Alvino..The little dude is scaring me!

[Howard Parker]

Check THIS out!

[Jon Light (deceased)]

oh man....I've got visions of some drunk from the audience taking a flying leap and diving on that cretinous thing and pummeling it into oblivion for the good of mankind. I have further visions that I'm treated like a hero rather than being hauled of like a common drunk--I hate when that happens.

(btw, my compliments to Mr. Ray who is not the cretinous thing previously referred to. I can't help but think that he would have pummeled it himself if only he realized it was there. Somebody should have told him.)

[CrowBear Schmitt]

Alvino had it said & done back then huh ?

gotta love it....

[Johnne Lee Ables]

Nothin' new under the sun, huh?

Well, there ain't that many notes anyway! ; -]

Johnne Lee

[Gary Cosden]

Alvino sure played this with a heavy hand. Check out around 2:00 - he almost pushes the strings down to the fretboard!

[Joey Ace]

Time to get out the Alvino Ray Gun !

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=RNDFI3gHa ... re=related

[Roger Shackelton]

Did you know that Alvino's real name is Alvin Mc Burney.

Alvino Rey
Birth name Alvin McBurney
Born July 1, 1907(1907-07-01)
Oakland, California
Died February 2, 2004 (aged 96)
Salt Lake City, Utah
Genre(s) Swing, Jazz, Exotica.
Occupation(s) Bandleader, Musical director, guitarist Years active 1927-1994
Notable instrument(s)
Banjo, Pedal steel guitar

Alvin McBurney (July 1, 1907 – February 2, 2004), known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American swing era musician, often credited as the father of the pedal steel guitar. He was mainly associated with orchestral, big band and swing music, and towards the end of his career, jazz and exotica

[Doug Beaumier]

The greatest steel guitarist/bandleader ever, next to Robert Randolph, of course!
I love Alvino's playing, his energy and his incredible technique. Most of these techniques are a lost art today, unfortunately.

[Eddie Cunningham]

When I was in my early teens I used to listen to Alvino Reys radio show and was fascinated by the "talking steel " sound . I was at a friends house one day and his Father said "Oh, thats easy !! He just talks into the pickup and the vibrations will make the talking sound thru the amp" !! I remembered that and when I got my first electric Hawaiian guitar I tried that and it does not work that way !! Took me 25 years to find out how its done and I finally did make up a talking unit in the late 60s !! I had a lot of fun with it for a few years till someone stole some things from my car and I never made up another one . Eddie "C" ( the old non-pedal geezer )

[Doug Beaumier]

He just talks into the pickup and the vibrations will make the talking sound thru the amp" !! I remembered that and when I got my first electric Hawaiian guitar I tried that and it does not work that way !!

Eddie, I'm trying to imagine you 'hollering' into the pickup!

[Doug Beaumier]

The Talk Box is still available. $169 at Musician's Friend. Sam Gibson used something like this at the the Rhode Island steel guitar show a couple of years ago. He played the melody while he "talked" the lyrics for Steelin' the Blues. I was pretty impressed with that!

[Chris LeDrew]

Thanks for the laughs, guys!

[Paul Graupp]

Eddie: You just reminded me of something from years ago. I was sent overseas and left a six string steel at home. My twin brothers got to fooling around with it but couldn't get a sound out of it. One said: "Look at the cord plugged into it. It's got a wrong plug on it."

So they got a regular wall outlet plug, wired it up and plugged her in.

When my father got the lights back on, they were no where to be found. When I got it a year or so later, I found the short where the wires were attached to the pickup and replaced them. Other then that it was OK !!

Regards, Paul

[Doug Beaumier]

I'm reminded of the recording studio 'engineer' who hung a mic over the strings of my pedal steel guitar and asked "do you think that will pick it up okay?" He was serious! I think he's working the drive through window at Burger King now.