Players of Fender Cable Guitars

Andrew Srubas · Post by **Andrew Srubas** » 28 Jan 2016 9:35 am

Hello,
About a year and a half ago I got a Fender 400 and started learning how to play cajun music on it. I have it tuned to an open G with a a high G on top. A pedal pulls Ds to Es, B pedal pulls Bs to Cs, C pedal lowers Bs to As and D pedal pull my high G to an A. I'm learning stuff almost exclusively from Aldous Roger Reocrdings. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1ZWEH3UCys)

I am totally in love with sound of this Fender and last weekend I sat in with some folks that played some cajun stuff but also swamp pop and some more straight up honky tonk kind of stuff. It totally sold me. I want to get another guitar, possibly a double neck so I can keep my G neck and continue to play the classic 50's dance hall cajun stuff but I'd like to start messing with another tuning.

About a month ago I bought a copy of Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard, which is a killer album. I have been listening to it non stop. I am hoping people could steer me towards more iconic Fender Steel stuff. I would also appreciate if people had an idea of the guitars and setup that were being used. I've seen a couple guitars for sale but am a little unsure what I should get or how to set it up so some inspiration of stuff I can copy would be awesome.

Thanks!!
AJ

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 28 Jan 2016 9:53 am

I think the first song with steel I've heard is in this song by the Youngboods. Banana played a cable steel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV_R_O8V79U

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 28 Jan 2016 11:14 am

Interesting. I always thought Cajun pedal steel players used E9.

I'm doing a couple of gigs this weekend with a Cajun band I used to play with years ago. I always used a 6 string lap steel (my usual A6 tuning) but this time for a change I'm using my 6 string pedal steel tuned to the middle 8 of a regular E9 with A&B pedals plus E raises on a lever. Of course, I get A6 with the pedals down so I'll probably spend a lot of time in that mode but will be able to throw in some bends too from time to time.

Should be fun.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 28 Jan 2016 11:28 am

Early '60's Wynn Stewart has Ralph Mooney. I believe he was playing a Fender 1000 at the time.

Curly Chalker played a 1000 on "Travis" by merle travis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mQSD7ST2h0

If you like hippie country rock Sneaky Pete plays a 400 on the Flying Burrito Brothers "Gilded Palace of Sin"

here's Jay MacDonald:
http://magicjukebox.blogspot.com/2011/1 ... se-me.html

Red Rhodes and Lew Houston continued to play Fenders after most players switched to ShoBuds and Emmons and ZBs, etc...

Here's John Ely on a short scale Fender 400
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDVgGMb_nTo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2U3IinMyO4

Andrew Srubas · Post by **Andrew Srubas** » 28 Jan 2016 12:46 pm

Those are some great videos! thanks... Do you have any idea what the tunings are?

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 28 Jan 2016 1:02 pm

Probably C6 for the Travis/Chalker video. The tuning can be found in the forum archives.

Jay McDonald probably E9, as well as John with Asleep at the wheel.

There is some good info on the Fender Cable forum too:
http://z8.invisionfree.com/Fender_Steel ... a7&act=idx

I encourage you to check it out. It doesn't get much traffic these days but there's ton of great info on tunings and links to more youtube clips showing Fender players...although some videos have been deleted by youtube.

Also if you're on Facebook there is a Fender pedal steel group that has some good stuff and you're more likely to get responses to any questions you may have.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1648769605337317/

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 28 Jan 2016 4:36 pm

Dave Zirbel wrote:Early '60's Wynn Stewart has Ralph Mooney. I believe he was playing a Fender 1000 at the time.

Ralph was on a lot of the early Buck Owens records with his Fender too. It was him on "Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard"

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 28 Jan 2016 4:45 pm

...and Merle Haggard. Norm played a Fender with him for awhile too.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 28 Jan 2016 5:58 pm

Here's another album with Moon on a 1000:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qNs75UaG3A

And one album, with (mostly) Jay McDonald on his 1000:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_1kHSN2j2s

Here's a few with Stu Basore (on the Fender 1000 that I used to own!):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDdKPkyCHAg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKleTa9 ... g6OlSZbHOj

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8S5pnk ... DC5199D319

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 28 Jan 2016 6:03 pm

Lots of great leads here. But defintiely get a copy of "The Legend and the Legacy" which is instrumental cuts by Sneaky Pete. It may sidetrack you from some of the "country sound" Fender stuff, but it's sublime, and extremely inspiring.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 29 Jan 2016 3:07 am

Thanks for the Youngbloods link, Joachim. Takes me back. Had not 'discovered' Banana.

Sneaky Pete's 'The Legend & The Legacy' is a favorite, sent me by Anita, but 'Meet Sneaky Pete' is killer, originals w/ Earnest on keys.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 29 Jan 2016 5:20 am

Joachim Kettner wrote:I think the first song with steel I've heard is in this song by the Youngboods.

There may be others, but the first song I remember hearing with pedal steel was "Nashville Cats" by the Lovin' Spoonful from 1966. John Sebastian has said he played the instrumental tag on the end after about 5 minutes of fooling around with a Fender pedal steel and some coaching from Zalman Yanovsky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSUaAod9eL4

The Spoonful used the pedal steel on several other recordings, but it was usually played by Yanovsky. Here's Zally sitting behind a Fender on this lip-synched version of "Rain On The Roof" from the Hollywood Palace television program from September 24, 1966. (And dig those twin Vox Continentals on "Summer In The City.")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSBrv7bg8Gg

The late Zal Yanovsky was a brilliant country guitar player, who preferred playing the somewhat obscure Guild Thunderbird to the more traditional Fender Telecaster. Zal is considered a god by no less an authority than Eric Clapton. Here's a version of "Nashville Cats" that differs from the original recording and more than verifies Mr. Clapton's infatuation with Zal Yanovsky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcL8yFzHd8o

Don Barnhardt · Post by **Don Barnhardt** » 29 Jan 2016 2:02 pm

The beauty with the 400 is that you can play around with tunings.

Brett Lanier · Post by **Brett Lanier** » 29 Jan 2016 2:32 pm

Mooney might have been using his homemade steel for the Wynn Stewart stuff. I spoke with him on the phone one time and he explained how when he first got the Fender he showed up to a Buck Owens session with it and Buck asked him if he could run home and get the homemade steel because it sounded better. He then had to break it to Buck that it was completely wore out and unplayable.

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 29 Jan 2016 3:35 pm

Brett Lanier wrote:Mooney might have been using his homemade steel for the Wynn Stewart stuff. I spoke with him on the phone one time and he explained how when he first got the Fender he showed up to a Buck Owens session with it and Buck asked him if he could run home and get the homemade steel because it sounded better. He then had to break it to Buck that it was completely wore out and unplayable.

I think you're talking about this one, I believe it's a Rickenbacker T-8 that he added pedals to. You can see the mechanism underneath. I remember hearing some urban legends about it, that the legs would fall off when he picked it up, and that it was destroyed in a fire, but who knows.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 29 Jan 2016 3:39 pm

I think the one in that photo is the Magnatone that burned up in a fire.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 29 Jan 2016 4:02 pm

More fuel to the fire...
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=141844

Ian Worley · Post by **Ian Worley** » 29 Jan 2016 4:15 pm

Heehee! A little topic drift, but here's another about that old guitar: http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=179908.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 30 Jan 2016 12:51 pm

Zal is considered a god by no less an authority than Eric Clapton.

Jack, Zally is also considered by Richard Thompson as a big influence. Listen to "If" on Fairport Convention's first album if you can.

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 30 Jan 2016 5:17 pm

John Ely with is 400!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL3BGOHA16o

Gary Hoetker · Post by **Gary Hoetker** » 31 Jan 2016 10:59 am

WOW......John Ely, on his Fender 400,is as about as close as one can get to the legendary Mooney himself on this one. This is the PSG style that sends chills down my spine and keeps me infatuated with the 60's West Coast Sound. There aren't many that are still alive from that era. Thanks so much for posting.

Rose Sinclair · Post by **Rose Sinclair** » 2 Feb 2016 8:13 pm

Hey Andrew-
John Ely lives in Minnesota -- go for a lesson and ask a bunch of questions!
His website is:
http://hawaiiansteel.com/index.php

Good luck and have fun!

Matt Haney · Post by **Matt Haney** » 3 Feb 2016 6:15 am

AJ,

Ralph Mooney! Give me a call!

Matt

K Maul · Post by **K Maul** » 3 Feb 2016 8:17 am

Hi Matt!! Love your Fender playing. I'm still looking for a Cajun band around here.

Richard Wilhelm · Post by **Richard Wilhelm** » 6 Feb 2016 5:06 pm

I like the feel of the cable pedal, more than the rods. I feel more in touch with the smoothness of the bend and less mechanical. Is there anybody else that have any thoughts on this, or am I just a lonely anachronism? And by the wall, I also prefer the string volume pedal over any other.