Bill Kirchen- tele change for steel-like volume swells

John Brabant · Post by **John Brabant** » 14 Feb 2016 5:09 am

Wasn't sure of the best place to post this. I know a lot of steel players also play telecaster and as such this might be of interest to you all or possibly a friend or band mate of yours. Of course Bill Kirchen played with the incomparable Bobby Black in their Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen band. Interesting video even if you don't play a tele.

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Re ... O_20160211

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 14 Feb 2016 5:30 am

I get the Stew-Mac e-mails. I watched the video and not taking away from his ability or accomplishments, the first thing I thought of "another guitar player trying to emulate a steel and thinks he has to swell everything with a volume control".

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 14 Feb 2016 8:12 am

I first heard this effect on "I Need You":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj8d2SjhoHw
One comment is spot on:
I read somewhere that the distinct guitar effect on this song was accomplished by John working the volume control on George's guitar while George played the chords.

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 14 Feb 2016 11:29 am

Why not just use a volume pedal?

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 14 Feb 2016 12:41 pm

It would be to easy Mike. I always get suspicious of guitar players using volume pedals.

Doug Clark · Post by **Doug Clark** » 15 Feb 2016 12:16 pm

Joachim Kettner wrote:I first heard this effect on "I Need You":

One comment is spot on:
I read somewhere that the distinct guitar effect on this song was accomplished by John working the volume control on George's guitar while George played the chords.

That was what I read somewhere, too, maybe in an Andy Aledort book of Beatles songs.
So maybe the Lads from Liverpool are indirectly responsible for the invention of the volume pedal?

Mike Perlowin · Post by **Mike Perlowin** » 15 Feb 2016 12:59 pm

Doug Clark wrote:... maybe the Lads from Liverpool are indirectly responsible for the invention of the volume pedal?

Imagine how the history of the steel would have changed if they had used one on Yesterday instead of the violins.

Brett Lanier · Post by **Brett Lanier** » 15 Feb 2016 5:02 pm

Mike Perlowin wrote:Why not just use a volume pedal?

Because with a volume pedal you're anchored to that spot on stage. Also, it wears on your opposite leg and hip if you're playing with one foot on a volume pedal a lot. Another reason would be that you already have a volume control in your guitar! I reversed the control plate on my tele a long time ago, just made way more sense to me that way.

Laur Joamets (from Sturgill Simpsons band) does a swell toward the beginning of Long White Line that sounds just like a pedal steel. If there were steel on the track there'd be no way of knowing it was him.

Ron Pruter · Post by **Ron Pruter** » 16 Feb 2016 7:19 pm

Early on, Phil Keagy was a master at it plus a jaw dropping player. He also had to rub it in by playing with a finger on his picking hand missing from a pump handle accident as a child. RP

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 17 Feb 2016 5:34 am

Some nice violining from Jesse Davis on "Hello Old Friend", also a master of that style:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZ5G3xoxhI
I've seen a picture where he put a metal slide on the volume knob of his Tele to extend it.