The Steel Guitar Forum

Here is a test one can do if you have a couple of steels available. With the Steels unplugged, place your bar on fret 19 and play strings 3,4, and 5..go to fret 22 and do the same thing...go to the second Steel and do the same thing. Which guitar gives you the loudest sound and sustains the longest? I noticed a big difference between my Williams and my Mullen so I called my wife to give a listen and she confirmed my findings. The Williams was louder and sustained longer. You guys that have more than one steel may want to try this test and see if you can hear any difference....I think that we confuse the issue with hooking all kinds of devices to the guitar...either the guitar has it from the git go or it doesn't. I believe someone said the same thing about the Emmons PP...without any amplification you could run your fingers over the strings and that special sound was there....all this is only MHO.

Jeff Suratt built me a Sho-Pro and WHOOSH the gates to Hugheyland flew open !

Bob I want to thank you for mentioning my modifications as this and is what my modifications does along with fuller, richer,cleaner notes above the 12th fret also and for all that make the ST. LOUIS CONVENTION I'm gonna have a couple of guitars with me for all to sit at and hear what it sounds like SEE YOU THERE


TOMMY
MAX-TONE MODIFICATIONS
Thanks Terry SNeed for the bump

Jay Dee Maness talks a little about Hugheyland on his video "Get Inside". He sometimes lifts his left hand fingers off the strings behind the bar, says it helps the tone especially with guitars that are a bit dead above the 12th fret.

A couple years ago at the Texas show I asked John Hughey what effects he was using when he did all the Conway Twitty recordings. His reply was "There were not any". The sound John Hughey got years ago was just him and the guitar he was playing. I would bet he could take a 2x4 with strings and make it sound good. What he uses today I am not sure of but he is one man that was made to be a steel player.

Here are some tips that work:

1 - What Jonathan just said about lifting the fingers to the left of the bar off the strings when up in the high registers.

2 - New strings help up there.

3 - Great volume pedal technique. John plays WAY back on the volume pedal, near the bottom, then he's got TONS of sustain left with his volume pedal foot. John is simply amazing with the volume pedal.

4 - Strong vibrato can also help keep the strings ringing.

Brad

Brad that is absolutely correct. John Hughey did it without tommy mods, they were not even invented back then. Go figure!!

Apart from differences between individual guitars I think amp settings and pickup choice are important. I like to run my RTP quite hot with the gain on 6 or 7 and the master volume on 7 or 8. The NV-112s which are used as powered cabs are set with the volume louder than the maximum I will need and I use the volume pedal to control the overall output. The RTP is very quiet and with a quiet pickup like the LXR-16 you can really drag out the sustain by maxing out the volume pedal as needed.

Thanks to all who posted,you`ve given some great tips and I`ll try them all.
Tom

I hate to the you'll this, but it is in the hands, John can do it on anything he sits under.

Mike

John Hughey did it without tommy mods,

Mr henry, what are tommy mods? Is that like some kind of filing that is done to the guitars or is it a add on rig?
Thanks chris

CHRIS I think I am Qualified to answer that ?? for sure, I change how the guitar responds to the sound of the strings it is a patent applied for process that I cant talk about until it is actually patented but I will gladly give you a list of steelers that dearly love what their guitars sound like after the MOD. thanks TOMMY

Sorry but TB. cries whenever anyone brings up my modifications because I won't give him the answer for free but TB HASN'T PAID THE TREMENDOUS PRICE FOR THE PATENT EITHER SORRY Tommy Young

I hate to the you'll this, but it is in the hands, John can do it on anything he sits under.

Sits under? What might this look like? inquiring minds, etc.!

James,

for a lack of a better term, Pak seat keeps the legs and knees under the guitar.

Mike

Tommy, You have answered a question addressed to me and you have given your opinion. Guys, I have listened to his mods before and after,[/size] and my opinion is that the before sounds clearer, cleaner with better highs and lows than the guitar with his mod. Just my opinion. Thank you very much Tommy!!

About 20 years ago when I was developing my technique I would practice for hours on end and stay between frets 12 and 20. It really does work. Practice, practice, practice!!