Was Ralph Mooney's front neck Standard C6?

Ed Boyd · Post by **Ed Boyd** » 9 Aug 2017 4:04 am

Watching Ralph play Lonesome Onry and Mean. I wouldn't have guess it was done on C6. Mostly because it sounds really Country to me and not Jazzy or Western Swing like. I figured it was on the front neck. Ralph plays it on the C6 neck.

Does anyone know if Ralph played a standard D10 setup?

Jon Light · Post by **Jon Light** » 9 Aug 2017 4:16 am

No. His rear neck was his (variant on) E9 .

I've read differing accounts but one account is that his second neck was just a duplication of the first (spare neck).

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 9 Aug 2017 4:54 am

According to an interview with Ralph that was conducted some time ago; he was not certain of his tuning on the front neck as he "rarely used it". His copedant at that time listed five pedals and one knee lever working the rear (E9) neck. He routinely employed both feet on the pedals which may also have given the impression that he was playing in the C6 tuning..He stated that he would have the pickups on his guitars rewound to the same specs as found on his Fender steel which I assume allowed him to maintain that distinctive Mooney tone.

Ed Boyd · Post by **Ed Boyd** » 9 Aug 2017 5:38 am

Thanks! That makes sense. I'm watching Ralph play this and it sounds like E9 and it was messing with my mind.

scott murray · Post by **scott murray** » 9 Aug 2017 7:08 am

Ralph didn't play a standard E9 tuning, but it was pretty close.

I thought his other neck was tuned like a dobro with only 6 strings and no pedals or levers.

Joerg Hennig · Post by **Joerg Hennig** » 9 Aug 2017 11:11 am

Ralph mostly played the back neck, C6th for most of us, but his was basically a version of E9th with no chromatic strings and just one change per pedal, which probably evolved out of his early tuning from the '50s.

Here is a rare example of Ralph playing the front neck:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILhZlXrV7bQ

I've read before that his front neck was tuned like a dobro but this seems pretty mind-boggling. I haven't been able to figure it out yet.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 9 Aug 2017 8:10 pm

In the above video, it is definitely a G based tuning as you can see him playing dobro type open string licks on the top neck. The song is in G.

Jim Reynolds · Post by **Jim Reynolds** » 10 Aug 2017 1:59 am

Tom Bradshaw could tell us his exact tuning, I'm sure. If we asked.

Tony Dingus · Post by **Tony Dingus** » 10 Aug 2017 5:04 pm

Robby Turner might know too. I like it.

Tony

John Haspert · Post by **John Haspert** » 13 Aug 2017 8:17 am

You might contact GFI as I think they have the Moon's guitar.

Jay Yuskaitis · Post by **Jay Yuskaitis** » 13 Aug 2017 1:26 pm

Ralph Mooney played a modified Fender Pedal guitar during his heyday with Buck Owens, Wynn Stewart, Johnny and Joanie, Bonnie, James Burton and many others that allude my memory today. Jay Y.

Jim Reynolds · Post by **Jim Reynolds** » 13 Aug 2017 4:43 pm

It would be very interesting, if Tom Bradshaw, would just pop in and tell us. I'm sure he would know. From the write up, he did on Ralph, he would have too.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 14 Aug 2017 10:34 am

In the old Steel Guitarist Magazine, issue from 1980 I think, in the Ralph Mooney Story interview states that the front neck is a G dobro tuning that he rarely uses with no further explanation.

When asked about his main tuning, Ralph states he doesn't know one note from another. His copedent is listed in the article and has been discussed here many times.

Dave Zirbel has posted Mooney's tuning several times here if you'd like to do a search.

A plug for those Steel Guitarist magazines, there is a lot of valuable information and reading in those slick pages even though they are several years old. Should be a part of every steel guitar picker's library IMO.

You can buy the entire 6/7 issues for small bucks from Tom Bradshaw or right here from b0b's store.

Jim Reynolds · Post by **Jim Reynolds** » 14 Aug 2017 3:14 pm

Jerry, I don't have them all, but got copies of everyone that Tom had, a couple moths ago. I have really enjoyed them. Your right they should be.

Roger Guyett · Post by **Roger Guyett** » 14 Aug 2017 4:21 pm

here's Ralph's coped for his 10 string E9 setup (written up by him I believe when he was playing a GFI)

here's his earlier 8 string coped

Jim Reynolds · Post by **Jim Reynolds** » 14 Aug 2017 4:32 pm

This is great. WOW!

Ed Boyd · Post by **Ed Boyd** » 15 Aug 2017 3:25 pm

Wow! Thanks everyone.

Martin Johannesson · Post by **Martin Johannesson** » 23 Aug 2017 8:10 pm

I met Ralph when he was with Waylon in Stockholm, Sweden 1983 and got to try his guitar at the soundcheck. The front neck was a G based tuning for sure. No pedals hooked up to it from what I recall. It was a great concert by the way and so was Ralphs playing. What a nice humble man he was. Rest in peace!

Jerry Erickson · Post by **Jerry Erickson** » 23 Aug 2017 8:57 pm

Nice moon inlay on the front of his Bud!

Frank Leppert · Post by **Frank Leppert** » 30 Jul 2020 3:31 am

same year, October 5th 1983, Berlin, Deutschlandhalle, same shirt?

Ned McIntosh · Post by **Ned McIntosh** » 30 Jul 2020 11:20 am

I'm pretty sure Winnie WInstons's book "Pedal Steel Guitar" listed Ralph's copedant in the back with a lot of other players of the day.

Mike Vallandigham · Post by **Mike Vallandigham** » 30 Jul 2020 12:09 pm

Martin Johannesson wrote:I met Ralph when he was with Waylon in Stockholm, Sweden 1983 and got to try his guitar at the soundcheck. The front neck was a G based tuning for sure. No pedals hooked up to it from what I recall. It was a great concert by the way and so was Ralphs playing. What a nice humble man he was. Rest in peace!

That "Good Old Boys" clip linked above was from Stockholm 1983 and you can clearly hear him using the pedals during the solo.

I don' mean anything by it, just pointing it out.

Sounds like a G Dobro with some basic raises on the pedals.

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Was Ralph Mooney's front neck Standard C6?

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