The Steel Guitar Forum

Seems like that Gretsch-y twang and no hum would be ideal, nobody ever tried it?

Don Davis, Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland and Shot Jackson made pedal steels in August 1954 with Ray Butts humbuckers in the guitars. The guitars were called DALAND -- DA for Davis and LAND for Garland. The pickups probably were not called FilterTrons, but they were Ray Butts' humbuckers made for eight strings and were essentially the same design made for Chet Atkins and Sugarfoot Garland. Don Davis just called the pickups Ray Butts humbuckers. Ray Butts lived on the road behind Don Davis in Nashville.
I have the very first DALAND -- unfortunately, the pickups are missing. I am making a pair right now, coincidentally, trying to follow Don Davis' verbal description of the originals for the cosmetics, and what I know about FIlterTrons for the hidden bits..

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A great guy to talk to would be Tom Jones over at TV Jones Pickups. (tvjones.com) He makes an amazing reproduction Filtertron pickup and has a whole line of pickups inspired by those classic designs. Gretsch actually uses his pickups in some of their top of the line models. I put a pair in my vintage 6120 and couldn't be happier! I know a lot of their pickups are made to order. Perhaps they could build a psg pickup. I bet it'd be amazing!

Hey Dan, that's what got me thinking about this, I've had a couple of his powertrons in a telecaster for a few years now and they sound great! All the twang and no hum, in fact, I just got through emailing him right before I checked this thread, can't wait to see what he has to say.

Keep us posted!

I've owned several new Chet Atkins Gretch's. The first one did not have the patent number on the pickups but the second one (a 61 PX6120) did have the patent number on them.

But, I thought they were just a humbucker pickup?

The Ray Butts pickups in the DALAND used raw bar magnets under the strings instead of the screws found on a normal Butts humbucker. I think TV Jones makes a version this way.
You can hear the DALAND on YouTube if you seek Cowboy Copas and the song Feelin' Low. The version in color with Little Jimmy D introducing. I have other recordings of Hank garland and Don Davis and the steel does sound bright.

Hey Dan, TV Jones emailed me back, but I don't think he realized how wide the strings are on a pedal steel, he recommended I could use any of his pickups, then I emailed him back and asked about the width thing he never answered back, yet.
Chris, I'll check that youtube out!