Introducing myself

Chuck Halcomb · From: Lubbock, Texas

I am a new member and want to introduce myself and tell you a bit of my “story”. I’ll try not to make this as long as a Jody Carver post, but no guarantees. While I am new as a member of the forum I have been monitoring it obsessively since last spring. My name is Chuck Halcomb and I currently live in Wichita, Kansas. I am 67 years old and am a Professor at Wichita State University. My area is “human factors psychology” sometimes known as “engineering psychology” or “applied experimental psychology”. Before coming to Kansas I was on the faculty at Texas Tech University for 26 years and have been in Kansas for the past 13 years.

I started playing the steel guitar in about 1948(9) when my father took me to Tulsa and together we purchased a Gibson lab steel guitar. Lessons were included along with an understanding that if I would actually learn to play it, he would help me upgrade the guitar in a year or so. In fact, a couple of years later he helped me purchase a Gibson Console Grande D-8, which I continued to play around Tulsa until I left for college and then around campus until I graduated and headed to Texas for graduate school at Baylor.

At that point for reasons which seem obscure now, I put the Gibson away and didn’t open the case again until last spring. During one of my wife’s family gatherings, I happened to mention to Dick Gimble (Johnny’s son) who was there with his daughter, that upon my retirement in three or four years I planned to start playing again. He said, “DON’T WAIT – DO IT NOW!”. As I thought about that I decided he was right and so I got on the internet and started trying to determine whether the best thing to do was to continue with my non-pedal Gibson or try to purchase and learn to play a pedal steel guitar. What I decided was to play the non-pedal for now and then when I retire, if I am able to re-master this instrument to start with the PSG when I would have time for lessons and be able to take classes in music theory etc. We plan to return to Lubbock, Tx to retire and so I would even be able to take private PSG lessons at South Plains College.

To make a long story less long, I started looking for a new amplifier and became acquainted with Herb Remington and he recommended the Peavey Nashville 112, but when we discovered it wouldn’t be available until summer, Herb and the folks at Peavey recommended a Studio 112, which is OK, although from all I read, I really wish I had the Nashville 112. Along the way I decided to buy a new guitar and so I am now playing a brand new Remington T-8 and love it. I am finding that much of what I learned before is coming back and my wife tells me I am getting better each day. As I wasn’t on campus this summer I have been spending 2 to 4 hours every day practicing and loving every minute of it. The only problem that I have is that whenever I am aware that anybody is listening or watching I loose my focus and my playing degrades. Herb tells me that if I keep working, this will pass and I am hopeful. I do find that I am much more aware of music than I was when I was younger, but my fingers and without doubt a bit less nimble. I have temporarily given up playing the Gibson because the difference in string placing on the two guitars I get some negative transfer when I switch back and forth.

So there you have it. I am looking forward to being a member of the forum and no doubt from time to time will ask for help.

Fred Shannon · From: Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.

Well, Chuck, welcome to the best thing that's happened to the steel guitar world since pedals.

(watch out for the flames)
I know, with your background, you'll certainly be an asset to this forum...I went to Tech in 1950 on a football scholarship and the meanest man in the world was coach, J.T. King. I know his wife fed him razor blades and gunpowder on his Post Toasties. I hated/loved the man. Welcome aboard and look forward to your posts. BTW Jody Carver's posts have a special directory on this computer. We love him to death.

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The spirit be with you!
If it aint got a steel, it aint real

Terry Edwards · From: Florida... livin' on spongecake...

Chuck,

Welcome! You came to the right place! Great story about yourself - thank's for keeping it short and setting a positive example for Jody!

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Terry Edwards
Fessy D-10; Nash 1000
Martin D-21; Flatiron F-5

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Chuck:

My story parallels yours quite closely. I played professionally for 17 years, then quit music in 1961 upon receiving my M.S. and went to work on a real “day job.” After 42 years, I decided to retire and have taken the steel up again as a hobby. I'm playing D10 psg I bought from Terry, who posted above. I have been practicing now for about 4 months. I know the feeling you are experiencing: you still remember all of your hot licks but just can’t get there in time. I think you will be surprised at the speed with which your execution returns. Try to find someone to jam with; that will speed things up tremendously. Go for pedals or hang in with the non pedal – just don’t give up steel. You will love the Forum.

Ron Page · From: Penn Yan, NY USA

Welcome back to steel guitar, Chuck. I hope you're able to make it down to St. Louis over Labor Day weekend. You'll get to hear Herb and many other greats play the weekend away.

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HagFan

Mike Brown · From: Meridian, Mississippi USA

So you're the guy that Herb sold that amp to?I'm just sorry that we didn't have the Nashville 112 available at that time. Welcome aboard and if there is anything that I can do for you, call me toll free at 1-877-732-8391 and I'll be glad to assist you.

Enjoy!

Mike Brown
Peavey Electronics Corporation

Larry Robbins · From: Fort Edward, New York

Hi Chuck,
Welcome to the greatest place on the NET
for steel guitar!!!!Your bound to meet and
make friends with some of the nicest people on the planet,and I'm not just talkin' about me

....No really I'm sure you will enjoy
every visit that you make here.And if your anything like the rest of us,there will be a LOT of visits.Welcome.

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Sho-Bud ProII
"there's been an awful murder, down on music row!"

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

Hi Chuck. Welcome to the forum. When you get back to Lubbock, let me know. I have one of my ex-students going to Tech and know some steel players there. My older brother had an interest in radio station KDAV in Lubbock and owned one in Littlefield several years ago. see you down the road, Jody.

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

Hi Chuck-Welcome to the Forum and glad to have you here.....al

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

David Cobb · From: Chanute, Kansas, USA

Welcome Chuck, from an "Easterner".

Chuck Halcomb · From: Lubbock, Texas

Thanks for all of the kind words posted above.

Fred - When I arrived in Lubbock in 1964 J.T. King was still there and was still the meanest of men.

Roy - everone seems to suggest I need to start playing with people. So far I have been a bit too timid to do that, but I'll have to do that. My brother is urging me to come to Dallas and jam with a band he plays electric base guitar with. It is a group of professionls and businessmen who do it mostly just for fun.

Ron - I won't get to go to St. Louis this year. This is a difficult time of year as we are just getting our semester started. I do plan to go to the show in Dallas next spring and who knows, perhaps, next year.

Mike- Thanks for the help in finding the Studio Pro 112, it is working out fine, for now. When I need more I'll no doubt ask you for recommendations.

Jody - Thanks for the offer to help find steel players in Lubbock. It will still be about 3 years (I think) before I retire and then even if I have to drive to Central or South Texas for lessons, I'll have time. The reference to KDAV is interesting. I used to listen to that all the time back in the old days and now it is a station I often listen to via the internet.

David - Thanks for the welcome. When I moved to Wichita from West Texas I thought I was east.

I hope these html codes work as this is going to be hard to read if they don't.

Paul King · From: Gainesville, Texas, USA

Welcome Chuck to the forum. This is one great website. You can find about all the info you are looking for as well as some great guys and gals to mingle with. Hope to meet you at some of the shows sometime soon...Paul King

David Doggett · Posted 16 Aug 2003 2:44 pm

Chuck, welcome back to the steel guitar. I did something like what you have done. In the early and mid '70s I learned to play Dobro and pedal steel and played bluegrass and country about a year in honkytonks around Nashville, while doing construction work during the day. I went back to school at U.T. evening classes in Nashville. Then I went to U.T. Knoxville and still played a little country-rock in the student bars (played with a very young Pam Tillis).

Then I went to graduate school in molecular biology at USC in Los Angeles. From that point on I never had time to play music. I moved back East, started a career, got married and had 4 kids. Then a couple of years ago I got divorced, and after over 20 years, I pulled my pedal steel out from under the bed and started playing again.

At 57 I'm quite a few years from retirement (not to mention I'll never be able to afford to retire). I never was that good, and it's been a slow comeback. I don't get to play every day, and I'm spending a lot of practice time rebuilding old pedal steels to try to find the tuning and copedent I like. But playing steel again has put a lot of new passion and interest into my life at a time that was otherwise very depressing.

My advice is to get a setup where you can play your steel along with CDs and tapes and listen through headphones. You can let it all hang out, mistakes and all, until you begin to get back up to speed again. Then, before you think you are ready, find some people to play with live, even if it's just jamming in someones garage. Try to get a tape of them, and take it home and learn their songs. You're bound to progress at a pretty good pace.

Hang in there, buddy. Even if we can't all be pros, music is the best hobby there is. And as someone who has studied the biology of aging, I firmly believe that playing music and learning new things in general can slow down the aging processes in our brains. The brain is like any other organ - use it or lose it - the same with your fingers.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 16 August 2003 at 03:46 PM.]

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

Well said, David.!....al

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

Carl West · From: La Habra, CA, USA (deceased)

Hi Chuck,
Welcome to the Forum. Just watch out for Jody Carver and Roy Ayres. Those ole Fender guys really have some tales. But you'll never know two better guys !

Carl West

Jim Saunders · From: Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

Hi Chuck and welcome! We have such a similar background, musicwise. We both took up steel about the same time, in the same town, bought a Gibson Console Grande at the same store and took lessons from the same teacher; Dick Gordon. We both quit playing steel at same age and returned to it almost the same time. And, we didn't even know each other! Someday, I hope we meet in person so we can swap stories and jam together.
At this point we have taken different courses in that I went with pedal steel almost right off. I would encourage you to do the same soon. Take advantage of all the advances made on the instrument. Use them. They will expand your possibilties.
Good luck and best wishes!

Chuck Halcomb · From: Lubbock, Texas

Thanks again to everyone for all of the advice. I am working hard to get my 'chops' back but in the final analysis Herb Remington is right when he says, "after all, we really do this because its fun". Boy am I having fun.

Hi Jim, good to hear from you. Guess you are packing for St. Louis?

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