The Steel Guitar Forum

In 1956 (I believe it was) I purchased my first PSG. It was a Fender 400 with 6 pedals. I had to wait over a year to get it. The longest most agonizing wait of my life.

The first pedal was the Bud Isaac's pedal, only backwards. IE, the basic tuning was A6th. So instead of pulling to A, it pulled to E on that pedal. But only the top C# and B were pulled as Fender could only pull two strings without modifying the cables which I did not know about until much later.

I learned every song featuring Bud Isaacs cut by a man by tha name of Webb Pierce. using this lone pedal hooked up "backwards".

Sometime later I saw a player and his was set up the "regular" way. I thought, "his guitar is wrong". But later I realized I was the one out of step. So I changed it. It just about warped my mind, but I got thru the unlearn/learn scenario.

Then dang his hide, Faron Young cut "Country Girl" and I heard a lick I could NOT get. Of course it was the splitting into our present A and B pedals that permitted that beginning "chicken picking" lick.

I went to see Faron perform and feature that song and of course I had to know how the steel player got it. And he told me how. But what he did NOT tell me was "which" way he split "dem" pedals.

So I came home and split that pedal into two of dem pedals. I simply had to have it. I am positive I was not the only one that "had to have it" during that incredible time in the evolution of the PSG.

Anyway, I split them into B and A. And for years I had the Jimmy Day setup. But it soon became apparent that again I was not doing it like most did it. Or at least most that I knew and saw.

When I met Gene O'Neal (who was playing for Judy Lynn at the time), he of course was a Buddy Emmons protege'. And IF BE had it, you could bet your bottom dollar Gene was going to have it. Since I loved them both, that did it.

Right in mid stream I changed it to A and B. Now if having the lone pedal setup backwards warped my mind (when I changed it), this dang near drove me crazy. But I got thru it. But I still believe (to this day) that it was more comfortable.

As the years rolled by I always believed that the universal was the way to fly. But I was never satisfied with any copedent I dould find or heard tell of. But I finally found one (as I have stated on this forum). That is I found a copedent that I could be totally happy with.

And one of the things I had to have which I have on my D-10 was the ability to have the 5th pedal engaged and the the (equivalent) B pedal down. NO copedent on a U-12 that I know of has this change. But I had to have it since I use that change all the time on my D-10.

So I can't have the JD setup on my universal since I must have the B pedal and the 5th pedal next door to each other. This would not be possible with the Day setup UNLESS I put the B and A pedals at the opposite end of the pedal bar.

Now I gotta tell ya somethun fellers. I went thru two "warped" eras in my life. What evah age I live to be it will be 10 yrs less than what it would have been had I not gone thru that pain .

There ain't NO way in 17 zillion years that this dude is going to strike out with another "warp yer mind" period by reversing dem pedals on dat pedal bar.

Nosirree bobweiser. It is Buddy Emmons setup fer life now.

carl

The first guitar I got was set up with Day pedals. The gentleman told me when I bought it that if I didn't like that set-up, he would change it for me. After playing (?) it for about four weeks, I just felt like lowering my E's would be more comfortable on LKR. My foot just rolls better that way. I had it changed and been there ever since.

Carl,
I,like you started out with the Day setup,had 2 kls,lower Es on rkr,7th string F#-G on lkl,(played a lot of country rock then),also with LKL +A&B I had the same as C6 with the 8th(boowah)pedal,it was a lot of fun to watch another steel player try to figure that tuning.It was a first generation MSA D12 with 8+2.
I have recently aquired a new S12 CLR 5+5,with the standard E9 BE setup,I'm still confused about rolling off right to left.A,B or is it left to right,or,or,or........

Bill

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Bill Ford

Carl,
Where did you meet Gene O'neal and Judy Lynn?
If you don't mind my asking?

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Stump Reeves

David,

At the height of Judy's career working the Lake Tahoe, Vegas and Reno circuit, her husband (and her producer) decided she needed to branch out. So they scheduled some recording sessions in Nashville and he booked her at a hotel in FtLauderdale, Fla for an 8 week stint at a beachfront hotel in FtLaud. This was in the early 60's as I recall.

They advertised it in the paper and the show included a full course "western" dinner. I had never heard of her or Gene. So my wife and I went down to see them. Of course I was in hog's heaven when I saw the wizardry of Gene and his brand new Sho-bud D-8. Judy wanted him to put some "costume" diamonds in the middle of the card symbols on the front of his new PSG.

As I walked up he had just finished gluing the last "diamond". Anyone who knew Gene knew how friendly he was. So he and I hit it off pretty good.

But what really got us together was one night Gene and I were talking about Pete Drake's latest hit called the "Spook". It was very near Halloween and that tune really fit the ocassion. I asked Gene how PD had gotten the lick. He said he believed Pete had returned his steel since he knew players would do this for specific recordings and Pete was one of these.

I was sitting at the table next to Gene's steel and during their break, I said, "Gene, put your left foot on pedals 5 and 6 and your right foot on pedal 7. (On the C neck). Now, pick strings 1 and 2 then roll of pedal 6 and pick strings 3 and 4.

When Gene did it, "He got excited, and said "that's it!. Dang hoss, you know more about my guitar than I do! You belong up her on this stage man." Little did he know how very wrong he was. But it endeared me to him for life

From that moment on Gene became my best friend on this earth. In fact it became a thorn in Judy's craw because NObody but NObody came to see anybody but Judy. But then I aint nobody

We became such good friends, that the next year Gene stayed at our home and we let him use our second car to get around town with. This was good because none of the players had wheels and all they could do is lounge in the hotel or walk on the beach. while this is ok for a while, it gets pretty boring after 6 weeks.

Three of the other players I remember in that awesome band were, Joel Price (formerly with Little Jimmy Dickens), Bobby Hicks (he may still be with Ricky Skaggs-not sure) and Tommy Williams who recored with many stars and was a staff fiddle player at Scotty's until he had that horrible accident.

Judy was a beautiful lady. And a real crowd pleaser. She knew how to endear herself to the crowd. Sadly this did not manifest itself with the band members, and it did not take long to figure that one out.

Enough said,

God rest Gene's soul, and may he bless Joel, Bobby, Tommy and all of you,

carl

Carl, If you had set the guitar up one way and left it alone you would be a wizard on that thing by now. I did the same thing. I thought I knew exactly how I wanted it , and about 15 years later I realised that I had evolved all the way around and finally was set up just like Buddy. I play sort of a Day set up now. If I had checked one of the pros out at first and did it that way and stuck with it I would be 20 years further along with it by now. I am still changeing things though. Some people like me never learn.

Buck, you are fishing for complements!!!
Buck is a killer with any copedant. You all should hear "Beulah Land" like he did in Dallas. Breath taking! No dry eyes!
Bob