What I did was to have a pedal steel guitar built to non pedal specifications with non pedal criteria which also includes the tuning. It's a hybrid. In order to save our Non Pedal Universe I will only speak about the NON-PEDAL aspects of this guitar. I will not be speaking about the copedant, knee levers, foot pedals, cabinet drop, or the mechanics. All of those things will be discussed in a separate thread in The Pedal Steel section. That being said, I do have two "non pedal pedals" which I will explain further down the line.
Ever since people began to play the style of steel guitar, be it acoustic or electric, altering & bending the pitch on the fly has always been a curiosity if not an endeavor. Behind the bar string pulls, slants, & sliding slants have been used to both obtain more chords and/or get that sliding pedal steel sound. Some vintage lap steel guitars had Stringtone & Triplex pitch changing mechanisms to do just that. In more recent times there has been a great interest and use of palm levers such as The Dusenberg and Certano among others. Then we have The Hipshot Double Shot which changes the entire tuning with a lever mechanism. So, we have been heading down this road for a time now and the obsession is real.
I began learning the dobro (at age 21) and that led to lap steel and an appreciation of all genres of music played on steel guitar including pedal steel. When I was young I was an advanced mediocre player and could usually play something that fit in most kinds of music (except jazz). Now I'm mostly a curiosity seeker and perhaps eccentric innovator at 73.
So here is my modus operandi although it's certainly not well established or characteristic:
I'm a dobro & lap steel player. I learned on 6 string open G. I'm 73 and don't have the years to learn pedal steel,.....and that's really not my goal anyhow. I want to keep the non pedal sound, tuning, techniques, and stick with what I know, but want to have the option of being able to play more extended chords and get other sounds. I want to do both and I want to be able to do that if and when I want to.....or not at all.
I approached the very talented men at Williams Guitar Company, Bill & Tim Rudolph and asked if they could build a guitar to my specs, which they did with flying colors.
Here's The Williams S8 Hybrid........
The most important criteria to me is string spacing. I need 3/8 string spacing at the bridge like on a Fender Stringmaster. I get thumb tied with a narrower spacing. I also want to incorporate slants and string pulls which I can do as on any other of my non pedal guitars. The taper is not a standard taper nor is it 100% parallel.....it's somewhere in between (I don't have the exact number but it's very comfortable for me)......
Since this had to be a cabinet guitar I wanted a wood neck both for sound (if there's a difference - I'm sure there's argument about that) and for asthetics - the keyword here is warmth to keep a lap or console steel guitar vibe.
Tuning - 8 string G tuning. You don't get much more lap steel than that. Six strings are too few (for this particular guitar) and ten strings are too many. The 8 strings keeps this guitar small, light, & manageable as does the keyless head. It also keeps the non pedal sound and vibe. Here's how it's tuned:
1. D - .016
2. B - .018
3. G - .026
4. D - .034
5. B - .038
6. G - .046
7. D - .054
8. G - .080
I wanted a full bottom low end so I opted for a .080 G on string #8....it's a basement power chord when I want it to be or a real low root (although I'm not looking to get into a fight with any bass player)
As I mentioned, I have two non pedal pedals and each one changes the tuning. In a way, it's like The Hipshot Double Shot that you see on dobros. On dobros it's flips between D and G tuning. On this guitar, pedal 7* changes the tuning to A11 and pedal 8* changes the tuning to Am11. Here's how it looks:
A11 low to high strings 6-1 : A C# E G B D
Am11 low to high strings 6-1 : A C E G B D
So when I keep a pedal engaged, I have that tuning and it sounds best on 6 strings. I happen to like these chords and the tunings themselves are very versatile. The Am11 has a real jazzy sound on almost anything you play on it.
The pickup......I went hybrid on this also. I did not want to sound like a pedal steel yet I wanted to be able to have a pedal steel characteristic sound. There's a difference. I wanted a non pedal sound not sounding too vintage and not sounding too modern. After checking out what was available in an 8 string configuration, I chose the Steeltronics Z8 coil tap. The Z8 is based on and emulates the original pickup that was wound and installed in the original ZB pedal steel guitars built by Zane Beck. As I read about them I learned that the original ZB pups are very desirable and coveted, and this pickup sounded just right to me for the sound I had in my head. I opted for the coil tap configuration. Wound to 9k and 6k. I'm very happy with this choice.
My reasoning for this endeavor: I'm a dobro player. I'm a non pedal player. I like the sound of pedal steel. I'm too lazy to start from scratch. I'm too old to start from scratch. I want everything and every option in one sitting......so, by having my foundation tuning and 3/8 string spacing, I have a solid home base. If I'm not quick enough on a lever or pedal, I can go where I need to be without them. If I get confused or forget what a lever or pedal does, I can make due without them. So, I'll slant to get a minor chord or play a dyad instead of a 4 note chord if I miss a change.....or pull a string or two if I can't get to the AB pedals. I want to be able to easily come home if I start to get lost. I used to go to the PSGA shows in CT and when Herb Remington was alive and played there, he brought his pedal steel but he didn't play like a pedal steel player. He used his pedals to change tunings and to get chords. He played beautifully, especially Hawaiian music which he really didn't play in Dallas on non pedal. I was always impressed by his way of playing and I guess that influenced me.
In closing, I love this guitar. Williams were wonderful to work with and they are so meticulous in their work. I love the finish (I know it's not everybody's cup of tea but it sure is mine) the sound and the ease of playing. I've achieved my goal in having a non pedal - pedal steel. I cannot think of anything that could have been done better or anything that I would change.
* I mentioned pedals 7 & 8 while the photos depict 5 pedals.....I had Williams add 3 pedals but didn't bother to re-shoot the photos.
