Early Pedal Steel Players

Dave A. Burley · From: Franklin, In. USA

I know that this has probably been a thread many times, but, I've missed it.
Who really invented the pedal steel guitar?
Who was the first to use it? Was it Bud Isaacs on Webb Pierce's 'Slowly?'
Which guitar company made the first pedal steel that was sold to the public.
I recall back in about 57, our steel player, Leroy Kocher, having what I think was a Fender. He used to play it without pedals but when he would hook up the pedals, it was the most beautiful music that I had ever heard at the time. I believe that it was called a multi-chord.
Thanks,
Dave A. Burley

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

I'd have to guess Alvino Rey as the player and the Harlin Brothers in Indianapolis as the inventors. Al Marcus and Paul Graupp and Roy Ayers would probably know for sure.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 25 June 2003 at 12:48 PM.]

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

I'm by no means an authority on the subject, but -- as far as I know -- Alvino Rey was the first to use pedals. I do know that Bud Isaacs came along many years after Alvino. Dr. Hugh Jeffreys is a personal friend of Alvino (who is now around 90 years old). Perhaps Hugh will see this thread and can give more authoritative information.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Here's fightin words for some, the lap AND pedal steel were conceived in Hawaii.

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Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

The first pedal steel with floor pedals was probably the Harlin Bros. "Multi-Kord", which was first produced in the late '30s, though there is some evidence that there may have been tone changer devices (acoustic steels with knee-activated levers) before that. These early pedal steels used the pedals as "tuning changers", though, meaning that they were not actuated for any other purpose other than to modify the basic tuning of a Hawaiian-type steel.

Alvino Rey (who is also said to be the first to develop an electric guitar...but he failed to patent his "dynamic pickup") was certainly the pioneer,and most popular player, of this type of pedal steel. It wasn't 'til Bud Issacs did those early tunes with Webb Pierce, though, that anyone thought of changing the tones while they were being played. Webb's songs "Slowly", "More And More", and "There Stands The Glass" started the revolution (or rather, evolution) of modern pedal steel.

So, (and someone can correct me if I'm wrong), the evolution of pedal steels goes something like this...

Harlin Bros...late '30s
Gibson...early '40s
Bigsby...early to mid '50s
Fender, Sho~Bud, and Wright...late '50's (though I have heard rumor of a Wright in the early '50s)

In the '60's, everybody jumped on the bandwagon! Z-B, Emmons, MSA, Marlen, Miller, and dozens of others came about due to the firestorm of pedal steel being used on country records. So, from it's birth (in the '30s), to it's big boom (in the '60s), pedal steel's been an almost constant presence in music of one form or another. I'm sure others will have additional inputs and comments.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 25 June 2003 at 02:17 PM.]

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

This indeed has been covered before on several threads.

In order to give you the answer to your question, some facts are in order. The pedal steel guitar as is played today is NOT the pedal steel played by Alvino Rey and others of that ilk who played the Harlen bros Multi-Kord and Gibson Elactaharps and early Fenders.

The following lists the evolution as I recall it.

From the invention of the Hawaiian guitar, the instrument with the most unique sound, was plagued with a built in problem that piano ang regular guitar players do not have. And that is the difference between using up to 10 fingers and the use of a straight steel bar.

Where a guitar player (or piano player) could easily shift a finger or two to change chord spellings, the Hawaiian guitar player was relegated to slanting the bar OR playing single string.

So the quest began early to find a "tuning" that would satisfy most requirements. Thus many many many tunings were tried. Then multi neck steels came along, etc.

But NO tuning achieved what a regular guitarist could do effortlessly. So it was only natural that some kind of string bender device be invented. And that is what happened. The Harlen bros out of Indianapolis Ind, And the Gibson Co. came out with pedal steel guitars in the 40's.

Bigsby did the same only later. And there were many others (garage mechanics) doing it as well. Alvino Rey got into it early and deeply. And even used one on his TV show back in the 50's.

But again, these pedal steels are NOT what is used today. Certainly not in context. Here is why. In EVERY case I know of, the original pedal steels were used to simply change the basic tuning of the guitar. In essence to produce various "chords" mimicking the regular guitarist.

So a pedal was used to create a 7th or a minor or a dimished "chord, etc. as needs be. It was not uncommon to hold one pedal down during an entire song. Alvino was the exception in that he was chord a enthusiast much more than a melody player.

When Bud Isaacs in the 50's added a lone pedal to his D-8 (I do not recall the brand) He did NOT use that pedal to change the chord. He used it to get a sound NEVER EVER heard by ANY instrument in the history of music.

And it was THAT moving tone sound that soooooo captured the listeners throughout the entire country music world. Since Webb Pierce was the epitome of whiney and "nasal" country, the moving tone sound that Bud got was perfect.

And so the real inventer of the pedal steel guitar as is mostly played today, MUST go to Bud Isaacs. Of course Alvino Rey and many others played pedal steel guitars long before Bud did his thing. But When "Slowly" came out, it changed forever the steel guitar; particularly the pedal steel guitar.

Even today some 50+ yrs later, the greats are still finding new "moving tones" that sooo embelish country music. NO player ever exploited this more than Pete Drake. Buddy Emmons and Jimmy Day were pioneers in using the moving tone to embelish the steel and "make" a recording go to the charts. Etc.

Paul Franklin is the latest great that has contributed to that moving tone mania that has spread world wide when it comes to the steel guitar.

With his pedal 4 and his knee lever, it once again adds a 6th dimension to the sound that Bud Isaacs began in the 50's.

May God bless all of the above and all of you,

carl

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

Donny
I'd say your chronology is correct with the Bigsby period being late 40's to early 60's and Wright Custom/Sierra being early 50's through late 60's. Early Wright guitars were very Bigsbian.

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Mike Sweeney · From: Nashville,TN,USA

Yes Donny's pretty close except that Leonard Stadler was building Marlens in the mid 50's not the sixties.

Mike

[This message was edited by Mike Sweeney on 25 June 2003 at 03:50 PM.]

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

Thanks Herb! (My dates related only to their introduction.) The first Bigsby pedal guitar I remember seeing was '52 or '53, and I wasn't aware they were around in the late '40s. I have seen some Bigsby steel guitars from the late '40s, but they didn't have any pedals.

Harlin was still producing in the '60s, too, but not many people were buying them.

Mike...mid '50's? How about that! The first Marlen pedal guitar I ever saw was in '62, and I remember the dealer said it was a "brand new company"...shows how much he knew! I have one that was made in '69, and even that one has a rather "primative" mechanical design. Nice looking axe, though.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 25 June 2003 at 04:03 PM.]

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

Speedy West's Bigsby was the first pedal Bigsby in early -48 and I think it can be said, the one where all modern pedal steels are derived from ( not meaning the E9 playing style now ). Consider these features; pedals on a rack across the front of the guitar, Gibson Electraharps and Multicords had pedals on the left end of the guitar. Raised cast aluminium necks and keyheads, on Gibsons and Multicords the fretboards were mounted straight to the top of the guitar. And even though Speedy's guitar used so called keyhead changers, Paul soon introduced a changer mechanism, much like found on pedal steels today. Cast metal endplates, again, you don't find these on pedal steels before Bigsbys. Paul Bigsby used some of these these features on the few non pedal guitars he built before Speedy's, and others soon followed him. And of course, the guitar Bud Isaacs used on Slowly was a D8 Bigsby with wood necks. So I guess it's safe to say, that Paul Bigbsy was the first to build a pedal steel as we know it today.

[This message was edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 25 June 2003 at 11:34 PM.]

[This message was edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 25 June 2003 at 11:35 PM.]

Dr. Hugh Jeffreys · From: Southaven, MS, USA

Rather than go into a lot of detail, let me refer you back to last autumn when I wrote to the staff writer of the Nashville Tennessean whose very long article en re psg was anything BUT research. His "run down" of the psg did not include anything beyond Davidson County Tenn. I made a rather long post here on the 4UM about it. I never heard back from that staff writer. HJ

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

David Doggett · Posted 26 Jun 2003 11:25 am

Jussi is right. At Bud Isaacs web site he says when he got the idea of pedals to imitate the moving harmony of twin fiddles, he had Bigsby put the single AB pedal on a Bigsby. That may have been because he already had a D8 Bigsby, or maybe because Bigsby had experience putting the old style tuning-changing pedals on steels (and also vibratto units on 6-string bridges?).

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 26 June 2003 at 12:26 PM.]

Dave A. Burley · From: Franklin, In. USA

Does anyone know if any of those early Bigsby's are still around?
Is Speedy West still living and if so, does he have an email address?
Thanks for the info about the early pedal steels.
Dave A. Burley

Jim Florence · From: wilburton, Ok. US * R.I.P.

I don't have his email address, but Speedy is very much alive. I would suggest you go to some of the conventions, and guess what,, You'll see Speedy West. He lives here in Oklahoma.
Jim

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

Interesting thing to ponder is, what were Paul Bigsby's musical skills? Whereas it's a well known fact, that Leo Fender could not play a musical instrument or even tune a guitar, not much has ever been said about Bigsby. Mainly just that he wasn't a musician. But could he play steel guitar? One of the rare pictures, taken at Merle Travis' backyard, shows him sitting behind Speedy's steel, and the way he holds the bar and the position of his right hand give an impression, that he darn well knew how to play the thing. I've also heard, that he occasionally played bass with Jack Parson's band. (???) And Paul did publish that booklet compiling steel guitar tunings. Any info on this???

Jim Ives · From: Los Angeles, California, USA

So where does the name "Sho-Bud" come from? I always thought the "Bud" part was from Buddy Emmons and the "Sho" from Shot Jackson. Am I close to correct?

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Bob Carlson · From: Surprise AZ.

You are correct.

Bob

chas smith R.I.P. · From: Encino, CA, USA

Jussi, I've seen a band photo that was taken with Bigsby playing a bass. I don't remember the name of the band and it was my understanding that he had just been sitting in, or maybe just holding it for the photo.

The last rumor I heard about Speedy's guitar, and that was many years ago, was that it turned up in the San Bernadino area without the apron and as a "beater." Jerry Compton cringes when he tells the story of how he could have bought Joaquin's T-8 for $350 and didn't. Buddy's T-8 is in Canada.

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

This has been brought in other threads and discussed .

Gibson intoduced the first pedal guitar in around 1939.

They stopped making them in 1942 due to WWII when all machine shops had to change and build products for the war effort. I managed to get a use one in 1947, lucky me.

Gibson never resumed building that Model after World War II, and that was the best one they made, IMO.

From what I gathered they had a patent fight with Multi-Kord about the same type changer.

Apparently, Multi-Kord won. As they continued making and selling Multi-Kords.

It was a good changer. In 1972 Fender made the PS 210 with that type of changer in it.

That would have been a winner, but they chickened out and pulled it off the market.

Carl Dixon is correct when He said the Pedals were used to make chords, usually, but we did make some moves with a 9th to a 7th and used the Maj7 in an out(so called Bob White Pedal).

In other words when players were using triple necks, etc. We that had the original Gibson Electra-Harps , with the open tuning and 6 pedals had the equivelant of at least 7 necks and more with two pedal combinations.
A very versatile instrument to complement the music played in those days.

I had a record and music store ,and teaching studio,in 1953 and , as Carl says, Bud Issaac came out with "Slowly" he did something that we had never heard before.

I sold a lot of those records.

So He should be given credit for that. It took the steel players out of the 6th tuning to the beginning of country E9. Good post....al

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Jussi Huhtakangas · From: Helsinki, Finland

Chas, I think that's Jack Parson's band in that photo. Parson was Bigsby's friend and played the Bigsby hollowbody guitar, originally built for Merle Travis. Steel player with Parson was Bob Meadows, and incidentally, played a T8 non pedal Bigsby. ( oops, off-topic, sorry

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