole approach and this guitar here is a part of that evolution. So technically it is not the "Lil Bud" but who knows where it is going to end up.

Tom Franke · Post by **Tom Franke** » 12 Aug 2012 5:24 am

Zane, is it tuned to an open E chord or to a standard guitar E tuning? Could it be easily tuned to other open tunings--open G for example for Dobro players? I realize there'd need to be pedal changes. How easy is that? I guess I'm mostly wondering if it's designed to be very flexible or mainly a "what you see is what you get" type instrument.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 12 Aug 2012 9:40 am

What is the copedent, Zane?

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 12 Aug 2012 11:11 am

I stuck part of my thoughts over on the other thread. But a few more:

1) The clientele aren't too dumb to figure out a "real" steel - they've just been put off by the price and the time needed to learn to control one. And the hassle to set it up for a 45-minute gig, etc. With some forethought, it should be possible to make an instrument that can work in open E and open D with tiny adjustments, and a conversion over to open A/open G could be easy. And the pulls could be clips on the rods... once you had the clips adjusted, you'd only need to switch clips to get from open E to open A, and only move them if you changed string gauge or the intent of the pull. (And each pull could be locked.)

2) Make it classy, for pete's sakes - nothing can kill sales faster than an instrument that looks like old men designed it to look hip, artsy, groovy, phat, retro, outasite, for "those kids." Peavey PowerSlide? You could give one to a six-year-old for Christmas, but an 8-year-old would be insulted.... American* maple with an amber/butterscotch tint looks great, if it "needs" trim beyond the structural aluminum, use American* walnut.

3) The wobbles are a killer - I just got a MSA SuperSlide with the 3-legged stand and it's all over the place, free, genuine, manual vibrato! I'm lucky I have a suitable $5 walker.

4) Kick a loud, clean signal, with tone and volume controls. I'd try both an Alumitione and an EMG-Hz (passive) pickup. Hit up Brent Mason and a couple of rock guitarists to bring their pedalboards over and plug it into their's; rock guitarists know overdrive psychotically well these days, and what they'd want to feed it.

5) If you put a full-page ad into Premier Guitar (to coincide with their review) and get orders for 350 and have to sub-contract to Paul Franklin, Gene Fields & Bobbe Seymour, it's nothing to complain about, you're not living under a bridge, right?

*(and don't brag on it, just do it. Rosewood and ebony are currently dirty words.)

Earl Foote · Post by **Earl Foote** » 12 Aug 2012 3:58 pm

Zane, do you know if this is going to be available in a sit down version?

Zane King · Post by **Zane King** » 13 Aug 2012 9:45 am

Sorry it has been tough to find time to respond to everyone. What I can tell you is this is very much a product that is in development. Just keep that in mind.

The copedent is simple:

From top to bottom:

E
B
G#
E
B
E

Pedal one raises G# to A
Pedal two raises B to C#
(think Jimmy Day setup)
Pedal three lowers G# to G
(thus making the whole open tuning a minor key)
Pedal four (when available) lowers E (string 4) to D thus making a dominant 7 for the open tuning.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 13 Aug 2012 11:17 am

Dang that's exactly what I would do - P3 and P4 together quite notably turn this thing into almost exactly standard tuning (Just the 4th-string B - P5?), which would be a veryuseful feature for the "where-in-the-heck-AM-i" blues...

Pastor Bruce Kiser · Post by **Pastor Bruce Kiser** » 13 Aug 2012 6:18 pm

wow! that's nice. i love the simplicity of the 6's
and have been making some to order for about three
years now.they can be seen here on the forum under " pastor bruce kiser " posts .
the coped is interesting -- mine is e9 style with
1-6 same as 34568&10 on a 10 string.
keep up the good work !
pastor bruce

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ZK Plays Jackson 6 String "Release Me" Video #1

ZK Plays Jackson 6 String "Release Me" Video #1

six string ps