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Topic: What would it sound like? |
Bill Ridgeway
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2009 6:49 am |
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After reading the posts about John Hughey's falling sounds, a question came to mind. What if someone would design, make functional and build a pedal steel that had 20 strings? Each string tuned individually as they are on a 12 string flattop guitar. Wonder what it would sound like? Any thoughts other than having to use a bar about 5" long?  |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 7 Jan 2009 8:52 am
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It was done back in the '60s, only with 16 strings, by Sho~Bud. The doubled strings weren't individually tunable, and that's what I believe led to it's demise. It had a hauntingly beautiful sound, and was used most prominently by Buddy Charleton on a couple of the Tubb/Lynn recordings.
To be sure, it could be done with 20 strings, but it would be expensive, complex, heavy, and probably of somewhat limited use.
If you want to hear what it would sound like, though, someone could post an audio file of Charleton's ride in the Ernest Tubb/Loretta Lynn recording "We're Not Kids Anymore". |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2009 12:33 pm
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| Donny, I just finished lookin' for a pic of that guitar. Thought I'd saved it. The keyheads were massive with 16 tuning machines! |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 7 Jan 2009 2:56 pm
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| Yes, Sho~Bud built a number of them (maybe 6?). There were both singles and doubles, and yes - the keyhead was massive! I have a Sho-Bud catalog somewhere that shows a few of them, but my scanner is on the fritz now, so I can't scan and post it. |
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Tony Dingus
From:
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 7 Jan 2009 4:32 pm
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Buddy played a 20 string Emmons on something, I forget the song. I think the pic is on his website.
Tony |
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Tommy Young
From:
Ethelsville Alabama
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Posted 8 Jan 2009 7:47 am
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I see that none of you guy's went to ST. Louis this past year EXCEL had built a 20 string single neck guitar for someone,, He had it on display for anyone to look at I asked the tuning but he only laughed and said check it out, as you know it had a changer that was out of this world.. maybe someone had a camera that took a picture of it and post it for you guy's to ogle at, as i did when i saw it, I called it a monster maybe SCOTTY has a photo as he is a dealer for EXCEL.
_________________
TOMMY YOUNG
MAX-TONE MODIFICATIONS
BMI dealer,Classic VIBE 100 amp... SIT strings.. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 8 Jan 2009 8:40 am
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Tommy, thanks for that info...but Bill's question was about a 20-string guitar set up like a 12-string spanish guitar, where the strings are doubled and tuned in unisons (on the plain strings) and octaves (on the wound ones).  |
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Tony Dingus
From:
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA
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