Pedal Steel how-to, tech tips, nostalgia, Jeff Newman, etc.

[Brian Spratt]

I'm working on a new website called "The Pedal Stop"... some of you might catch my tip-of-the hat in that name to Jeff Newman's old "Pedal Rod" publication. I'm publishing technical articles, information on old records, and giving some special attention to the great Jeff Newman. I have big plans for the site if there's enough interest in it. This is just a starting point. If you have ideas or would like to contribute, let me know!

https://briancspratt.wixsite.com/thepedalstop

[Joe Hensley]

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

[Brian Spratt]

You're welcome Joe, thanks for checking it out.

[John McClung]

Brian, as a family member of Jeff's, do you have in insights into what the deal is/was with Melissa and her poor handling of the Jeffran business when Jeff and Fran had passed? I have no beef with her, I was a small dealer (still am with inventory) of "Right Hand Alpha" (DVD course, with CD of rhythm tracks), she did right by me...just curious what caused everything to go so sideways?

I enjoy your website, just have one suggestion: consider changing the font on the Jeff Newman section to a Roman typeface, Times Roman, etc. That font you're using, likely Avant Garde, is tough to read. I'm a longtime graphic designer and steel player.

Professor Twang

[Brian Spratt]

John, I want to be respectful of the Newmans' privacy, and I honestly don't understand a lot about what happened. I'm holding out hope that we'll see Jeff's work return at some point.

Thanks for the suggestion on the font. I can see what you mean, so I'll try another font.

[Jack Stanton]

Nice job, Brian. It was fun going down memory lane with Jeff's articles.
Looking forward to the next installment of P/P changer cleaning. Making the collar points with nail polish is a stroke of genius.

[Brian Spratt]

Thanks, Jack, for the kind words. That push-pull changer article is something I'm very excited about. I'm amazed that, as far as I know, nobody has written anything quite like it before.

[Jerry Overstreet]

Ah yeah. Good stuff. Good to see some of those Pedal Rod articles revived to this medium.

Lots of informational data as well as some of Jeff's humor on the side.

[John Sims]

Awesome Brian! Thanks!

[Brian Spratt]

Hey John! Thanks, glad you liked it.

[Rick Kornacker]

Hey all! Sure a pleasant surprise to find another member of the Newman clan to surface so I'm sure we can give a warm welcome to Brian and his desire to be a helpful addition to the steel guitar community. Ever since Jeff's untimely passing there has been a lot of questions regarding the future of his "legacy" and the handling(or mishandling) of his valuable works. Many of us all miss the man for lots of good reasons that establish his well- deserved place in steel guitar history. After Jeff's passing I personally pondered the future of the business end of things, knowing that there would be a continued demand and interest in his work. With all due respect I arrived at the conclusion that in order for things to work smoothly Jeffran needed to be run by a pedal steel player, an individual well versed in music proper that understood truly what the prospective student needed. This, unfortunately, didn't happen. Many "forumites" who knew of me and my wife Jan(Fran's daughter) wondered if we would be involved in the effort. After all, one might say that I was well versed in Jeff's style and teaching methods, and Jan's administrative as "girl friday" in the office for many years. The powers that be(or were) proved differently and the Jeffran experience ended up in a wrong place. We have no regrets for not being "approached" in regards to this issue. In fact,if it is true, a little birdie told me that Jeff really didn't want the business to go on after he was gone...perhaps he was right. Thanks again to all involved in supporting his work over the many years. We are all better off for it. Future players will discover the materials and benefit from it...there's plenty of it out there still! No one else or entity will ever "own it"... a just example of what "public domain" should be. And so...life goes on. Respectfully submitted,RK

[John Laidler]

Man, that Time Machine essay is something else!

https://briancspratt.wixsite.com/theped ... me-machine

Thanks.

[Bill Ferguson]

Hi Brian,
I have some video from Knoxville of Jeff that I would be happy to contribute.

bferguson1947@gmail.com

[Brian Spratt]

Thanks Bill, I sent you an email.

Rick, your input is very well said and much appreciated.

[Ron Funk]

Hi Brian

Great documented work (so far) on the "How-To" for disassembling an Emmons changer.

Both the text and photos are very well done -

Keep on keepin-on!

Regards
Ron

[Brian Spratt]

Thanks Ron! I've got too many little projects going and I need to get back to it and finish it up soon.