The Steel Guitar Forum

Would anyone know what neck/tuning Leon McAuliffe would have used on this track from Leon Redbone’s Champagne Charlie album?
Spoiler alert…..his performance is brilliant.
Thanks in advance.

To me it sounds like B 13

A B D# F# G# B D# 7string

possibly A B D# F# G# B D# F# 8 string or
F# A B D# F# G# B D#

or B6: B D# F# G# B D# 6 string

but then you lose that 7th(A natural on bottom) which I am pretty sure I heard more than once

Any other ideas?

Mike,
Thanks for taking interest. Much appreciated.
Could have he used his E13 neck?
I may string up an 8 string and investigate.
His playing on this track is extremely subtle and works so well conversing with the vocal.

At the beginning he plays an arpeggio of a B major chord and it sounds like open strings (plus there is absolutely no vibrato on any of the notes) so that's what I'm basing it on. It does not sound like a bar is on the strings for that arpeggio.

The notes are B D# F# B D#. The D#'s would not be in a normal E13 tuning. I'm not familiar with Leon's various tunings but this would be the same as a C13 tuned down a half step.

I sure would like to hear some of the more seasoned vets weigh in on this. It's possible he's used this tuning before or perhaps he has used C13 before and just tuned it down to B for this song. Maybe someone can enlighten us.

Not digging deep and remembering that he had 4 necks to draw on, but the harmonics at 1.46 indicate the top 5 notes of A6 with the bar at the 7th fret.

I am no help on the tuning but just found this in the rabbit hole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEG7eBJCwZk Leon (Redbone) was a fantastic guitar picker! I know who I will be listening to this week!

Guy,
Me thinks your suggestion of multiple necks is very accurate.
I think the intro/Verses are on his E13 neck and section you mentioned is on his A6 neck.
I’m slogging thru it.
If I get thru it, I’ll post a transcription.
Thank you everyone for helping out.
Very much appreciated.

Off-topic a bit.....but another killer version of this tune w/ steel:

Michael Nesmith w/ Red Rhodes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOXJIGFEn8k

I've hardly been able to get away from this song for the last month or two.

Can anyone else recommend later work with Leon's steel playing?

I really love this, surely there are other "late period" examples beside the last of the Texas Playboys.

Never really listened to the steel on any of the Redbone songs, but that is beautiful. John