Steel Guitar Simplified-Zane King and Jackson Steel Guitar

[Zane King]

First, let me say to my wonderful and beloved steel guitar community, this instrument is intended to be marketed to the existing 6 string electric guitar players and beginners. Of course, anyone else who has become frustrated with how complicated the Pedal Steel Guitar can be! This is what I'm calling STEEL GUITAR SIMPLIFIED! I'm not only excited about how practical this can be for the player, but David and Harry Jackson are building a masterful instrument (of course they are) that honestly will be a welcomed addition to any guitar player's collection. And for the beginner (and those disgruntled players with D12s,D10s,S10s with umpteen pedals and levers) this instrument will be ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED!!!!

[Ricky Davis]

How did they "Simplify" it? How is it "Practical" for the player?? What can you explain/Market to us that have been in the "Mechanical and Material" pedal steel guitar biz for a long time; about what makes the Jackson so excitable??
Ricky

[Zane King]

More to come Ricky.

[Zane King]

Hey Guitar Pickers, Steel Players and everyone else who loves that sweet sound and versatility of a Pedal Steel Guitar! Here is the very first sample reel of the 6 String Steel that I have been collaborating on with Jackson Steel Guitar. The idea here is to lower the complex nature of the Pedal Steel while maintaining the core natural elements that has made it famous. Thus, this instrument inherits decades of mechanical and musical development. So while many aspects will be familiar to some, the idea here is to produce an instrument that can be favored by existing musicians and newcomers alike for years to come. In fact, my hope is for the vast majority who adopt the 6 String Steel into their musical journey it will be the only Pedal Steel you ever need. Stay tuned for much more news on this and come join in the excitement about the new Maverick 6 String Steel Guitar!

https://youtu.be/sQlDqhaV32s

[Ricky Davis]

Ok thanks Zane; that certainly is simplified down from a 10-string pedal steel. The mechanical parts and metal parts made, I know are extreme quality as my neighbor/steel machinist partner; Michael Yahl, does a LOT of parts for Jackson and of course I have Harry Jackson also at the top of my list of the greatest mechanical parts and setup master. Lots of luck.
Ricky

[Dennis Montgomery]

Curious to see the copedent. I know how I'd do a 2x2 6 string...Emmons E9 strings 3-4-5-6-8-10, standard A+B pedals, knees split the E's

[Jeff Neal]

Did Hudson Steel Guitars not have this already?

[Marco Schouten]

Wouldn't pedal steel guitar benefit more from standardization that from more different layouts and setups?

[Johnie King]

These are cool. Jackson stand up model pedal steels.

[Wayne Brown]

still waiting to find out about this Zane
thanks
wayne

[Zane King]

https://www.jacksonsteelguitar.com/prod ... el-guitar/

[Fred Treece]

I love the idea of a 6-string 2-pedal guitar. I wish it had been around 50 years ago.

As most forum members are probably aware, Junior Brown and Michael Stevens designed and built a stand-up pedal git-steel not long ago. They mounted a volume pedal on the frame so it could be worked with the player’s right forearm. As you can see in Johnie’s picture, the young lady would have a difficult time working the foot volume pedal and changer pedals simultaneously - pretty much a standard technique with psg. I would not want to have to choose between them, although necessity being the mother of Frank Zappa...maybe some new technique would develop.

As far as the pedal git-steel goes, it may be a brilliant concept, but it just seems like too much contraption. I have heard that not even Junior himself plays it live.

[Jimmie Hudson]

Did Hudson Steel Guitars not have this already?

yes

[Johnie King]

Jimmie Hudson has been manufacturing the six string pedal steel with the same tuning as Zane's Jackson since 2011.

For great tone, playability an price and an instrument that will last a life time my hats off too Jimmie!!

[Johnie King]

[Johnie King]

[Jimmie Hudson]

The Hudson Six string E9th middle 6 strings from a 10 string pedal steel. These have been Built beginning in 2010 till now and will continue to be built.
These were made for the guitar or lap steel or dobro player as well as the Pedal steel player that needs a easy to carry guitar that stands still and stays in tune as well as any guitar.
Any style of music can be played on the six string pedal steel. Any song ever written can be played on the six string Hudson Pedal steel guitar.
The Hudson six string is designed and built to have the best Tone and sustain possible.
Also the Hudson is affordable in price. Check them out at hudsonsteelguitars.com

[Bill Hatcher]

Until you make the standard guitar tuning available on these you won’t coerce many guitar players to peel off over two grand for one of these nicely made instruments. I recorded this blues cut of an old Freddy king tune years ago with a six string pedal guitar. Tuned EADGBE. I’m only using a couple of pedals and a couple of knees. Until you can get a standard guitar player to sit down at one of your guitars and immediately see his neck and know where his licks are and can play some blues and rock and have more of the sound of the guitar he is familiar with, you are fighting an uphill battle. You don’t want to force him into the E9 world. You need to keep him in the guitar world. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FKdeid_MBqo&feature=share[/url]

[Bill Hatcher]

Here is the same little 6 string pedal guitar getting some Chet atkins sounds. Your maverick sounds nothing like this. A guitar player will really need to hear that he can get some familiar guitar sounds out of it. You really need to do a demo of any Derrick trucks tune. You would grab more guitar players who are into slide guitar than by playing E9. They would be happier being able to play the same faux peddle steel sounding licks they play and having them sound even more authentic. Sorry about being a bit opinionated, but I went down this path years ago and learned my lesson. Oh yes…don’t use a pickup that sounds like a pedal steel. Make two models…a tele set up and a les Paul set up with master tone/vol and a selector switch. Guitar players want that. And for $2400, you sure should get a raised neck. Click on the link and download the track. Thanks https://www.mediafire.com/file/mymw0huz ... l.mp3/file

And here is some rock on it. A mash up of a hank tune with some rock stuff. https://www.mediafire.com/file/egjmiwmy ... l.mp3/file

[Wayne Brown]

I'm sorry but from all the hype i was under the impression that this was a new concept in the steel guitar industry. What i am seeing is just a scaled down version of the normal 10 E9th string. I honestly thought it was a standard 6 string tuning E,A,D,G,B,E and that you had found a way to get both worlds. I'm with Bill here, I think this would be a lot easier for a beginner to learn on however, it does not give the full spectrum of sound the 10 string E9th has to offer. The guitar should be a Telecaster or Gibson type of set up with standard tuning with proper pulls to represent bar chords running up and down the neck. Now that would be cool.
Thanks
Wayne

[Bob Carlucci]

Until you make the standard guitar tuning available on these you won’t coerce many guitar players to peel off over two grand for one of these nicely made instruments. I recorded this blues cut of an old Freddy king tune years ago with a six string pedal guitar. Tuned EADGBE. I’m only using a couple of pedals and a couple of knees. Until you can get a standard guitar player to sit down at one of your guitars and immediately see his neck and know where his licks are and can play some blues and rock and have more of the sound of the guitar he is familiar with, you are fighting an uphill battle. You don’t want to force him into the E9 world. You need to keep him in the guitar world. https://youtube.com/watch?v=FKdeid_MBqo&feature=share[/url]

Gotta disagree to an extent Bill. First off however, that was GREAT blues ditty.. great tone, great execution and great feel.

However, it was a bluesy, "guitary" type of tone. Seems like thats kind of what you were aiming at.. Almost like it was done by a very advanced slide guitar or lap guitar player.. It was not "pedal steely" sounding, and I don't think you wanted it to be.

I think the whole point of those 6 string pedal guitars is getting a good electric guitarist into the realm of pedal steel and its distinctive signature sound with relative simplicity.

I mean, a really good and versatile guitar player would already have the "blues vibe" covered especially if he /she could play some slide.
However, they still would not have the typical "country steel" sound, which is not easy for most guitarists to master...
I think a simple 6 string 2 pedal 2 knee lever guitar would be good bet for some guys that want the traditional pedal steel sound on occasion, without having to learn "real" pedal steel,,,

All that being said however, to play a 6 string pedal steel well is still going to mean a substantial learning curve for most guitarists, even very good ones.

Not sure it wouldn't make better sense to get a 10 string and just learn it from the get go.. I am sure any good guitar player that can learn to play a 6 string pedal steel effectively would be able to handle a 10 string steel after some wood shedding..Just my opinion.... bob

[Bob Carlucci]

I'm sorry but from all the hype i was under the impression that this was a new concept in the steel guitar industry. What i am seeing is just a scaled down version of the normal 10 E9th string. I honestly thought it was a standard 6 string tuning E,A,D,G,B,E and that you had found a way to get both worlds. I'm with Bill here, I think this would be a lot easier for a beginner to learn on however, it does not give the full spectrum of sound the 10 string E9th has to offer. The guitar should be a Telecaster or Gibson type of set up with standard tuning with proper pulls to represent bar chords running up and down the neck. Now that would be cool.
Thanks
Wayne

I suppose one could order one that way, unless the mechanism is designed to be totally non adjustable.. I know where you are coming from, but I think most guys that would buy this would want a pedal steel sound, not so much a slide guitar/standard tuning sound... bob

[Fred Treece]

Open E, A, or G tuning. I would have wanted those options. E9? Not so much.
The steel world seems to assume an awful lot of ignorance in the guitar world. Alternate tunings have been a thing for a long time now. Players like me, who started experimenting with slide right from the start, would have jumped on this stand up 6-string pedal steel.

[Bill Hatcher]

Gotta disagree Bill... first off however, that was GREAT blues ditty.. great tone, great execution and great feel.

However, it was a bluesy, "guitary" type of tone.. Almost like it was done by a very advanced slide guitar or lap guitar player.. It was not "pedal steely" sounding... I think the whole point is getting a good electric guitarist into the realm of pedal steel and its distinctive signature sound with relative simplicity.. I mean, a really good and versatile guitar player would already have the "blues vibe" covered especially if he /she could play some slide... However, they still would not have the typical "country steel" sound, which is not easy for most guitarists to master... I thinkjust make more sen a simple 6 string 2 pedal 2 knee lever guitar would be good bet for some guys that want the traditional pedal steel sound on occasion, without having to learn "real" pedal steel,,, All that being said however, to play a 6 string pedal steel well is still going to mean a substantial learning curve for most guitarists, even very good ones...Not sure it wouldn't make better sense to get a 10 string and just learn it from the get go.. I am sure any good guitar player that can learn to play a 6 string pedal steel effectively would be able to handle a 10 string steel..Just my opinion.... bob

Thanks bob. I always enjoy your posts here on the forum for years. Thanks for hearing exactly what I am going for. NOT sounding like a pedal steel and more like a lap or slide player. At 72, I still make my living playing guitar,bass,banjo lap steel,etc. I’m out there in the trenches and know what’s going on. Guitar players would much rather sound like that than the syrupy E9 2 left pedal mashing stuff that is traditional. They want to sound like Derrick trucks or sonny landreth or the real blues slide guys. I just don’t hear these guys wanting to sound like waltz across Texas. Man you know how guitar players are always coping steel sounding licks as best they can. With the EADGBE tuning, you can approach enough of the E9 sound by using the DGB strings and pulling the D to E and the BTo C with one pedal. There is your 1 to 4 chord. Just pulling B up to C….there is your B bender sound that legions of guitar players use. I just think dangling the E9 carrot in front of them is not going to entice them as much as dangling something that they could use in a more rock blues guitar sound. To me, I personally don’t like to hear E9 used for rock/blues. We all have our opinions and we all share our love of the steel guitar, but this topic caught my eye as the six string pedal guitar has for decades been built and never really caught on as well as I think it should, and I don’t remember one builder who ever tried approaching the standard guitar player with his familiar tuning. I also think that this maverick is way under built pedals and knee wise. A full complement of 4/4 should be expected as well as at least 3/3 changer. The G string should have a 4/3 finger as it is utilized a lot pulling G to G# for E7 chord. I have 3 pulls up on my G. A better pull would be G to A with a half stop to the G#. Another necessary pull is the D string one full step down to C with a half stop down to C#. The half step down to Db is a fabulous 9th chord and the rest of the drop gets you a nice minor 9 chord. These are voiced exactly like a guitar player does, not like an E9 player. The other sound you have to give guitar players is the 5ths in the low strings. You need to pull A to B and DTo E for low rock 5thchuggingbrhythm stuff. E9 negates the low rhythm. Just the DtoE pull gives you rwo octave string pairs for Wes Montgomery sounds. There are so many more lower and raise possibilities you can use on the EADGBE tuning for very nice sounds. I just strongly see the approach as being not explored by 6 string pedal builders aiming at the guitar player market. This is my hill….I will expire on it as I have seen the E9 6 string hill and I didn’t think it was worth it. It was littered with the remains of traditional E9 players who chose that hill and ended up there all basically sounding the same all mashing those two left pedals and wondering when that sound is going to popular in country again. Please pardon my lengthy diatribes. Always enjoyable to share here on the forum.

[Jimmie Hudson]

Gotta disagree Bill... first off however, that was GREAT blues ditty.. great tone, great execution and great feel.

However, it was a bluesy, "guitary" type of tone.. Almost like it was done by a very advanced slide guitar or lap guitar player.. It was not "pedal steely" sounding... I think the whole point is getting a good electric guitarist into the realm of pedal steel and its distinctive signature sound with relative simplicity.. I mean, a really good and versatile guitar player would already have the "blues vibe" covered especially if he /she could play some slide... However, they still would not have the typical "country steel" sound, which is not easy for most guitarists to master... I thinkjust make more sen a simple 6 string 2 pedal 2 knee lever guitar would be good bet for some guys that want the traditional pedal steel sound on occasion, without having to learn "real" pedal steel,,, All that being said however, to play a 6 string pedal steel well is still going to mean a substantial learning curve for most guitarists, even very good ones...Not sure it wouldn't make better sense to get a 10 string and just learn it from the get go.. I am sure any good guitar player that can learn to play a 6 string pedal steel effectively would be able to handle a 10 string steel..Just my opinion.... bob

Thanks bob. I always enjoy your posts here on the forum for years. Thanks for hearing exactly what I am going for. NOT sounding like a pedal steel and more like a lap or slide player. At 72, I still make my living playing guitar,bass,banjo lap steel,etc. I’m out there in the trenches and know what’s going on. Guitar players would much rather sound like that than the syrupy E9 2 left pedal mashing stuff that is traditional. They want to sound like Derrick trucks or sonny landreth or the real blues slide guys. I just don’t hear these guys wanting to sound like waltz across Texas. Man you know how guitar players are always coping steel sounding licks as best they can. With the EADGBE tuning, you can approach enough of the E9 sound by using the DGB strings and pulling the D to E and the BTo C with one pedal. There is your 1 to 4 chord. Just pulling B up to C….there is your B bender sound that legions of guitar players use. I just think dangling the E9 carrot in front of them is not going to entice them as much as dangling something that they could use in a more rock blues guitar sound. To me, I personally don’t like to hear E9 used for rock/blues. We all have our opinions and we all share our love of the steel guitar, but this topic caught my eye as the six string pedal guitar has for decades been built and never really caught on as well as I think it should, and I don’t remember one builder who ever tried approaching the standard guitar player with his familiar tuning. I also think that this maverick is way under built pedals and knee wise. A full complement of 4/4 should be expected as well as at least 3/3 changer. The G string should have a 4/3 finger as it is utilized a lot pulling G to G# for E7 chord. I have 3 pulls up on my G. A better pull would be G to A with a half stop to the G#. Another necessary pull is the D string one full step down to C with a half stop down to C#. The half step down to Db is a fabulous 9th chord and the rest of the drop gets you a nice minor 9 chord. These are voiced exactly like a guitar player does, not like an E9 player. The other sound you have to give guitar players is the 5ths in the low strings. You need to pull A to B and DTo E for low rock 5thchuggingbrhythm stuff. E9 negates the low rhythm. Just the DtoE pull gives you rwo octave string pairs for Wes Montgomery sounds. There are so many more lower and raise possibilities you can use on the EADGBE tuning for very nice sounds. I just strongly see the approach as being not explored by 6 string pedal builders aiming at the guitar player market. This is my hill….I will expire on it as I have seen the E9 6 string hill and I didn’t think it was worth it. It was littered with the remains of traditional E9 players who chose that hill and ended up there all basically sounding the same all mashing those two left pedals and wondering when that sound is going to popular in country again. Please pardon my lengthy diatribes. Always enjoyable to share here on the forum.

I would like to see a copedent chart for the guitar tuning that you think would work well with reference as to how the changes work together.