The Steel Guitar Forum

I know in the 60s he briefly used an E13 type tuning, I’m pretty sure he tuned his second string to C# (or was it D?) and raised it to Ed, and I’m absolutely certain he played Day style pedals, but does anyone out there know what his copedent would have been in the 90s and 2000s when he played his turquoise LeGrande? I’m surprised his set up isn’t listed anywhere.

Johnny Cox, do you know? Anybody?

Thanks!
Chris

Clem Schmitz may know.

I know it was Day.

Raising the 2nd string was common early on. For whatever reason it couldn't be lowered in early pedal steels.

Canadian steeler friend, Ollie Strong, still tunes his 2nd string that way. Trivia, Ollie had the first Sho-Bud in Canada.

Would it have been the same setup as his Justice later on?

He played some killer stuff back in the day with Miss Connie Smith too. Reminded me alot of Leon Rhodes jazzy lines. Seems like they were both doing some whole tone stuff that really bends the ear.

Here was Weldon’s copedant from the “Manual of Style” book written by Winnie Winston..

In the time of the pull and release changer on steel guitar the music got ahead of the mechanics. A string lower meant under the guitar adding spring loaded stops, And under the guitar adjustments that was not the most stable.
When the all pull changer was put in steel guitars it allowed whatever tuning your heart desires.

I remember about 1970 a local steeler had put knee levers on an old Sho-Bud, He used wire plier handles for the knee levers. And had to adjust under the guitar.

Mike Holder wrote: Here was Weldon’s copedant from the “Manual of Style” book written by Winnie Winston..

This is the correct setup for E9th up to when he got a Legrande. He then added a RKL that lowered the high E to Eb. He also had a verticle that lowered the Bs but he told me he never used it. At some point he moved the C-B on C6th to RKR but I don't know what he put on P7 after that.
All of the major recordings he did were on the original setup.
And during the early Connie Smith sessions he did have two C#s in the tuning but only for a short time. He did have it when he recorded I'll Come Runnin. One more foot note, those Bill Anderson Records and early Connie Smith records were done on a Sho-Bud Permanent.

Thanks Johnny! I just remembered backstage at the Opry when I was a teenager, noticing his vertical lever and asking him about it, that was the first I knew of the B to Bd change. he demonstrated it for me and said most players were using it but he didn’t find a need for it often). I kind of like the idea of splitting the E lowers off onto two different levers, there are times when I see a benefit and lowering 8 but not 4 for melodic purposes.

He also told me during that Webb Pierce tribute record project, which you were also a part of, about how he played Jimmy Day style and how when he started out, all the players in a given area would choose day or Emmons style depending on which one came through their town first. If Ray Price came through town with Jimmy on steel, all the local players will talk to him after the show in order their guitars with Davy pedals. If ET came through town first, everybody will talk to Buddy after the show and order their guitars with Emmons pedals.

Regarding the Perm… Around that same time, Stu Basore told me Weldon came to town with a 1000 and eventually sold it to Stu. Bob Ferguson loved the sound of the Fender steels because they were so aggressive sounding. When he found out Weldon had sold the guitar to Stu, he almost took Weldon off the session and hired Stu because he wanted to sound that Fender! For whatever reason, at the last minute they kept Weldon on the “Once A Day” session and the rest is history. I’m sure you already know that story though!

Do you know if he was the first to lower 9 from D to C#? I’m a little surprised to see that change as early as ‘64 on somebody’s guitar.

Chris, Thanks for the history lesson, very interesting and informative!

The beauty of the push pull mechanism is the raise is dominant, so you can have all three notes on the second string as positive stops (no half stop needed) but can still raise and lower the whole tone in a single, smooth movement.