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Emmons String Machine, Anyone?
Posted: 30 Jul 2018 7:36 pm
by Chris Bauer
I ran into this tucked into an old Emmons catalog. I wonder what the sales numbers were for these. I’m guessing somewhere between zero and five but who knows? Either way, some of these might still be sitting out there somewhere haunting someone’s closet or basement. I’d love to know how they actually sounded playing live. Any of you ever hear one in non-studio action?
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 7:44 am
by Erv Niehaus
$400 back then was a lot of money!
Erv
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 2:11 pm
by Chris Bauer
Indeed!
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 2:47 pm
by Lee Baucum
Here is a demonstration of the beautiful string sounds.
Click Here
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 3:06 pm
by Jeremy Reeves
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 4:10 pm
by Jim Cohen
Lee Baucum wrote:Here is a demonstration of the beautiful string sounds.
Click Here
Wonder why they thought a sacred steel style would be appropriate for a string demo... Not.
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 7:25 pm
by Len Amaral
Yup, I had one of these units. Never could get it to be consistent and track properly. I sold it to Billy Marshall, a great player from Rhode Island back in the 70’s.
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 8:11 pm
by Doug Beaumier
I've bought and sold three of them over the years.
Here's what Buddy Emmons said back in 2002:
As for the String Machine:
I can't say how many were made as I was not in the business end of the Emmons Guitar Company but at best it was relatively few.
I don't remember the exact year they came out but I used it on a 1975 recording so it would have to have been a year or so before that.
The Foxx Tone Machine was my choice because of it being the distortion unit I was using for my work at the time.
I have no recollection of the settings or functions. I used it solely for string sounds. Three rods mounted vertically on the end of my guitar, and attached to those rods were three horizontal rods with single pole pickups that swiveled over the strings I chose for the harmonies. Most of the time I used strings 4, 6, and 10 for wide inversions and a fatter sound.
I used it mostly for demo sessions but the song I mentioned above was Canon in D Major on the Flying fish label. The album title is Buddy Emmons / Steel Guitar and referred to it as the "Rainbow album."
Posted: 31 Jul 2018 10:12 pm
by Per Berner
Lee Baucum wrote:Here is a demonstration of the beautiful string sounds.[/url]
Well, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder – or rather the ear, but this is totally unconvincing. Sounds like strings, yes – strings on a heavily distorted guitar!
Posted: 1 Aug 2018 6:27 am
by Dan Kelly
Posted: 1 Aug 2018 7:29 am
by Doug Beaumier
It's basically three fuzz tones in a box, with separate mix and tone controls, and three pickups. Buddy mounted the pickups on rods and hung them over the strings. He managed to get some violin-like sounds from the fuzz tones. Today's musicians, music store owners, guitar players, etc... probably assume that it's a distortion effect only, and that's how they use it.
Posted: 1 Aug 2018 12:23 pm
by Billy Easton
Mike "Cookie Monster" Jones had one of these when he passed away this past February. Claudette, his widow has it for sale. If anyone is interested, let me know and I can put you in touch with her.
Billy Easton
Posted: 1 Aug 2018 12:33 pm
by Tiny Olson
I still have one of these units. I've had it for well over 40 yrs. Used it only a few times, live and recording. Haven't used it since the late 70s.
I thought I'd keep it around as there were so few of them made. I might consider selling it if anyone was interested.
Chris "Tiny" O.
Posted: 10 Aug 2018 6:55 pm
by Dave Magram
Here's Buddy using the String Machine...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T_CvYnLxbY
Buddy Emmons - Pachelbel Canon In D Major on steel guitar
I heard somewhere that Buddy recorded this without overdubbing--is that true?
Beautiful and amazing!
- Dave
Posted: 10 Aug 2018 7:49 pm
by Mike Wheeler
No, Dave, it's full of overdubbed lines.
What's amazing to me is that he's playing all the orchestral parts himself. That's a heck of a lot to memorize, no?
Posted: 10 Aug 2018 8:20 pm
by Doug Beaumier
Yes, lots of overdubbing on that one. And I think it’s clean steel, no string machine. The string machine is a distorted sound. Check out “Nothing Was Delivered†on the same album.
Posted: 14 Aug 2018 9:29 pm
by Dave Magram
Mike & Doug,
Thanks for setting me straight about Buddy's version of Canon in D Major.
String Machine or not--it's still beautiful and amazing!
- Dave
Posted: 16 Aug 2018 8:54 pm
by Gary Jones
The Emmons string machine was basically 3 Foxx tone units jammed together in a box. The Foxx Tone was my favorite Fuzz tone of the era because the selectable octave switch gave it a unique character. I still have one built into a wah pedal, but if you do a web search for " Foxx Tone clone " you might be surprised at how many current units are based on that design
.
