The Steel Guitar Forum

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

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".

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.

Why not just use a volume pedal?

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

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?

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.

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.

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

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.