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Topic: New Member in San Diego |
Gary Ulinskas
From:
San Diego, California, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2003 8:27 pm |
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Hi folks. My name is Gary Ulinskas. When I read strings on this web site like “Looking For A Steel Playing Wife” and “Did Your Dad Play?“, I knew I wanted to be part of this group. I just retired from being an aerospace engineer and hope you’ll bear with this story about why I am going to take up playing steel again.
I grew up in a small town in Connecticut where perhaps 5% of the people were country music fans. The rest of the people (including my parents) called it “hillbilly music” and anyone sporting a southern or hillbilly accent was assumed to be a stupid, white trash, trailer-park refugee. While most of the kids I went to high school with were crazy for rock and rollers, me and a handful of friends listened to Webb Pierce, Slim Whitman, Jim Reeves etc. I was in love with the steel sound that backed up those singers. I started off on an acoustic guitar converted to Hawiian, taking lessons from the only “steel” music teacher in my area. He was an Italian immigrant who taught everything from accordion to xylophone, and he got me started with a Mel Bay Hawaiian course (he also hated country music). I secretly bought a Jerry Byrd album, and saw from the picture on the cover that he appeared to be playing a guitar with twin 8 string necks. He was great, and I copied a lot of his songs, but even he didn’t have that country sound I was crazy for. After a year I saved up enough to buy an 8 string Fender similar the one Danny Hullihen posted on Jan 9. Try as I might, I still could not get that “Grand ol’ Opry” sound. For my last two years of high school, I played many gigs in a country group with that Fender, contorting my Stevens bar in attempts to get that sound. No luck. I was just a talentless, mediocre player. Then, at the 1959 Springfield (Massachusetts) Fair, I was strolling by one of the venues and heard that sound coming from the other side of the fence. No matter what it cost, I was going to get inside the fence and see how that steel player did it. I bought my ticket, but when I got inside it was nearly pitch dark. The singers and musicians on the stage had glowing neon cowboy hats and glowing embroidered shirts. Parts of their instruments also glowed in the dark. Since it was a stand-up audience, I was able to work my way up close to the stage to see the steel player , an lo and behold - his steel had pedals! I never knew such a thing existed!! In these days of the Internet, it seems inconceivable that that people could have been be so isolated during the 1950’s but I guess some of us were. Anyway, I was soon off to college any my parents hid the Fender for fear I might flunk out if I spent too much time with it.
Finally, I have the time and the money to reactivate my dream to be able to play that sound. I just bought an MSA S-12 customized and rebuilt by another San Diegan, G.D. Walker. He also sold me one of his mono speakers to go with it. Last week I took my wife to a club in Escondido, Ca. where he plays, and man can he play!! It’s nice to have a living inspiration nearby.
P.S. The last 15 years of my engineering career was with Lockheed Martin, building Atlas/Centaur rockets for launching communications and scientific satellites into space. During that time I had the privilege of working with many of the “good old boy” engineers and technicians who run the Atlas launch pads at Cape Canaveral. Southern accents and all, they are NOT stupid. However, countryphile that I am, I must admit that I have yet to develop at taste for eating boiled peanuts.
Well, it’s time to get back to practicing my Jeffran courses. Thanks for listening.
Gary Ulinskas
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Al Marcus
From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
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Posted 20 Jan 2003 9:23 pm
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Gary-Welcome to the Forum. Did you know an aeronautical engineer by the name of Ray Byrd at the Cape. He worked for Boeing on Rockets, still does.
He plays a great pedal steel guitar,with a style all his own. I used to winter in Florida and had many sessions with him...al |
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Gary Ulinskas
From:
San Diego, California, USA
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Posted 20 Jan 2003 10:41 pm
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| Boeing was our big competitor, so we did not visit much. Most of my contact with our Cape people was by telephone conferencing. I made a couple prelaunch troubleshooting trips to the Cape and for all I know, one of our guys plays steel too. But the only time I got on the conference with them was during "crisis" times, so there wasn't much opportunity for pleasant topics of discussion. |
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Leigh Howell
From:
Edinburgh, Scotland * R.I.P.
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Posted 21 Jan 2003 9:16 am
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Welcome Gary.
I'ts good to have another tradionalist on the forum. Good luck with getting that country sound. There are plenty of folks on here to help you. 
Leigh |
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Bob Carlson
From:
Surprise AZ.
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Posted 21 Jan 2003 4:21 pm
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Welcome Gary:
It sounds like our younger years were much alike loving that steel sound. Wasn't any around rural Iowa though so I took up standard guitar. And all but about 5% liked coutry music or anything that came close to It. Didn't take up the steel til I was 65 years old.
I've reached the point where to get any better I'll have play with a group. But now I'll be 71 March 3rd and I'd have to hire someone to carry my gear around.
From your intro It sounds like you'll be nice to have around.
Bob. |
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John Hawkins
From:
Onalaska, Tx. on Lake Livingston * R.I.P.
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Posted 21 Jan 2003 4:59 pm
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Gary ,
Welcome aboard !! This forum is the best thing that has ever happened in the world of the steel guitar so if you have any type question /s to ask about anything to do with steel guitar ( and you will ) this place will be the place you should start first !
By the way Gerry Walker builds one of the best Stereo Steel Pre/Amp and Amp's in the business !I own his Stereo Steel Combo and both tuned cabinets loaded with 15 inch Peavey Black Widow speakers and it is a fantastic system . If you get into pedal steel far enough to want a top notch amp / system that is light to carry and sounds great , call Gerry ! Tell him I said Hi !
Good luck and WELCOME !!!!
John[This message was edited by John Hawkins on 21 January 2003 at 05:08 PM.] |
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Gary Ulinskas
From:
San Diego, California, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2003 5:51 pm
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John;
It'll be a while before the quality of my playing is even worthy of Jerry's mono amp. The way he set it up with the reverb and all, puts out a wonderful sound. When I started practicing my first few licks from the Jeffran tapes I used headphones so my wife wouldn't hear all my mistakes. When finally I got confident enough to play without the headphones, she couldn't believe it was me making those purty sounds. |
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