Did Tom Morrell ever play a MSA ?

Roger Kelly · From: Bristol,Tennessee

I have seen many of Tom's videos on u-tube and several pictures of him behind a steel guitar but never a MSA. I would have thought since he helped start MSA he would have been playing one built to his specs.

To me, Tom Morrell was as good a Western Swing player as it gets.

Johnny Cox · Posted 28 May 2015 4:47 pm

The short answer is yes. The M in MSA stands for Morrell. Before there was MSA Tom and Danny Shields built Morrel-Shields Custom.
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Johnny "Dumplin" Cox
"YANKIN' STRINGS & STOMPIN' PEDALS" since 1967.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

Now you've seen one.

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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

Double post
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Terry Wood · From: Lebanon, MO

He was a Wonderful Steel Guitarist!

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

Notice that Tom has fingerpicks on every finger of the right hand.
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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Roger Kelly · From: Bristol,Tennessee

Thanks for the replies ...and the picture.

Dave Grothusen · From: Scott City, Ks

I miss Tom

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

Would that be the 'A' in MSA seated next to him.

Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

Darvin,,,now we've seen two,,,,,,LOL

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

Well, I see double so everyone else should too. Very Happy

I don't know what happened there, stuttered on the button I guess.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

All those picks didn't seem to hurt him any. I listen to the Sextet Sessions albums quite often, and I assume Tom and Maurice both were using MSA guitars. Great pickin' if you like Jazz, which I do.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Bill Cunningham · From: Atlanta, Ga. USA

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

Your turn David, I haven't heard that story.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

David Wright · From: Pilot Point ,Tx USA.

Darvin,
I remember the day Maurice and Tom left the shop to go do the recording...Tom went out to our show room and was strumming all the different guitars we had, and hitting pedals, a few mins later he said , this will do, believe it was a D`10.. C 6th..and off they went...the rest is history!

Paul Norman · From: Washington, North Carolina, USA

David it looks like him.

Robbie Daniels · From: Casper, Wyoming, USA

Tom most definitely did play an MSA. Back in the late 60's there was a steel exhibition by MSA in San Jose, CA and I was privileged to play Tom's MSA single 12 tuned to Bb 6th. Great steeler, great man.
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Carter D12, MSA S12, 12 String Custom Made Non-Pedal, Evans FET 500LV, Evans SE200, Peavey Nashville 400, Fender Steel King

David Mitchell · From: Tyler, Texas

I produced a lot of country albums in Dallas, Tx and always used Tom Morrell on steel. Tom was a genius like Emmons. When the engineer would play the demo over the studio speakers all the other musicians were writing charts. Tom was reading the newspaper. One day while Tom was reading the newspaper while the rest were writing their charts I asked Tom if he needed to hear it again. Tom said no. He asked me if that's what I wanted. I said yes. Gary Carpenter of Rains Steel guitars had played on the demo and had a killer steel part. Not easy for most pickers. The band kicked off and Tom played it note for note just like Gary. Tom could play style, anybodys steel, any setup. He just strummed it and took off. Emmons is the same way. Me being a mediocre steel man I hung out with Tom on session breaks and picked his brain. A true genius. He was also my Tequila drinking buddy too!

David Mitchell · From: Tyler, Texas

I worked on sessions with Morrell during the 80's and 90's and never personally saw Tom play an MSA but I have seen pictures of Tom playing an MSA with a Country rock band named Calico in the early 70's. They recorded an album for Columbia and had quite a bit of airplay. That was the era he got the nickname "Wolf". He really looked scary.
I could tell you a lot of stories about Tom but I'll mention one that pertains to steel guitars. One day Nashville producer Tommy Allsup booked a session at a studio I had in Ft. Worth. I was the engineer and always got to the studio an hour early to clean, demagnetize and run test tones on the Ampex 24 track. While I was running my checks I heard a knock on the door. I thought man that's awful early for pickers to show up. I opened the door and Tom Morrell was standing there with a $20.00 acoustic guitar with 2 strings missing. He said "David, you don't have a steel guitar around here? Mine got locked up in the club last night. I just happened to have my old Sho-Bud Professional with one knee lever there. I told him what I had and he said "That's perfect". He tuned it his way. Sort of like a 6 string guitar. He played the session and never missed a lick. The whole time they were playing Tommy Allsup kept raving how well Morrell could play. I agreed but never told Allsup that Morrell showed up without a steel! Again the genius of the great Tom Morrell !

Steve Alcott · From: New York, New York, USA

I've been trying to find the Calico recordings for quite a while.

Paul Wade · From: mundelein,ill

steve,

here you go
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B003MX7UHS/slipcuecom-20

p.w Smile

Paul Wade · From: mundelein,ill

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