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Topic: Opinions - Mooney Sound |
Ron Whitworth
From:
Yuma,Ariz.USA Yeah they say it's a DRY heat !!
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Posted 20 May 2012 8:11 am |
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Hello;
I know there are a lot of Mooney fans out there so this is why I am asking all of you!
Mooney's style, sound & tone still just knocks me out to this day.
I am thinking of buying & setting a guitar up just for that sound ( I know - some of you will probably think I am crazy but .... ).
I fully understand about his playing style ( sharp trebly sound ) & his right hand pick attack is the
biggest part of his sound.
I would like your opinion on what you suggest on the pedal steel & the pickup to get closer to that sound.
I know the older Fender pedal guitars are right there close but I really want to know if anyone has/is using a modern all pull guitar to get near the sound.
I have heard a little talk that the GFI with a modified pickup can do it??? Don't know - what do you say?
OR is there another modern all pull that can do it?
OR is the older Fender pedal guitars the way to go?
Thanks for reading & any info you can give me on this.
Ron
_________________
"Tone is in the hands. Unless your wife will let you buy a new amp. Then it's definitely in that amp."
We need to turn the TWANG up a little
It's not what you play through, it's what you play through it.
They say that tone is all in the fingers...I say it is all in your head 
Some of the best pieces of life are the little pieces all added up..Ron
the value of friendship. Old friends shine like diamonds, you can always call them and - most important - you can't buy them. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 20 May 2012 8:15 am
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a lower Z pickup. I'd try having one wound with a tap around ten or eleven
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Norbert Dengler
From:
germany
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Posted 20 May 2012 10:45 am
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mooney liked the GFI for coming close to the sound he`s known for.
besides that it`s a reliable and nice guitar. |
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Peter den Hartogh
From:
Cape Town, South Africa
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 20 May 2012 11:42 am
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| when i play my shobud maverick through a little washburn amp it actually sound kind of like a fender. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 20 May 2012 1:21 pm
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This is where I differ from most players, here. IMHO, it's far more the thought process, and the playing style and ability, than it is the equipment that generates any famous players "signature sound".
Look, I know tons of players who have the same equipment as ___________ (insert the name of any famous player), but most all of them sound very little like those "famous players" they're trying to emulate. What you hear doesn't come from the equipment as much as it does the hands.
It's that simple.
And if it weren't, we'd have thousands of players out there who sounded just like Buddy, Curly, Moon, or Brumley.
If you can't think and play like that player, you'll never sound like him, regardless of what you use. And if by chance you can think and play like that player, chances are you can sound like him on just about anything you'll care to use. |
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Carl Williams
From:
Oklahoma
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Posted 20 May 2012 1:47 pm Common Sense Abounds
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Donny,
Your comments are as usual, bringing things back to reality. I can appreciate the hopes/dreams/aspirations of anyone trying to emulate any or all of the Greats/Masters, buttttttttt, as you're suggesting, are your hands and mindset in sync with the ONE you're trying to sound like?? (No Hi-Jack Intended--just a seond opine of Donny's input)... |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 20 May 2012 2:11 pm
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The question is a fair one, Carl, and not really out of the scope of the thread. I don't even try to sound "just like" anyone. Though strongly influenced by Mooney, Brumley, and early Lloyd Green, I only try to sound "a little" like those guys. But you have to understand that I give most credit to the musicians for a 'sound", and very little to their gear. I mean, if a Fender steel and a tube amp gave you the "Mooney sound", then Speedy West, Sneaky Pete, and early Tom Brumley would also sound much like Mooney. But to me, they don't. The old Fender pedal steels had very poor sustain, and to get that from a modern pedal steel, all you really need is a lightweight bar. To also help the "Mooney effect", you need to use basic pedal moves and a lot of single-string and open usison moves, the kind that Moon would have used. Of course, if you're one of the players who bases much of his playing on scales and modern pedal moves, then you're not going to sound much like Moon.
It's a mindset, really. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 20 May 2012 2:29 pm
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(deleted duplicate post)
Last edited by Donny Hinson on 21 May 2012 4:47 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 20 May 2012 3:57 pm
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Some of my favorite Mooney stuff was played on a Sho-Bud.
But the sound of that funky home made steel of his early playing is amazing. What guitar did he play on the instrumental album he did with James Burton ? The blending with the tele is fantastic.
_________________
Bob |
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Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 20 May 2012 4:17 pm
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| Quote: |
| But the sound of that funky home made steel of his early playing is amazing. |
I like the Frankensteel too! He played a Fender 1000 on Corn Pickin' and Slick Slidin' with J Burton.
_________________
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 20 May 2012 4:28 pm
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Listen to how they trade off licks on Corn Pickin' and Slick Slidin' with those Fenders ! The tone is seamless between them. I love that record.
_________________
Bob |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Gary Reed
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Posted 20 May 2012 4:50 pm
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Any backing tracks with this course? |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 20 May 2012 5:06 pm
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I totally agree with Donny. If you can't just sit down and have Mooney thoughts, Mooney gear won't get you Mooney sounds.
I'll stop before I get all Yoda or Mr. Miyagi (If Mooney is not in here [point to head or heart, take your pick], he cannot come out here [point to hands].)
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 20 May 2012 5:49 pm
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I understand that Mr. Moony was an accomplished 6 string picker . information I got from an old picker that played the Honky Tonks in Las Angeles said Moon was known as a Take off player - and was to young to play in the bars but was allowed to do it for his talent -- I would guess that's the chicken pick’n stile he did so well on steel .
maybe some one knows if this is true - I had no reason to doubt the gentleman related this to me -- He is in his 90’s+ and I know he played a lot of places , many years ago |
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John Allison
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 20 May 2012 6:56 pm
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| Bob Hoffnar wrote: |
| The blending with the tele is fantastic. |
Heck, some of that early stuff requires pretty good knowledge of tele and steel licks just know when one stops and the other starts. I'm a real fan of the Mooney "sound", but for me it's more about the harmonic and melodic sensibility than the particular tone of the instrument. He always seemed to drive the song in a particular way.
It seems to me that a lot of the cutting tone he got was pure attack through a bare-bones, dry signal chain.
_________________
John Allison
Allison Stringed Instruments
Austin, Texas
www.allisonguitars.com |
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Joey Ace
From:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 20 May 2012 7:17 pm
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The only backing track on Al Brisco's Mooney Steel DVD is for his original tune "Ralph's Reel".
More info on the DVD is at www.joeyace.com/moon.htm
Thanks for the interest. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 20 May 2012 7:36 pm
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Ralph and some other So.Calif. Steel Players, including myself, started playing in our mid teens in the War Tears if the 40's. Steel Players were scarce as a lot had been drafted into the Service.
If you could carry a tune and play some fills there were a lot of jobs in Dance Halls, Clubs, Honky Tonks, and Lodges. I think Ralph was playing at theChit Chat in Bell Gardens which was a pretty rough Club. Another Steel youngster was Leodie Jackson who played underage at the B & R Cafe in East Los Angeles. I started playing in Dance Halls when I was just 14 years old. The Bands would give you a chance but you had to learn quick. We learned a lot of songs off the Juke Box in the Bar on breaks.
_________________
Sacramento Western Swing Society Hall of Fame, 1992 |
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Bob Hickish
From:
Port Ludlow, Washington, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 21 May 2012 5:17 am
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Billy T
Thanks for that info - from the story I got Mr. Moony was mostly a 6 stringer at the time , but when my old friend heard Mr. moony play steel he said --- “Moony was a good 6 stringer but really impressed everyone with his steel ability”
the first time I saw Moon play live was around 1957 on long beach Blvd at Cal worthington’s auto dealership -- it was called "Cal’s Corral" Radio & TV program -- he played Bud’s Bounce - Impressive to say the least |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 21 May 2012 7:45 am
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| Wax on, wax off. |
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Roger Guyett
From:
San Francisco, Ca.
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Posted 21 May 2012 8:29 am fender
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Hi Ron -
Youre obviously getting some great responses from some highly knowledgeable people. For example, I don't think anyone could argue with Donny Hinson's comments (well maybe someone out there could ).
Anyway, Im also a big Mooney fan and spend a bit of time learning his stuff.
I do have a fender and I would say that the mechanics of the instrument change the character of what youre hearing from the guitar. I play the same thing on a modern guitar and it sounds different - not better or worse. On my Fender the pulls aren't as exact or as immediate as a modern guitar - that effects the way the notes/chords sound as you use the pedals. My favorite Mooney is from his Fender and earlier days. |
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Fred Glave
From:
McHenry, Illinois, USA
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Posted 21 May 2012 8:57 am
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I think Al Brisco has got the Ralph Mooney sound down pretty darn good and he's playing on a Carter. That supports Donny Hinson's comments. The Steel you're playing has a lot less to do with it than the approach you will take.
_________________
Zum Encore, Zum Stage One, Fender 2000, Harlan Bros., Multi-Kord, |
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Ron Whitworth
From:
Yuma,Ariz.USA Yeah they say it's a DRY heat !!
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Posted 21 May 2012 6:30 pm
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Hello All /
This is some GREAT info here & some great history too..My Thanks to all who have answered so far.
I understand what all of you have said but
I believe I still want a pedal steel set up just for the Mooney style/sound/tone.
Can I get near that sound with a modern pedal steel?
If so, which one?
If not, which older pedal steel will get me near that sound?
_________________
"Tone is in the hands. Unless your wife will let you buy a new amp. Then it's definitely in that amp."
We need to turn the TWANG up a little
It's not what you play through, it's what you play through it.
They say that tone is all in the fingers...I say it is all in your head
Some of the best pieces of life are the little pieces all added up..Ron
the value of friendship. Old friends shine like diamonds, you can always call them and - most important - you can't buy them. |
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Bill Howard
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 21 May 2012 6:42 pm Probably the best Mooney ever
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I cannot listen to this without welling up, ralph mooney was probaly better with a volume pedal than anyone I EVER HEARD!. Listen to this it is and always will be my favorite Ralph Mooney ride.
No one will ever get that sound just wont happen...
close OK.... but he just had a way!!.
http://youtu.be/9cpoiopvWUU |
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