How did Sneaky Pete get the string section sound?

Travis Lyon · Post by **Travis Lyon** » 10 Jan 2015 5:51 am

In this Danny O'Keefe tune apparently all the string section sounds are Pete on steel. Any idea what type of effects or techniques he used to get that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs8tz93xho0

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 10 Jan 2015 7:05 am

Sounds like an E-bow, maybe Bosstone. BF

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 10 Jan 2015 7:35 am

I have the Danny O'Keefe record "So Long Harry Truman" from 1975. Credits: Sneaky Pete Kleinow: Pedal Steel and Sneaky Strings. Indeed no mentioning of violins.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 10 Jan 2015 8:30 am

Sneaky strings--one reason they called him Sneaky. Superb.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 10 Jan 2015 8:40 am

Nice song..a surprising heart twister...loved those slower motion shots of the hands on the steel.

Geez...i heard the sneaky strings behind more classic steel playing...he sure put a lot of heart into his parts.

i have no idea how he got the string sounds. I can get good bowed cello tones and stringlike swells mostly from volume pedal ...but this is way beyond.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 10 Jan 2015 8:47 am

There was a string effect on the Session 500, maybe he used this.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 10 Jan 2015 11:23 am

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 10 Jan 2015 11:44 am

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 10 Jan 2015 12:10 pm

I googled a little about this, and I found that on another song (not on U-tube) producer John Boylan is playing a mellotron. Unlikely, but I hear a mellotron on this one too.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 10 Jan 2015 1:01 pm

So that's the guitar Chris?

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 11 Jan 2015 2:31 am

Joachim Kettner wrote:I have the Danny O'Keefe record "So Long Harry Truman" from 1975. Credits: Sneaky Pete Kleinow: Pedal Steel and Sneaky Strings. Indeed no mentioning of violins.

If the credits are listed in the same way on the track that the OP mentioned, then it doesn't necessarily mean that he was playing the string parts on the steel.

Maybe he played them on a Mellotron (I agree with the previous poster that there is definitely Mellotron on that track) and they called that "Sneaky Strings" for fun. After all, "Pedal Steel" and "Sneaky Strings" are listed as though they are 2 separate instruments.

The other possibility is that he augmented the Mellotron part with some violin/cello swells.

But whatever happened, I'm 99% sure that the sound that really sounds like strings is not a steel and is probably a Mellotron.

If they had a Mellotron is the studio, whey go to the trouble of creating the exact same sound using another instrument?

Paul Hoaglin · Post by **Paul Hoaglin** » 11 Jan 2015 3:40 pm

As a long-time Mellotron owner, I can tell you with 100% certainty that that's no Mellotron sound. No idea how Sneaky would have done it (especially the quick note jumps with no discernable attack - very unsteel-y), but it's brilliant....

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 11 Jan 2015 3:44 pm

I think E-bow.

Paul Hoaglin · Post by **Paul Hoaglin** » 11 Jan 2015 3:47 pm

I'll agree, but boy oh boy it would be hard to make those interval jumps so smoothly. But that'd be Sneaky for you - if anyone could, and put all that emotion into it too....

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 11 Jan 2015 3:54 pm

I know it, he was Sneaky.
He was also Gumby sometimes, one never knew.

Paul Hoaglin · Post by **Paul Hoaglin** » 11 Jan 2015 4:26 pm

I managed to listen to this record, and it's somewhat ironic that the very next song ("Rainbow Girl") is the one with the actual Mellotron, and it very much is the classic "3-violins" sound - and so contrasts greatly with Sneaky's "Sneaky Strings" sound.

It's a really good record!

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 11 Jan 2015 6:03 pm

chris ivey wrote:

What do all those buttons and knobs do? And who has that guitar now?

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 11 Jan 2015 7:49 pm

This article answers some of those questions about the string sound.

Tom Gorr · Post by **Tom Gorr** » 11 Jan 2015 8:36 pm

Thanks for posting...my dumbphone is only displaying the first page of the interview...are there more?

Micky Byrne · Post by **Micky Byrne** » 12 Jan 2015 3:34 am

Many times done on just a Boss-Tone...full intensity setting,Take your highs down, pick 2 strings in unison....on the higher strings, slant the bar a tiny bit to get the "Pulsating" beats....then most importantly forget "Pedal steel" .... Think what you'd hear in a string section. If it's a sudio job you can add the Cello parts on another track...this time thinking Cello. I did this may years ago on a session. A good guy in the control booth can help no end.

Micky"scars" Byrne U.K.

Jeff Mead · Post by **Jeff Mead** » 12 Jan 2015 3:45 am

Russ Tkac wrote:This article answers some of those questions about the string sound.

Thanks Russ,

That is fascinating - I really didn't think that string sound could be a steel.

My admiration for Sneaky Pete has risen to new heights.

I know it's nothing to do with his string sound but I've always loved his playing on this track and especially what he does in the solo from about 2:24 - 2:31 - it sends chills down my spine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI_8ArJ ... freload=10

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 12 Jan 2015 4:50 am

Thanks, Jeff, makes my day.
'It sends chills down my spine....' I knew just which ride you were talking about.

It was 'Thanks to Over-dubbing'--Martin Mull.
Of course.

Russ, it would be cool to have a link to the text or the source.
However, thanks for posting as I've now heard who made that heaven behind Stevie Wonder's 'Too Shy To Say.'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_j-MxKALFU
You gotta hear at least the head.
Seems every time a steel part really grabs me, it's Mr. Pete.

Paul Hoaglin · Post by **Paul Hoaglin** » 12 Jan 2015 8:00 am

Great stuff on the Stevie song - I too knew the song (only vaguely though), but didn't realise that was Pete. Love the whole tone scale stuff he does in there!

Not strictly on the topic of Sneaky's string sound, but possibly my favourite use of his fuzztone is on Sandy Denny's song "It'll Take A Long Time" from Sandy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28zG4ZVgsQM

Not just fuzztone, but great wah and "straight" steel parts, but the double-tracked fuzz parts really nail me. When I first heard it, I thought they were synths! But it really shows what he means that his fuzz is more "mellow" than the usual circuits.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 12 Jan 2015 8:41 am

That's the other one that gives me chills.

Paul Redmond · Post by **Paul Redmond** » 26 Jan 2015 10:21 pm

I was able to get the strings sound using a Boss RV-3 delay, then recording three unison tracks. When I mixed it all down, I didn't favor any of the three tracks, but rather kept their volume as close to identical as possible. I was using an Evans FET 500 amp at the time.
PRR