Origin Of The Universal!

Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

The validity of the science of music was proven many century’s ago by means of mathematical equations. The steel guitar was forced, as are all other instruments, to adhere to the same rules and mathematical principals while proceeding along an evolutionary path.

Music and the interval movements therein, is an absolute mathematical certainty, therefore the parameters are crystal clear as to the necessary movement (distance) from one note to the next to create a melodic line, or when selecting notes to become a specific chord.

The actual musical concept relative to steel guitar characteristics, whether it be non-pedal or pedal steel, have followed a logical musical pathway same as all other instruments, which some other than myself, have followed at the same time.

There was a time for steel guitar when there was, what I might refer too as an “information infusion”, which was then integrated into the sound characteristic unique only to steel guitar which evolved into Hawaiian, swing, big band, country music and beyond. These beautiful sounds created a unique place for our instrument in the inspiring and soulful world of music which touches everyone on this earth.

Similar information infusion phenomena occurred when electricity, the combustion engine, nuclear power and the computer were invented. Almost immediately many things were created as a result, because the theory was present and proven.

What we have together created today relative to steel guitar is only unique when acknowledging the utilization of the marvelous characteristics found only in our beloved instrument……the steel guitar!

The only thing I can personally contribute is how I made the decision to integrate into steel guitar that which was necessary when considering musical mathematical certainties.

I of course had one of, if not “THE” first MSA single 12’s ever made. As I evolved on the instrument while at the time playing primarily western swing with Bob Wills and others, what’s now known as the country sound was being developed by wonderfully talented players. When I got off the road and started playing country music studio sessions, there was of course a need for me to play the sounds that were traditional.

At the time I was using a 12 string 6th tuning. After I examined the E9th tuning I realized that by simply raising my two third intervals in accordance with musical principals, doing so would allow me to have a tuning which would emulate the traditional E9th sounds associated with steel guitar at the time.

I believe yet today there are many players who have not experienced the realization that the 9th and the C6th tunings are mathematically the same, therefore musically compatible. All one need do is lower the E’s on an E9th and they have essentially created a B6th tuning.

The first two pedals commonly used on the E9th were musically logical to have in the same place, because when playing in the 6th tuning they become great jazz chord combinations. As a result, there are neither wasted pedals nor inefficient pedal positions relative to adhering to the theory of music.

I believe the evolutionary process of steel guitar has been a collective effort which has been achieved both by applying proven theory and the sharing of information. I further believe the information age we live in will continually accelerate the learning process.

I don’t believe the true origin of what’s come to be known as the Universal concept is attributed to me or any other individual, same as I don’t believe any other individual can claim to be the one who decided upon the tunings or the pedal and knee lever configurations.

My most sincere wish is that over the past 40 years, somewhere along the way I may have contributed to the happiness and musical enjoyment of others while also taking part in providing an instrument they could be proud to play while on their journey to become the best they could be.

For those of us who are dedicated, the journey will last a lifetime, but it’s very comforting and important to know our efforts will affect in a positive manner the lives of others.

The true reward of my musical career is in the many friends and unforgettable acquaintances I have made all over the world that I have been so blessed to know through my commitment to both music and guitar production/design.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you who have supported my steel guitar building and musical career.

I specifically wish to offer a most sincere and heart felt thank you to each of you who have supported and believed in me while going through the bumps and bruises of life.

Each of you has contributed to the blessing of my wonderful life and that of my family, for which I will be eternally grateful.

Richard Gonzales · From: Davidson, NC USA

Thank you Reece for your take on the subject as it is very informative !!

When you built the first MSA S12, did you have all 8 pedals ? Reading your post it reads as if you were the first one to play a B6/E9 copedent?

When did you tune to the E9/B6 as we know today, or did someone else come to your conclusion and ultilized the 12 strings for a E9/B6 Universal setup?

Randy Beavers · From: Lebanon,TN 37090

Maurice, you've had an influence on me through your association with Jack Ryder. I heard from him that the E9th sounds could be played on the C6th tuning, although begrudgingly on his part. You know how Jack was.

One the most interesting topics I like to hear about if you don't mind. How did you get started? How old, lessons, guitars, tunings, etc. How did all this lead into building guitars? But most of all I would like to hear about how you got started playing steel guitar.

Thanks,
Randy

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

But there's a lot more to the E9th than just the A+B pedals! The diatonic nature of the first two strings, the 'F' lever and the F# to G# change have extended the musical vocabulary of E9th players in directions quite different from the 6th tunings.

The U-12 as we know it today is far more than simply 2 pedals added to a B6th. More typically, we think of it an extended E9th with C6th pedals added.

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Edited for spelling!

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 16 November 2003 at 07:16 PM.]

Johnny Cox · Posted 16 Nov 2003 8:09 pm

Reece, I'm with Randy, you have influenced me for years and I am happy to have the opportunity to learn from your great wealth of knowledge. There are a few people who may throw darts at you, but a multitude more that respect and admire you as I do.

Your friend,
Johnny

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

Well said, Reece.......al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

KENNY KRUPNICK · From: Columbus, Ohio

Yes!! Thank you again Reece, for being there,and being a BIG part of thr steel guitar world,past,and present.

David Doggett · Posted 16 Nov 2003 10:42 pm

Reece, thanks for sharing your thoughts and experience about the universal. I understand what you are saying about so much of it deriving from the inate structure of music and the pre-existing pedal steels. Nevertheless, someone had to recognize that structure, had to think through the details, had to get a 12-string and set up the string and pedal and knee lever changes, and had to learn to play it, and then had to have the guts to play this wierd new beast in front of listeners and other players. Sure, after the fact, it all looks obvious and inevitable. But you and the other pioneers of the universal deserve credit for each and every string and mechanical change. Who knows, it may have been years later before someone else thought of it and worked it out. And if they weren't a builder, it might never have been developed as a commercially viable product.

Thanks so much for your efforts on the universal, and for writing about its history the way you have. Please feel free to add even more details if you want to. Nothing is too trivial to mention in this history, and I can assure you the rest of us wont be bored by the details, but will hang on every word. Thanks again.

Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

Richard G....Thank you for your questions.
Yes, I had 8 pedals on my first MSA guitar. I'm not exactly sure how many knee levers, but I believe it had 4.

Sorry if I said something that might have eluded to the fact I had been the first to play an E9/B6. I honestly have no idea as to when I started using it because it never occurred to me that someday I would be asked the question.

Randy B....I'm sure neither of us have ever known anyone who loved swing steel more than our mutual friend from the past....Jack Ryder!

Thank you for your questions....

I was grabbed by the sound of steel guitar when walking into our house when I was about 15 years old and heard music on the radio. I immediately asked my mother who was playing and she said, Bob Wills. To be absolutely sure, I then waited until the steel played again in the song and I said whatever is making that sound, thats what I want to play. She then told me it was a steel guitar.

Incidentally my dream from that very moment was to one day play with Bob Wills. I'm very blessed and proud to say I achieved my dream many years ago.

The following CHRISTmas I got a six string lap steel and small amp. I might add, when I got the guitar, at first I was disappointed,(I didn't tell my parents that)because I thought it was supposed to be made out of steel.

They bought if from (Fred) McCord Music in Dallas and they gave lessons also, which is how I was lead to Don McCord who was the owners brother.

I only took about 12 lessons or so. Don's method of teaching was simple tab so it was very easy to learn. I quickly became bored, quit taking lessons and went on with school.

A while later I received a call from Don McCord asking me if I would work for him, and I accepted a part time job teaching for him at the music store on Saturdays. When summer came I started teaching most every day.

One day this tall skinny kid (same as I was)came in for a lesson. I immediately thought....wow this guy is already a terrific player and I can't show him anything. That turned out to be a relationship that would span many years, because the kids name was Tom Morrell.

The tuning Don McCord started me on was an E tuning with the root on top which is all he knew. All the time I was playing I kept thinking to myself, this is not the sound I heard on the radio.

One Saturday while between lessons at the music store, a repair man by the name of Don Berry asked me to come into his repair room where he had a double 8 Fender steel. He asked me to strum the guitar, and when I did, my life changed forever.

He had a 6th tuning on it, and I immediately felt a soul connection to the sound for which I had been searching which is still very much alive today and will be tomorrow.

As a matter of possible interest, my very first playing job was filling in one night for a steel player by the name of Dale Gilley at a club called the "Silver Spur" on Ervay street in Dallas. My father drove me to and from the job because I didn't have a drivers license. I thought I was ready but I thought I sounded so bad that when the job was over I packed up and rushed out the door without getting paid.

A few days later there was a knock on our door and the club owner had brought my money for playing to my house. The club owners name........Jack Ruby who was later involved with the Kennedy assination by shooting Lee Harvey Oswald on national TV in the Dallas Police station.

I went on with my playing professionally as did Tom Morrell, and he moved to Hobbs New Mexico to play. One night I received a call from Tom who wanted to talk to me about buying a steel guitar him and a man named Danny Shields were building called the Morrell/Shields Custom.

After a couple conversations Tom said, if I will move back home to Dallas and get Danny Sheilds to move there from Wichita Kansas, will you go into business with us building steel guitars. Those three initials of Morrell/Shields/Anderson became MSA guitars. Today those same three initials are for Micro Space Anderson. The rest as they say....is history!

Bobby L....In all due respect, I don't understand the relevance of your comments because I was talking about many years ago and not comparing the configurations of the past with the present.

Bobbe S....I noted your comment of (yawn) before you edited the one word for spelling.
You must not be getting any sleep at night for some reason.

Johnny C....Thank you for your very nice comments. As far as people throwing things at me, as you well know.......Jesus said it all.

Al M....Thank you my friend.

Kenny K....Thank you for your kind words which are very meaningful to me.

David D....I wish it were possible for you and others to be in my place for a few minutes so you would all truly understand how much I appreciate the kind words.

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Thank you Reece for your eloquent thread and gracious comments. It is such a pleasure to read your posts. You are truly an icon in the world of PSG.

As I said in the other thread, I am not so sure the universal was invented. IMO, it simply came into being and I believe it was destined to. Also, I believe with all my heart that had the E9th/B6th tuning been the first PSG, the D-10 would never have emerged.

I believe this for the following reasons:
At the time Bud Isaacs did his thing, the steel guitar had evolved into mostly 3 tunings:

1. A6th

2. E13th

3. C6th

Sure there were others and even variations to these, but basically and by far, these three were the most popular.

So when the PSG as we now know it was invented by Bud Isaacs, it in essence combined the top two tunings into one neck. But it did nothing for the bottom tuning. OR at least that was the intitial perception.

However as the U-12 has proven to those of us who use it now, it simply melded the bottom tuning into the first two. I would never go back to a D-10. For me, the universal simply says it all. And as many have said on this forum, I rarely think of it as anything but one tuning that gives me everything I need. And sooo much more.

True, there are those that would never be comfortable with a Universal. But I tell you hear and now that if the likes of Buddy Emmons and a few others had began with a universal I doubt seriously if there would be a D-10 being made today.

Finally, I respectfully disagree with Reece concerning the "inventing" of some of the pedals in the evolution of our present PSG. There is no question in my mind that Buddy Emmons is definitely the inventor of some of the pedals and knee levers as is Lloyd Green and Ralph Mooney. And lest we forget the recent inventions of Paul Franklin.

carl

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Loved your response to my bad spelling post. I rolled on the floor laughing, so did my lawyer! As a matter of fact, we enjoy all your posts.

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 17 November 2003 at 08:00 AM.]

Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

Carl D....Very nice post to which I totally agree, with the respectful exception of your last paragraph.

I most certainly don't diagree with your comments concerning the tremendous talent and insight of every player you mentioned, and I also acknowledge their contribution to the art of playing steel guitar, I simply don't think it's possible to invent something that already exists.

Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

Bobbe S....You're thankful for the edit feature aren't you!

Sidney Malone · From: Buna, TX

Great post Reece!!! Thanks for all the great information as well as history. You deserve a top spot in Steel Guitar History for you life long commitment and contributions to this great instrument!!

About all that I can add to what others have said is thank you for keeping me into steel guitar. As I've said before if I had not visited you for lessons a few years back, I would not be playing today. I was at the end of the rope as far as playing goes and you gave me more rope than I'll ever be able to use!!!

But most of all, thank you for the great friendship because when it's all said and done that's the most important part by far!!

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Reeceee, Aren't I ever!

Reece Anderson · From: Keller Texas USA, R.I.P.

Sidney M....You're absolutely right my friend. If one has faith, family and friends, they are truly blessed.

Bobbe S....Congratulations concerning your last post. BTW....I hope you enjoyed reading the true and verifiable story of how the old MSA got its name.

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Verifiable? How do you know, you weren't even there. You were at McCord music in the air conditioning, Tom and I were in the shop in Oak Cliff in 117 degree heat building guitars.
I know the only reason you posted this statement was to try to get me to rise to the bait. But, actually, knowing what I do about the past, I really have no desire to be connected with MSA in anyone's mind, or in any way.
My friend, this is all yours now. I just figured there would be someone, someday, that cared enough to know the truth. But, on this matter, to me, the truth is too insignificant to matter. Who really cares whether MSA started in my garage at 628 S. Wynnetka or at 200 S. Tyler?
I wish you, the company, and Kyle Bennett the utmost of success. I will do nothing to keep you from attaining success with this company(as if I would or could). Every steel guitar built today, including Kyles and yours, has something to offer the steel guitar market.
Someday, somehow, if you could find it in your heart to get over your animosity, I think the world of steel guitar, could and would be a better place. Except for the small amounts of humor I inject at times, this on going tiff we have couldn't be very interesting to very many folks. Seems that our time could be better spent in other ways to benifit the steel community. I think we both have a lot of positive energy to offer. Lets see some of that "class" I hear about. I'll even try to muster up a little myself!
(Yawn) Boy I'm tired, I just can't sleep anymore, just stay worried all the time!
Grand Poopha
bobbeseymour

Ken Byng · From: Southampton, England

What a pity you two guys can't just sit down together with a couple of cold beers and put your differences to bed. I admire both of you guys for very much the same reasons - great players with great passion. Your lives would be much richer if you made up and moved on.

Ken Byng
Wet and windy England

Bobbe Seymour · From: Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.

Well said Ken! He offered me the olive branch once, I guess I didn't work it right. (I just had to edit this, it's my style!)

Bks

[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 17 November 2003 at 04:52 PM.]

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