Junior Brown to play a pedal Guit-Steel

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 13 Nov 2001 7:09 pm

Junior Brown is awsome playing his combination Tele & Steel.

I just received Guitar Player Magazine and there is an article with Junior Brown and he mentions a Pedal Guit-Steel that he will play standing up. He states the guitar side will be similar to his other guitars, but the steel sidse will use 3 floor pedals-maybe more- as well as hip levers and palm pedals.

I can't wait to see this thing!

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 13 Nov 2001 7:27 pm

This will be good for all of us.

Graham · Post by **Graham** » 13 Nov 2001 7:39 pm

Len:
Have a look on the pics page on Ed's website. Pics there of a 6 string pedal guitar he made for a fellow down east. Tuned the same as a regular 6 string, with 6 pedals and 5 levers.

http://www.ambrec.com/fulawka/pictures.html

BTW: Did your pickups arrive??

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Rebel™
ICQ 614585

http://users.interlinks.net/rebel/steel/steel.html

Michael Garnett · Post by **Michael Garnett** » 13 Nov 2001 8:32 pm

Is Junior going to be using this newfangled contraption by the time he gets up to Billy Bob's on December 1st? Just wonderin... we're all talking a road trip up for that one... free room and board if you talk real nice to my mom!

Michael "Young-Gun" Garnett

jlsmith48 · Post by **jlsmith48** » 14 Nov 2001 8:38 am

Will this mean that we will be expected to play standing up now?

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 14 Nov 2001 9:20 am

Sierra once made a standup steel with hip levers. I played it. It was cool!

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 14 Nov 2001 11:05 am

I believe I've seen pix of Don Worden with Porter Wagoner playin' pedal steel standing up

Fred Layman · Post by **Fred Layman** » 14 Nov 2001 4:57 pm

The Hawiian player Billy Hew Lin stood up to play his Fender 1000 pedal steel.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 14 Nov 2001 6:49 pm

Hi Graham:
The pictures on the Fulawka website are awesome. Such beautiful looking guitars and what workmanship.

I still have not received my pickups yet. I talkeed to Ed last week and told him I would wait awhile longer to see if they show up. There are still some mail shipments coming in to the US that are being held up.

Harry Hess · Post by **Harry Hess** » 14 Nov 2001 7:06 pm

Remember Phil Baugh? (sp?)

Hot Nashville guitarist from the 60's, 70's who had six cables running from his tailpiece to six floor pedals. Bet the setup will be similar.

Regards,
HH

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 15 Nov 2001 11:12 am

Marion Hall played stand up pedal Bigsby.

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 15 Nov 2001 1:27 pm

Steve Howe of YES did one tour in the 70's where he played his Pro II standing up. He had the legs extended but the pedal rods were standard length so the pedal rack attached half way up the extended leg almost two feet off the ground! He would lift his leg up to play the pedals! Very weird looking! Needless to say this was only attempted for one tour. But ya gotta give him credit for tryin'!

Let's hope Junior comes up with a more user-friendly solution!

GV

Jason Stillwell · Post by **Jason Stillwell** » 15 Nov 2001 6:42 pm

Take a look at Buddy's pics on his website. There's a shot of him playing steel standing up--with the steel behind his back!

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 16 Nov 2001 4:47 am

....and of course Bob White played standing when he fronted his own band..... no knee levers, but he had a board full of floor pedals! www.genejones.com

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 16 Nov 2001 8:29 pm

In talking with Junior while he was here last week-he stated that he is having Duane Marrs work on a Sho-Bud that will be the steel guitar and having a Tele type guitar mounted somehow onto it

Jim Smith · Post by **Jim Smith** » 16 Nov 2001 8:52 pm

This is great news! Sounds like if we brush up on our six string playing and get one of those rigs with a Universal tuning on the steel, we could be stars too! I know some of you sing as well, so you could be the next Junior Brown!

I always enjoy watching Dick Meiss switch back and forth between steel and guitar. I know Buzz Evans and Junior Knight are killer guitar players too, so maybe this is the instrument of the future to get pedal steel more recognized!

!!!GO JUNIOR!!!

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@home.com
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
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db · Post by db » 17 Nov 2001 1:14 am

I CAN"T WAIT TO SEE THIS!
Who did the design work?

db · Post by db » 21 Nov 2001 5:33 pm

Dave Petersen and Paul Warnick
?

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 26 Nov 2001 7:15 am

In the Jan 2002 issue of Guitar Player Magazine interview with Junior, It states that Dave and Myself have been building instruments for him-and it is true that Junior took delivery about a year and a half ago of a non-pedal triple eight P.A. Reissue of the original Bigsby (number 6) from us-he has used this guitar on several recordings including his guest spot on the Sponge Bob Square Pants cartoon and a cut or two from his newest release "Mixed Bag"-the article also states that we have built two Guit-Steels for Junior but this is only partially true-Dave has almost completed the first one which is similiar to the others having Fenderish parts on the Spanish neck but having a Bigsby steel guitar neck-the other Guit-Steel is still in the research stage- having a Bigsby steel neck and a more Bigsby looking type of Spanish guitar neck as well-as far as the mention of the "Guit-Pedal-Steel-Junior has consulted with us for input to the design but it seems that he is going to have Duane Marrs make the thing from an existing Sho-Bud pedal steel

Jeff Lampert · Post by **Jeff Lampert** » 26 Nov 2001 7:39 am

<SMALL>I CAN"T WAIT TO SEE THIS!</SMALL>

I have NO INTEREST in this. It'll be very gimmicky and most certianly will add ZERO credibility to our instrument. Next time he should combine b&nj@ with mandolin with harmonica, and leave the steel alone. IMO, as usual.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 26 Nov 2001 9:15 am

We're too late! Vega made b@njo mandolins many years ago. I guess that was their "Universal".

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 26 Nov 2001 11:34 am

Jeff L-I understand that you are entitled to have NO INTEREST in this subject-So then why did you post on it??? I am quite sure that you have never seen Junior play in concert or you would not have made the statement about him giving ZERO CREDABILITY to the instrument-Junior's playing has brought steel guitar to a whole new wider audience that would probably have no concept of our instrument had they not seen Him play it

Dave Burr · Post by **Dave Burr** » 26 Nov 2001 12:44 pm

I humbly agree with PAUL.

I would think that the reason Junior is pursuing this is that he's looking for a particular sound that he can't achieve with his current set-up, yet give him the same flexibility with the electric guitar that he has with the original 'Guit-Steel. In my opinion, Junior has more than legitimized himself and the original 'Guit-Steel'. It might not work for everyone, but it sure does for him. He continues to amaze me every time I see him play.

Respectfully,
Dave Burr

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 26 Nov 2001 4:58 pm

Dave B-You are right about Junior looking for the added versatility-He is accomplished on steel with pedals as well-On the "Long Walk Back" release you can hear Junior's pedal steel playing on several cuts and if you listen close you will hear some of his influences-Green, Rugg, and Charleton-I know that Junior has deep respect for Lloyd's playing especially

Jeff Lampert · Post by **Jeff Lampert** » 26 Nov 2001 8:24 pm

<SMALL>I understand that you are entitled to have NO INTEREST in this subject-So then why did you post on it???</SMALL>

Because putting together a hybrid guitar and pedal steel delegitimizes a true pedal steel and a true pedal steel player. I have seen Junior Brown on TV and think he's a great entertainer and plays some nifty stuff, but I only saw his combo guitar and steel. I didn't think his idea of playing a steel guitar did anything to advance our cause, and I doubt that what he comes up with now will advance the cause of pedal steel. It will make it appear, as I already said, very gimmicky. He will probably focus on a lot of sound effects with the pedals, as he does now on his current rig, which will further delegitimize it. He will advance himself certainly, and further legitimize himself as an entertainer, but do not confuse the two, he IS NOT furthering the cause of pedal steel as a legitimate instrument of many varied musical expressions. I just don't think that this is his agenda. If you want to get behind some new concepts that advance the exposure of legitimate pedal steel, look to the "Sacred Steelers" and not Junior Brown. All IMO, of course.