Speedy West Fender 1000
Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn
Speedy West Fender 1000
Hi guys,
Has anyone documented how Speedy west set up his Fender 1000 (two 8 string becks, 6 pedals, no levers).
I have one of these that I am planning to set up properly and would love to duplicate his config.
Has anyone documented how Speedy west set up his Fender 1000 (two 8 string becks, 6 pedals, no levers).
I have one of these that I am planning to set up properly and would love to duplicate his config.
Somewhere (you may have to keep bugging me because of the many places it could be) I have a xerox of a thermo-fax of Speedy West's set-up on Fender/Tulsa letterhead. It came in the case of an Fender that Mike Fried owned...maybe still does own. (Mike wondered if it could have been Speedy's own steel. When I went back home to Oklahoma for a visit just after he showed it to me (this was probably mid-1990s, I got in touch with him through Speedy Jr. West Sr. told me that he and Fender sent hundreds of those sheets out--all requests from players. He added that the guitar wasn't his as it had the tall top-mounted volume and tone knobs. Speedy's own instrument was custom made with the knobs on the side so he could manipulate them with his right hand and little finger.)<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Ben Elder on 16 June 2006 at 02:32 PM.]</p></FONT>
- Herby Wallace
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As many of you know Speedy West was my first real steel guitar hero. I first met Speedy in 1960 when he was working for Fender in Tulsa, OK. I made several trips to visit him and he showed me licks and songs in his spare time. I still have an old reel to reel recording I made of him showing me licks on his guitar. I would bring my old tape recorder and set it up in the show room at Fender. Speedy had the Fender 1000 set up there and he would let me play it. By the way, my first pedal steel was also a Fender 1000 which came through the Tulsa warehouse that my parents bought me in 1960. Now as to his tunings, at that time his outside neck was tuned to F# 9th tuning. His 4th and 8th strings were tuned to Bb and his 1st pedal raised them to B. The tuning then became E6th. His back neck was tuned to a variation of an E 13th tuning and he moved I think 6 strings with 2 pedals to change the open tuning to A6th. The pedals on the 1000 normally only moved 2 strings at a time, but he had one of the pedals modified to move 4 strings. The guitar had 8 pedals and 2 8 string necks. I think the 2nd pedal also raised the 2nd and 3rd strings on the F# 9th tuning, but I can't remember what the other 4 pedals did.
I hope this helps a little.
Herby Wallace
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I hope this helps a little.
Herby Wallace
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- Jody Carver
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- J D Sauser
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Many, many years ago y worte about the same question to Scotty and got an extensive response, including how to use the tunings.
I still got it somewhere in a box because I am moving out of Europe. So I am sorry but I can't help you much further right now.
But maybe you can contact Scotty(?).
... J-D.
I still got it somewhere in a box because I am moving out of Europe. So I am sorry but I can't help you much further right now.
But maybe you can contact Scotty(?).
... J-D.
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In 1959 at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, there was a trade show similar to what has become NAMM today.
Each manufacturer had their own room with their star. Fender had Speedy West on his 1000 and Roy Lanham on his JazzMaster.
When Roy excused himself for a few, I picked up his guitar. A man and his young son entered the room and asked Speedy to play Steel Guitar Rag and he asked me to play rhythm to it and I was playing along with my first Steel Hero and what a buzz it was. He still had his pedals covered with the front board with his name similar to the Bigsby days. Needless to say, I had no idea how many pedals and what he used, as it was supposed to be a secret. No matter, I still consider it a lifetime thrill.
Each manufacturer had their own room with their star. Fender had Speedy West on his 1000 and Roy Lanham on his JazzMaster.
When Roy excused himself for a few, I picked up his guitar. A man and his young son entered the room and asked Speedy to play Steel Guitar Rag and he asked me to play rhythm to it and I was playing along with my first Steel Hero and what a buzz it was. He still had his pedals covered with the front board with his name similar to the Bigsby days. Needless to say, I had no idea how many pedals and what he used, as it was supposed to be a secret. No matter, I still consider it a lifetime thrill.
Last edited by Gary Walker on 7 Sep 2008 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Jody Carver
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Lee
I'm still looking for Speedys setup. Im in process of moving and have so many boxes of memories, but I will find them. I spoke to Speedy just a short time before he passed and his wife Mary sent me a thank you e mail
which I will treasure for the rest of my life
Perhaps I can have Rick Alexander put it on my website plus a nice letter from Speedy to me, he was one heck of a man and I miss him more every day.
I'm still looking for Speedys setup. Im in process of moving and have so many boxes of memories, but I will find them. I spoke to Speedy just a short time before he passed and his wife Mary sent me a thank you e mail
which I will treasure for the rest of my life
Perhaps I can have Rick Alexander put it on my website plus a nice letter from Speedy to me, he was one heck of a man and I miss him more every day.
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I am starting to get worried, Jody. Did you find anything?Jody Carver wrote:Lee
I am surrounded by cartons, but I'm looking through each one for Fender memorablia I'll find it not to worry
I was also wondering if anybody had an idea as to what happened to Speedy's Fender(?) Was it and early one or the later version with the direct changer? Was it really only a D8 (1000) and did he ever go to a D10 before playing the Marlen?
I toying with the idea to get me a double neck and set it up to Speedy's tuning and setup.
... J-D.
Wow - this thread is a couple years old, really! I'm sure Jody just forgot, as he gets so many requests for info it's probably overwhelming. He's moved at least one other time since then, so the stuff may be really buried...from what he told me, he has a virtual Fender history museum, but has been trying to get some consistent help collating it, in addition to working on his book (he had been thinking of moving back to southern California, and if it happens I told him I was at his disposal)....so the Speedy stuff is there....somewhere!
I owe him phone call - I'll see if I can jog his memory as to the location of the paperwork or see if he has it locked in his memory banks - it's amazing how much information he can dish out about the early days at Fender - my buddy Jody is not a spring chicken, but he's sharp as a tack. Heck, he has a better memory than I do, that's for sure!
Edited to add - I was just thinking, I swear I saw that posted on the old forum once...or it may have ben sent to me in an email when I was debating what to do with my "spare" 1000 neck (one is in my "normal" B6). I may have printed it off, so I'll go through my stuff today...which is ALSO not exactly collated...![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
I owe him phone call - I'll see if I can jog his memory as to the location of the paperwork or see if he has it locked in his memory banks - it's amazing how much information he can dish out about the early days at Fender - my buddy Jody is not a spring chicken, but he's sharp as a tack. Heck, he has a better memory than I do, that's for sure!
Edited to add - I was just thinking, I swear I saw that posted on the old forum once...or it may have ben sent to me in an email when I was debating what to do with my "spare" 1000 neck (one is in my "normal" B6). I may have printed it off, so I'll go through my stuff today...which is ALSO not exactly collated...
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional
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- J D Sauser
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