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Topic: Hawaiian Style Fender Pedal Steel |
Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 24 Oct 2002 10:15 am |
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Last edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 15 Jan 2018 5:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 24 Oct 2002 1:11 pm
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Aloha aikane
My name is
Basil Henriques
I have played Hawaiian style steel on a pedal guitar for the past 40 years........the fender pedal steel with the Narrow style (newer) pick-ups is the one with the better sound....... check it out by playing any of the sound clips on the bio page at my web-site. http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/html/basil_bio.html
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| Steel players do it without fretting |
http://www.waikiki-islanders.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
[This message was edited by basilh on 24 October 2002 at 02:12 PM.] |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 24 Oct 2002 8:04 pm
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Last edited by Jeff Au Hoy on 15 Jan 2018 5:18 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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George Keoki Lake
From:
Edmonton, AB., Canada
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Posted 24 Oct 2002 9:48 pm
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Frankly, I have no qualms about Hawaiian music being played on a pedal guitar. The main criteria I feel is to use the pedals with taste and very sparingly. It's the Hawaiian touch, feel and interpretation which is the key ingredient. I feel the listener should not be aware of, or detect individual strings changing pitch as is commonly done with country pedal guitar styling...it's not the Hawaiian way of playing. {JMHO } Basil plays very nice Hawaiian on a pedal guitar as does Bill Stafford who is condemned to go through life with the "burden" of being called "Mr. Smooth" ... such a perfect description of his beautiful Hawaiian style of playing on the pedal guitar.
Now, as for Billy Hew Len, I only met him during the closing years of his life. I was totally unaware he had cancer, and that time, I am not overly positive even he realized he had the disease. (Billy died Nov.23, 1987). Anytime I heard Billy play, or had the wonderful privilage to play backup with him, he always used a JB (Sho-Bud short scale) frypan, which his brother Buddy eventually inherited. (Buddy passed away a number of years later). Prior to my meeting Billy, I had seen a few pictures of him using a Fender pedal guitar. However when I discussed this subject in conversation, he commented his pedal guitar was too heavy and bulky to set up quickly, also his mechanism had rusted up due to the salt (ocean) moisture conditions in Hawai'i. He further indicated he eventually quit setting up the pedal (rod) mechanism and just played it as a regular steel. (Cars also seem to rust out fairly quickly in Hawai'i). I never did see Billy's Fender pedal guitar 'nor did I ever see/hear him play ANY pedal guitar.
I'm proud to have a lovely 8 x 10 pic showing Billy on steel; his brother, Buddy on r/guitar; Andy Cummings on ukulele and myself on bass as we played at the HSGA Kapiolani Park steel guitar bash back in 1985, (I'm quite sure that was the year). Of the four, it appears I am the sole survivor in that pic. (Andy was the famed composer of the song, "Waikiki" plus many, many beautiful Hawaiian compositions). |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 26 Oct 2002 7:37 pm
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Mahalo Jeff for the comments re the tone............ The guitar was a 1964 Fender-1000 through a Vox AC-30 and a Watkins "Copycat" tape delay, and a DeArmond
volume and tone pedal.If you are interested, the tunings I use are listed on the web site below.
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| Quote: |
| Steel players do it without fretting |
http://www.waikiki-islanders.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 27 Oct 2002 4:11 am
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| Folks should definitely check out Baz's playing - great tone and creative ideas. |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 28 Oct 2002 3:34 am
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Thanks Andy ......... If I ever go back "on the road again" and need a manager I'll give you first choice LOL.
Baz |
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