EMMONS or DAY?

About Steel Guitarists and their Music

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Joerg Hennig
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Post by Joerg Hennig »

Well you´re right Jim, back then it was probably what most guys used. It just seems to me that from today´s point of view, where many choose to swap pedals around or put some on knee levers or use some additional changes and all that, that "old" C6 setup is most easily identified with Jimmy Day. If I´m right, over in the "Tunings" section it is about the only example of the old one with just one knee lever and a G on top and the pedals in that order and tuned like that. Once upon a time it was referred to as "standard" C6 setup.
Eddie Harper
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Post by Eddie Harper »

Day Setup Thats just the way I learned. Seems natural for me
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joe wright
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Post by joe wright »

All players should be able to play any set-up after they get used to the big picture.

The comfort thing can be overcome with time and practice. Most can only play one way because they have only trained those muscles. Most peoples ankles are so tight they can't make all the necessary moves so they eliminate licks and possibilities from the get go.

IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT SETUP you use the movements are all the same!!! Think about it through the big picture. Outside rock and inside rock. You need to make them both. If your over AB and move to BC (either set-up) the ankle still has an outside rock and and inside rock.

most pedal problems come from underconditioned players with very limited physical dexterity. No Physcology involved in the use of the ankle and knees. Mostly lack of flexibility to make all of the moves needed. Of course a lot of straight country can be played by mashing ab or bc together.

Some things to work on...

outside rock with inside knee lever or inside rock with outside knee lever...later...joe
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Roger Rettig
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Post by Roger Rettig »

Joe
I think most of us are familiar with the 'big picture', and the fact that one set-up is pretty much a mirror-image of the other.

I would contend that rocking on and off the pedal raising 4 and 5 while leaving the 'B' pedal engaged is far less common than doing the same with the 5th and 10th 'raise'; it is physically easier for me to lift my big toe than it is my little one. Therefore, I'm comfortable with my 'Day' set-up. I just asked my wife to try the same thing; she found the same thing I did, even though she's never sat behind a steel.

Yes, I can play a little bit on an 'Emmons' set-up, but it's nothing like as comfortable for physiological reasons as my own guitar. The mental side - remembering the reversed 'knees' - is, I agree, a simple matter of acclimatisation, and not a big hurdle.

As for your declaration that "...all players should be able to play both", I have my doubts that very many actually can with complete freedom - I'd bet that even the 'heaviest of hitters' have a strong preference for one set-up or the other.....

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Roger Rettig
Emmons LGIII(S10/D10)& MCI D10

Chick Donner
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Post by Chick Donner »

Day first, then Emmons. When I ordered my Zane Beck in 1968, it was SUPPOSED to have Day . . . came through with Emmons . . . it was easier to re-learn than to switch them on that guitar.
Reggie Duncan
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Post by Reggie Duncan »

Emmons 65
Day 32
Paul Graupp
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Post by Paul Graupp »

Reggie: When I changed my setup to Emmons, I felt the ratio was 100 to 1; that's why I changed. When this thread first got started I thought it would be more like 50 to 1 and now here at the end it looks like 2 to 1.

Had I been on the Forum four years ago and known of the big names and the many who use the Day setup as I was then, I never would have changed. It shows the value of The Forum and your good thinking in posing the question in the first place, Me hats off to you, Mate; as Tony and Anne Marie would say !!

Regards, Paul Image Image Image
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Roger Rettig
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Post by Roger Rettig »

Paul

I, too, would have guessed one or two in a hundred, butI wonder if we're getting a greater proportion of the 'Day' players actually posting here, thereby giving a false impression.

Last summer, while playing in Norfolk, VA, I called in to Billy and Wanda Cooper's store in Orange - he had over fifty guitars set up on display and, guess what, not one had the 'Day' pedals!

This is in no way a criticism of Billy's great store, incidentally, but his inventory seems to indicate a much lower ratio than we're seeing here.

I'm seriously thinking of setting up one of my guitars the wrong (Emmons Image) way round so I can learn both......

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Roger Rettig
Emmons LGIII(S10/D10)& MCI D10

pdl20
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Post by pdl20 »

Day set up
John Knight
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Post by John Knight »

Emmons on the E9th but the C6th is bassacwards, Dr, Seymour called it a Texas setup pd 4 lowers 9 & 10, pd 5 raises 3&4, pd 6 raises 2 and lowers 6, pd 7 raises 1, 9,10 and lowers 5, pd 8 raises 4 & 8.


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D 10 Thomas with 8&6
Nashville 400 and Profex II
Asleep at the Steel
Reggie Duncan
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Post by Reggie Duncan »

Emmons 66
Day 33
I know that there are more Emmons floor setup players who are not posting. Probably Day, too. I would say the ratio is probably
20:1. What do you think?
Paul Graupp
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Post by Paul Graupp »

Beats 100 to 1 !! I think I'm somewhat impressed by the Big Names that play the DAY floor setup including JIMMY. I mean those names really add up to some fine talent that shouldn't be taken lightly. Perhaps you are correct in thinking we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg here; either way.

Wonder where those OZARK boys are. Lot of talent up that way and I'd bet Dave Musgrave, being the Chalker fan he was way back in those good ole days (Alaska 1966 on a Fender 1000 with the rollers removed....) has the DAY setup.

Regards, Paul Image Image Image
richard cochran
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Post by richard cochran »

Emmons, then Day, then Emmons, then Day to stay!!!!!
Patrick Smith
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Post by Patrick Smith »

Emmons

BTW, which one does Buddy play?.....ha!

PMS
Britney's Lil' Louisiana Love Doggie
Ted Hughes
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Post by Ted Hughes »

Day
Bill Bailey
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Post by Bill Bailey »

I started out on an early Sho-Bud that was the Day set up and went to the Jeff Newman set up on my Mullen universal-12 and then went with the Franklin set up after I purchased my 1994 Emmons LeGrande.
Bill Bailey

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Reggie Duncan
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Post by Reggie Duncan »

Emmons 68
Day 34
Steve England
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Post by Steve England »

Played Emmons set up on my Mullen until a week ago, then I bought a push pull with the Day set up. I was fretting about having this guitar in this "wrong" set up, and wondering much trouble it would be to switch it to Emmons. Once the guitar arrived I thought i would give the Day set up a try.
One thing that did surprize me was how easy I found it to play this set up. After a week the Day set up seems second nature to me, and in fact some moves come off much more naturally to me.
I dunno what I was worrying about.
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Tim McCutchen
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Post by Tim McCutchen »

Emmons

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'01 Zumsteel D-10 8&9

Reggie Duncan
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Post by Reggie Duncan »

The final total:
Emmons 69
Day 35
With the new Emmons/Day topic, I thought I would give this a bump. Quite a bit of info here.
ollie strong
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Post by ollie strong »

Jerry
One of my first steels had the C 6 pedals set like yours, and mine ...Thats the way I got my new Fulawka...I've changed a couple of times over the years,,fought it for amonth or so and put them back were they should be,,IMHO..
ollie
Gary Steele
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Post by Gary Steele »

EMMONS!

Now what do you call Sonny Curtis setup?
Maybe Upside down and backwards or a little of both--------- I dont know??

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Jerry Roller
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Post by Jerry Roller »

I re-read this topic and saw mention of Dave Musgrave and you can for sure put him in the Day column.
Jerry
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Bob Snelgrove
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Post by Bob Snelgrove »

Day here.

In good company:

Tommy White

John Hughey

Hal Rugg

Corky Owens

Norm Hamlet

Jeff Newman

Weldon ??

Any other big names I forgot?

Jim Florence
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Post by Jim Florence »

Day and I'm tuned down to D-9, and use RKR to Raise my fourth string a full step, LKL to lower.
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