The Quest for TONE

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 7 Mar 2002 12:25 pm

Chuckie, it's my theatrics that make me sound good on anything! See, I'm not really sounding that good, but I look great!!!!
I really do appreciate the complements, and I need them! I am very close to calling an end to this playing part of my life, I'm going to do about five more albums (CDs),and then I plan to slow way down(stop). Chuck, you are a wonderful part of my steel guitar life, I am impressed with your playing as we all should be. You have come from a whole new direction and are still going in a wonderful new direction. You are so very impressive. I wish all those that havn't heard you , could. Bobbe

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 9 Mar 2002 10:14 am

Welcome to the board, Chuck!

Chuck is a player who can sit down at any steel, any tuning, any amp and sound great. I heard him sit down to a dobro last summer in front of a group of dobro fanatics, who came away raving that Chuck was the best dobro player since Jerry Douglas (and he could teach Jerry a thing or two).

It's interesting that hardly any of the Sacred Steel players are obsessed with tone like country players, yet their sounds vary much more than country players. There are some distinctive sounds out there, but by and large most of the tone you will hear at a place like Scotty's are within a very similar spectrum.

The key to tone is expressing yourself through your instrument, it really has very little to do with equipment.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 9 Mar 2002 3:51 pm

Tone has very little to do with equipment huh? I guess this means a banjo can sound just like a steel if Buddy Emmons playes "Way to Survive" on it?
Dan, Did you used to own an Emmons P-P that was a natural maple body, A '76 D-10 ?
If so , I'd like to know more about it's history. It seems as though it is the only one of a expermental Emmons test done in the mid '70's. Did you know it was a mahogany body with a maple veneer on it? I was told that you used to own it by Mr Sharp (Cal).
An interesting piece of history. Where did you get it? how long did you have it? who did you sell it to, etc. I'd really appreciate your help. Where have you been ? We missed you .
Bobbe [This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 09 March 2002 at 03:52 PM.]

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 11 Mar 2002 9:32 am

I guess I should change that comment. Of course equipment does have an effect on tone. What I was commenting on was that so many country players seem to be going after by trying to duplicate the setups of their idols, even down to the efx units and picks and cords. And you know as well as I do that if you or I were to sit down on the identical guitar and amp that Buddy used on 'The Way to Survive', we wouldn't sound like him.
Players like Chuck Campbell aren't trying to duplicate some tone, they are expressing themselves through their instrument. It's almost like the tone comes from within, and the instrument is simply a vessal that enables that expression. This is why Chuck can play an axe that I would sound like crap on and still sound great.

I've got to admit that I am an equipment/tone junkie with the worst of them. And if I don't have my sound, or at least some sound that inspires me, I can't play at all.

Bobbe, if memory serves right, I traded Scotty a BMI D10 for that blond Emmons. As I recall, it was manufactured with relatively softer and lighter wood than maple, which made for some problems with the mechanics, especially the knee levers (it seems to me that some of them were a little loose). This sounds very much like the guitar you describe. As I remember, it was custom made for a Nashville player (could that have been you?). I traded that guitar for a killer '67 black formica Emmons, because I thought it could make me sound like Buddy Emmons on that Touch My Heart album

. I traded it to Cal Sharp, so he would know the more recent history. I really wish I still had that guitar, it sounded great, much more appropriate for my current preferences than that formica PP guitar. It was very warm sounding.

Oh yeah, I believe I bought the guitar in 1977 or 78 and sold it within a year, maybe less.
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www.tyacktunes.com [This message was edited by Dan Tyack on 11 March 2002 at 09:34 AM.]

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 11 Mar 2002 2:31 pm

Yes Danny T, I totally agree with your analysis of tone now. I also am very happy to see that you were the owner of this "one off" rare Emmons guitar. Yes, this is the one,a mahogany body with pressed on birdseye veneer, a really great sounding guitar. Now I have the whole history filled in. It was built for me , to my spects in '76. Ron Lashly didn't want to do it at first but thought it would be a good experment. You know , A push-pull made out of the same material as a Les Paul Gibson.
I had it a year maybe, you got it and sold it to Cal Sharp with Faron Young. I didn't see it again 'till last year. I walked into a club in Nashville, and there was Cal Sharpe playing with as good of tone as I have ever heard. Upon talking to him, and learning of its origin, I had to have it back. It's in pretty rough shape, but we are totally restoring it. Dan, I want to thank you again for your imput. Anybody wanting to see or hear this different Emmons, come see me.
Bobbe [This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 11 March 2002 at 03:21 PM.][This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 11 March 2002 at 08:04 PM.]

JACK HEERN · Post by **JACK HEERN** » 11 Mar 2002 5:12 pm

Quote from the late Harold Fogle " Don't worry about tone,go for volume" However, if it's tone you are after, you can purchace tone syrup from Bobbe Seymour for $39.95 a quart. Gallons are $119.95 thru March 29th.
Greg G. endorses the gallon size
jp

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 11 Mar 2002 8:00 pm

Tone so sweet,the color of purple
by it from me,
you'll think it's maple syrupel.

(syruple?)

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 11 Mar 2002 8:03 pm

Yes, Harold Fogle came in my store one day and I asked him, Harold, how's your tone? His reply, "TONE? I'm not after tone, I'm after VOLUME"!!

We all miss you Harold, You'll not be forgotten.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 12 Mar 2002 7:46 am

new SGN Motto?:

"we sell all our steels below cost, but we make up for it in VOLUME!!!"