The Steel Guitar Forum

Forum member Vic Chaney invented a volume control that you operate with your teeth. It was made for a disabled steel player. I tried it once. It fits between your upper and lower teeth, on the side. As you close your jaw, the volume increases.

It works pretty well, really it does! It's awkward, though, to have a wire coming out of your mouth.

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<small><img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic), Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6), Roland Handsonic

Hmm. Perhaps Cohen could try out Vic's volume control. Jim, just be real careful during insertion!

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Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

It is doubtful that the C. Chalker fans would approve of the dangling hose innovation. Some inner sense tells me, that the reverse pedal swell, would be adversely affected by this far out poking around for new ideas. This is a classic example of shifting down, and slowing the pace of advanced technology. One example that throws up the caution flag, would be to rally common sense, and consider the lips as a sensitive part of the body, and are subject to many irritations. Every concerned individual is fully aware of the consequences.

Bill H.

Boy, I hope you guy's are just jokeing about this .......


The V/C pedal is as much of the PSG as the other pedals are. Wires,hoses in the mouth,pinky finger controls is really a stupid sight and idea, not counting possible dangerous.

Besides, where else can you get that tremblo effect because you are scared stiff and your leg is shakeing so bad ??? (Been there,done that)

A good portion of the emotional feeling one puts into a passage is due to the swell and decline of volumne levels. If your trying to play and operate a V/C at the same time with either hand will inhibit your abilities to do justice to the ride. And if your sitting up there for the 2 to 4 hour gig with a wire or hose hanging out of your mouth,your really gonna to start to look silly !!

Lets let this one die......

<SMALL>And if your sitting up there for the 2 to 4 hour gig with a wire or hose hanging out of your mouth,your really gonna to start to look silly!</SMALL>

Hey, can I get one of those things with a funnel built in so I don't have to miss my beer?

Like sittin' at one of these things, hands flying, feet kickin' up and down, legs wavin' back and forth, doesn't look silly enough? Now back around 1970, if I'd been playing steel instead of a Les Paul DeLuxe, the idea of a hose would have sounded pretty good! And I could have kept the Twinkies in my pac-a-seat!

Thanks Gents for your traditional blend of civility, humor, sarcasm and bona-fide creativity that makes this place a hoot.

To Dan Dowd: Thanks...Gem of a thought, my friend! You win....

And for those preoccupied with hoses and sphincters....I recommend therapy. (yes, folks, this was a friendly cut on JC).<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Tom Gorr on 06 November 2002 at 05:09 PM.]</p></FONT>

Hey! I resemble that remark!

There is a lesson to be learned, while reading this post. That is, don't become a cigarette sales "representative" if you are unwilling to awkwardly place them in your own mouth. The steel guitarists whom I've met, are gentle souls; by nature. However, I didn't fail to notice that they have the ability to respond to brassy comments, that are misdirected, and inflict minor emotional bruises within their inner thoughts. While searching for answers, we are all aware that there are correct solutions. Finding them isn't always easily done. "To err is human", and to acknowledge the wisdom of those words, would be a good starting point in life.

Bill H. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bill Hankey on 06 November 2002 at 10:30 AM.]</p></FONT>

Hi Bill,
I'm not sure what it is exactly that pushed your buttons, but if it was anything I said, I apologize. I have nothing but admiration for your creativity, and seriously, I do think you're the guy who could solve this problem, if ya wanted to.
Best wishes,
Jim

Bill, ever thought about the possibillities of a infrared-controlled device?
It sounds stupid, but it could even be triggered by your eyebrows or cheaks when wished, so there must be a way to do it another way too, please, invent something!
good luck, and I seriously appreciate your search for better ways of playing our instruments!
Johan

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Click on the pic!

I unintentionally erased a bunch of stuff here, one important point being that a "breath controlled device could take the form of harmonica, rather than the form of a tube.

Please close the thread. I think we've gone far enough on this.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Tom Gorr on 06 November 2002 at 08:04 PM.]</p></FONT><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Tom Gorr on 08 November 2002 at 10:37 AM.]</p></FONT>

I can think of a couple of possibilities... The first being a wireless device controlled by the movement of your chin (i.e. moving your chin up and down). It could be made small enough to be barely noticable. The second would be a device which mounted on the rear edge of the guitar beneath the right arm... The volume could be controlled by the amount of pressure applied by the downforce of the right arm. The second idea seems like it may be easier to design... however, I struggle with how expression could be mastered very well using this method.

Respectfully,

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<marquee><H1><i><font color=green><font size=3>Dave Burr
Remington Sustainmaster SD-10 3x4</marquee><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>

A bagpipe? A BAGPIPE? You have got to be kidding! With all this blocking and picking and knee lever and pedal activity going on, you expect me to now blow into a pipe to fill up a bag of air?

Obviously, the CORRECT way to do this would be to do like the Uillean Pipes: strap a bellows under one arm and work it like a chicken to fill up air bag under your opposite arm. PUH-LEASE!!!!

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<font size=2>'66 Emmons D10, Franklin D10, Fessenden (Giles) D10 lacquer, '36 Gibson EH-150 lap , ~'54 Rick Bakelite lap, <u>Tube</u> amps</font>

Seriously, for a moment:

I wonder if a variable envelope fader could be used? That way, you'd have a conventional looking foot volume pedal, which could be switched to either conventional use or "auto" mode, in which the pedal position would vary the speed and sensitivity of the ADSR generated. For example, you may want it set so playing loud (as measured at the p/u output) would generate a fast attack (i.e. no volume control) and playing softer would generate a slow fade in, rate controlled by the pedal position.

Ian

Excellent idea, Ian. The pedal would basically free up the right foot, except for the occasional "guidance", unless, as you say, you wanted conventional function out of the pedal: Manual and Auto.

The basic circuit should be adoptable from say, the analog synth world. Perhaps there is stuff available already for guitar, etc.? Do you know?

Tom

There's a certain eccentric hillbilly B-3 player here in L.A. who kicks the baddest bass pedals you'll ever hear w/the heels and toes of both feet.And what that means is that he can't use the traditional volume pedal like most organists do.So he's got this long roller made out of galvanized pipe covered w/garden hose mounted right behind his left hand lower keyboard manual(Did I mention he's an Okie?).It's mounted on homemade bearings and hooked up to a 500k pot at one end.It extends the entire length of his bottom keyboard and he rolls it back and forth with the heel of his left hand for volume swells and of course,can be accessed from anywhere on the keyboard.It works great and doesn't seem to hinder his playing a bit. I submit that if a precision made device along those lines - perhaps w/a knurled texture was mounted across the back of a steel neck from nut to bridge - just below the plane of the strings,it could be worked with the heel of either hand depending on what the other hand was doing and with practice,probably could be manipulated quite artfully.It would be perhaps the closest thing to fulfilling the quest for a viable alternative to a volume pedal. Think of the possibilities it would open up - both feet on the pedals, "Crawford Clusters" on both knees etc....Hell,I could even get rid of my wrist lever. -MJ-

Closed per Tom's request.