Jimmy Day's early copedent

[Brad Sarno]

What would Jimmy Day's copedent have been in the early 60's? Say, on that Steel and Strings album...

Here's one version I've found, but I was under the impression that back then he may have had only 1 or 2 knee levers...

http://b0b.com/wp/?page_id=725

Anyone?

Thanks,
Brad

[Jon Light]

If I'm not mistaken, Steel & Strings was on a D-8 (just to complicate your question).
And if I am mistaken, never mind.

[Donny Hinson]

One of the N'ville guys can validate it, but I'm fairly certain "Steel & Strings" was done using a D8
tuned to D9th. And somewhere, buried in my collection, is an original reel-to-reel of that album. Now, I probably haven't listened to it in 15 or 20 years, but I don't believe that any levers were evident on that album. My old Sho~Bud Tuning Guide indicates that his first D10 guitar had only one lever, lowering 2 a whole tone, and 8 a half tone.

The setup Brad listed is probably from later in his career (I'd guess late '70s to early '80s), when it became vogue to have four levers on the E9th.

[Chris Lucker]

Fender 1000 on that album. I think it was Herb Steiner on the forum who identified open note(s) to deduce D9 tuning on the one neck.
The Sho-Bud All Star Tuning Guide shows this below. I don't know the year, but the address on the guide is Broadway and there is a zip code.

[Chris Lucker]

Does anyone know when Sho-Bud made that little booklet I refer to above?

[Bobby D. Jones]

I have the Bear Family Records re-issue of Golden Steel Hits and Steel and Strings. In the notes it says the original STEEL AND STRINGS ALBUM was recorded at Columbia Recording Studio in Summer of 1962. The one person who could help more than anyone would be Mr. Buddy Emmons. The story I heard was Jimmy was with Buddy Emmons when Buddy split a pedal to make the 3 pedal setup from the 2 pedal E9th was done. Since Buddy and Jimmy switched places with Ray Price it was important they kept their guitar set up with the same copendent so they could get the same licks on openings and turnarounds. Mr Big E where are you?

[Jussi Huhtakangas]

Does anyone know when Sho-Bud made that little booklet I refer to above?

If there is the Broadway address it's post -63-64. My permanent is a -63 and was made in Madison. I've always tried to get somebody to verify when Shot moved the business to Broadway address but nobody seems to have the exact answer!

[Herb Steiner]

Donny is correct. It was a D-8 in D9 tuning. Probably was the first Blue Darlin', the one with his name in cursive on the front apron.

It was back in the 70's and I was working out either "I Can't Stop Loving You" or "Making Believe" (I can't remember which), and it was in Bb using open strings. So it had to be D9. I asked Jimmy "eight-string D9th, right?" and he smiled and said "you're paying attention." He was a very much fun guy to hang with, loved to party.

[Fred Layman]

A story circulated in earlier days that it was Shot Jackson that actually came up with the E9th tuning while Emmons and Day were both on the road. Shot reportedly called both players to report what he had come up with and both players put it on their steels, but that the two players reversed the first and third pedal changes, resulting in the Emmons - Day variation. I have never seen any validation of that story however.

[Donny Hinson]

A story circulated in earlier days that it was Shot Jackson that actually came up with the E9th tuning while Emmons and Day were both on the road. Shot reportedly called both players to report what he had come up with and both players put it on their steels, but that the two players reversed the first and third pedal changes, resulting in the Emmons - Day variation. I have never seen any validation of that story however.

No, that's not the case (at least, according to Buddy).

Bud (Isaacs) originally pulled the B and lower G# strings with one pedal. I split the B string pull away from the G# pulls, and placed them on separate pedals in 1956. Sonny Burnette had split pedals before I did, but I did not get the idea from him. I got it from Jimmy Day and Spider Rich playing harmony on a Dave Rich album. The only way I could get that sound was to split the function of the single pedal. I told Day what I'd done, but I didn't tell him which way I split them. So he had his split just the opposite.

So, Sonny Burnette had the split pedals first, then Buddy Emmons, then Jimmy Day.

[Lee Jeffriess]

Donny, Vance Terry had them on his Bigsby in May of 54 !