Are The Good Woods And Hot Steel Licks Vanishing?

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Are the selections of good woods becoming outdated in the construction of PEDAL STEEL GUITARS? I know that I'm influenced by beautiful natural wood grain finishes. Man-made materials, used in the colorful exterior side "panels" conceal the inner fabrications.

The scarcity of hot licks in country music programming, is becoming more pronounced with each passing day. The multiples of steel guitar shows are on the rise, which in turn allows for a different source of entertainment provided by the musicians who promote the events. Two very noticeable changes in one time period.

Glenn Uhler · From: Trenton, New Jersey, USA

Unfortunately, the tropical hardwoods (such as rosewood, mahogany, ebony and other similar woods) are being logged out faster than they can be replaced. Hardwoods and softwoods from the USA (such as maple and spruce) are probably growing almost as fast as we use them, so they will be available for a few more years. The quality and size are decreasing, though.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Glenn,

Thanks for your input on forestry. I would recall that Shot Jackson's bid to inspire the student steel guitarist was very commendable. If I could cross paths once again with a good buddy of mine, who once worked with Shot Jackson, he would be happy, I'm sure, to fill me in on the birds-eye maple story from start to finish. I use a curly maple arm rest that I suspect adds to the resonance. The raised rosewood fretless fretboard reverberates in combination with the curly maple armrest. The chestnut blight, and Dutch Elm effects serve as grim reminders to the susceptibilty of our precious woods. Mahogany has won me over for its durable forgiving properties. The early non-pedal lap steel guitars were constructed with a variety of woods, depending on the maker's name placed between the tuners. Leo Fender built the Fender 1000's from ash woods, according to my good buddy "Chuck" Sherman. The better lap models from other makers featured Mahogany in their construction.

Bo Legg · Posted 6 Feb 2011 8:38 am

I don't know if you would call them Hot but the licks I hear today are plentiful and good.
My choice of wood for my PSG wouldn't be that scarce but it would be expensive.
Talk about being in heaven. Drinking my Piñon Coffee and playing my Mesquite wood PSG.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

The last hot lick that I heard by turning on a radio station was the first time I heard "Chet" play "Snowbird". Give me a break! Hot steel or guitar licks (one in the same) after transposing in detail. Try thumbing through radio wave sypathizers trying to pull up a few hot licks. It is far too time consuming playing cat and mouse with radio broadcasts. The best method for keeping up with the latest steel guitar advancements, is to gas up, and attend shows that feature cream of the crop musicians.

David Beckner · From: Kentucky, USA

Bill
I dont think it is about the so called hot lick as much as it is , are there any hot licks being played today that are done tastefully and is it a lick that actually fits the music..In older traditional country music you heard a ride that was played that stayed on course of the music played - take for example a ride taken by some one like the great John Hughey.. Compared to todays glitz , glamour and smoke and mirrors stuff where now when you hear a ride you stop and scratch your head trying to figure out what the person playing is trying to prove....j.m.o.
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Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Sadly, trees that produce the best tonewoods are not only being harvested by legitimate people in the industry, but also by poachers who illegally cut down the trees without regard for the consequences.

We are seeing more 6 string guitars (as well as other instruments) made out of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and other synthetic materials, So far among steel manufacturers, only MSA has done this. I think we may see more steels made out of these materials in the future as the woods grow scarcer.
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Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

David,

Much obliged for helping to boost this thread. I'm game for checking out by digging deeper into causes and effects of different intonations of steel guitars. The most ideal woods attainable built into a pedal steel guitar will definitely require the very best electronics engineers to create the ultimate resonance by capturing the intricate minuscule vibrations. The average pickups for starters, do not compliment the pedal steel by bringing out its full potential. It appears that the emphasis from day one has not been concentrated in the electronics assemblages. A player's influence would stem from that elusive tonality that everyone is searching for. Better music would be possible once a player is seated with a quality instrument.

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Mike,

Thanks for helping me point out poachers, and other illegal activities, that will be as disasterous as those horrid forest fires in the far west if left to continue. I hope you will help me prove that there is a reciprocally related, and correlated involvement in quality instruments and super pickers. Durability in manufactured musical instruments, is up for questioning.

Pete Finney · From: Nashville Tn.

richard burton · From: Britain

I didn't realise there was a correlation between good timber and hot picking.

You can make a steel out of the finest wood on the planet, and I can assure you that if I get to play it, there ain't gonna be any hot licks Shocked

Bill Duncan · From: Lenoir, North Carolina, USA

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Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Pete,

Yes it's true! Things were quiet in the shop where I worked one day as I reached over and flipped the power switch on the shop radio. As I turned to walk away, I heard Chet playing "Snowbird" for the first time. I couldn't take another step away from that beautiful arrangement. Literally freezing in my position as tears welled up in my eyes. Nowadays, I've become more familiar with some of the "tricks" of the trade that Nashville musicians use to enhance your lead playing. Echos, black boxes costing upwards of $300.00 etc., plus multiple recordings. In the end Chet felt that others had better "whammy bars", and a few other advantages that were alluded to in public discussions.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

Getting back to the tonewood question, does anybody remember the Sierra "Artist" guitars? As I recall, they were made out of aluminum, and contained no wood at all. I also seem to recall that they had some design flaws that caused them to have mechanical problems, but I don't remember anybody complaining about the way they sounded.

Cosmetics aside, is there any reason a steel guitar could not be made out of aluminum?
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Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Bill Duncan,

Thanks for "stopping" by and mentioning those wonderful American trees. I've been trying to remember the name of the wood that a player was using to build a steel more than twenty years ago. For some reason, purpleheart comes to mind. I believe it's much heavier than black walnut. I'll be advertising the May 1st "MASSBASH" in the "Yankee Shopper" flyer later on. It covers his area, and he has attended a few shows in the past. I'll be sure to check on that steel, if I see him. Have you built steel guitars? If so, it would be interesting to learn more about your workshop.

Georg Sørtun · From: Mandal, Agder, Norway

Chris Dorch · From: Wisconsin, USA

My guitar is made from one of the hardest woods to come by.. Nearly 45 year old African Mahogany... It looks great.. It sounds great... But I can't play a lick on it period...

Ah well.. perhaps if I concentrated on my technique more...

Barry Blackwood · Posted 6 Feb 2011 7:52 pm

Charles Davidson · From: Phenix City Alabama, USA

Pete,Seems Bill is saying,Chet NEVER used any tricks or studio gimmicks on his recordings,Wonder if Les did. Shocked

YOU BETCHA,DYK?BC.
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Bill Duncan · From: Lenoir, North Carolina, USA

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Cliff Kane · From: the late great golden state

Fender cable guitars and the welded frame MCI / EMCI guitar have wrap around aluminum bodies with slabs of ash or maple on top. I don't believe ash or maple is exotic or in danger of running out. Those guitars sound great. What sort of material are the Dekley necks made out of? I don't believe it's natural wood, and those guitars sound great.

Remember the Travis Bean and the Kramer aluminum 6 string guitars? Did they have tuning issues?

Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

I remember well my "manual training" in woodworking as one of my regular classes in high school. The instructor was a gifted craftsman who was determined to quell a few unmanageable behaviorisms in students who should have been taken out of the classroom. I remember one in particular who would saunter near other students and pull pranks to distract the instructor. It was a great learning experience which has carried over to building my own pedal steel guitar. There are volumes of information concerning varieties of woods, of all descriptions. Its natural beauty will always be a great challenge to other materials used in the manufacturing of musical instruments. It's up in the air which will come first, the last major craftsman, or the scarcity of original hot
licks heard among steel guitarists. Nashville, like many centers providing entertainment, while hugging the "money tree", appears to be yielding to the sounds of the NEW COUNTRY. New country made rapid progress after jobless 60's "rockers" gradually replaced and introduced their monotone 1,2,3 beat to new country advocates. Hot licks country simply went down the tubes.

Bill Duncan · From: Lenoir, North Carolina, USA

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Bill Hankey · From: Pittsfield, MA, USA

Bill Duncan,

Thanks for pointing out the fineness of both gentlemen. I've studied some of their adroit maneuverings on occasion. I have met both the late Chester Atkins in Westfield, MA, and Mishawaka, Indiana's Buddy Gene Emmons, in West Springfield, MA. before the turn of the century. Their approaches to music continues to exceed in terms of brilliance, the vast majorities of past and present pickers of steel guitars, and Spanish guitars. There are many players who do a fine job of imitating the two great artists, until the road to completing the most difficult passages becomes more than they can handle, and that's all she wrote. The work is never completed. This is a matter of opinion. Mine!

Barry Blackwood · Posted 7 Feb 2011 8:00 am

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