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Topic: Mike Johnson's Red Emmons |
Tom Quinn
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Posted 2 Apr 2019 1:42 pm
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Can someone please clue me in? What model Emmons is Mike Johnson Playing? Aside from the fact that Mike is a monster picker, his tone is as good as it gets.
Thanks
Tq
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_FLJBoXroQ _________________ I need an Emmons! |
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Roger Crawford
From: Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2019 1:52 pm
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Mike’s red Emmons is a push-pull with original chrome surround 705’s. And he sure makes it sing. |
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Tom Quinn
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Posted 2 Apr 2019 1:55 pm
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Thank you Roger. Appreciate it. _________________ I need an Emmons! |
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Tom Quinn
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Posted 2 Apr 2019 2:09 pm
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Another question and I'm sure this would no doubt be better answered by Mike: The guitar appears to have 10 pedals and I am unsure what the knee lever configuration is. I've played push pulls since 1977 and even at 8X4, it's real busy below. His guitar has newer tuners as well. Wonder who did all of that good work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7U7Ic6iPJE _________________ I need an Emmons! |
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Jack Hanson
From: San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2019 2:51 pm
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Tom Quinn wrote: |
Wonder who did all of that good work? |
Clem Schmitz did alot of the work on Mike's guitars before he moved back home to Minnie. Don't know who does it nowadays. |
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Willis Vanderberg
From: Petoskey Mi
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Posted 2 Apr 2019 6:17 pm
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I don't believe anyone knows the Emmons P/P better than Clem. He wrote the Book on that guitar. I wasn't aware he moved bait to Minnesota. Good for him.
He was not treated fairly when he came to Nashville. |
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Lee Warren
From: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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Jack Hanson
From: San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 2 Apr 2019 10:31 pm
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Lee Warren wrote: |
I think Mike may also play a red Emmons LeGrande II. |
He has a rosewood 'mica LeGrande that mostly resides in the belly of Reba's tour bus:
Photo from Grand Casino Hinckley, MN July 2015 courtesy of Clem Schmitz. |
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Ray DeVoe
From: Hudson, FL
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Posted 3 Apr 2019 12:57 am Emmons
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Mikes red guitar is probably one of the later model Emmons PP's. I have an "all original" 1982 red SD 10 PP that has the same tuners.
Mike sure knows how to get the best sound out of anything he plays. He is a terrific player.
Ray D _________________ Zum SD 10 Hybrid, Zum D 10 Hybrid, Emmons SD 10 P.P.
SMS: Revelation & Classic Preamps: Furlong 12" Splits.
Webb 15" Splits: Telonics 500 C: Quilter-T.T.12":
Last edited by Ray DeVoe on 6 Apr 2019 12:55 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Alan Cook
From: Kent,England
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John Swain
From: Winchester, Va
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Posted 3 Apr 2019 4:21 am
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Mike's Copedent is listed @ mikejohnsonproductions.com 9 pedals and 8 knee levers. He also has a red Lashly Legrande and two Franklins for studio work, and a Pedalbro ! |
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Erv Niehaus
From: Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 3 Apr 2019 7:31 am
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Clem once advertised a modification he had for sale that could be placed on a p/p.
With this attachment you could eliminate the slack that was required when a string was both raised and lowered.
He claimed that he had put that on Mike Johnson's p/p.
I guess I wouldn't know.
Erv |
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Bill Moran
From: Virginia, USA
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Posted 3 Apr 2019 7:33 am
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Makes me want to buy another guitar and start again ? _________________ Bill |
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Tom Quinn
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Posted 3 Apr 2019 3:02 pm
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Bill Moran wrote: |
Makes me want to buy another guitar and start again ? |
Me too... _________________ I need an Emmons! |
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Barry Yasika
From: Bethlehem, Pa.
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Posted 4 Apr 2019 4:30 am Tone Be or Not Tone Be (Jeff Newman article)
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There's a youtube video of him playing a Sho Pro that he claims to own. He always sounds the same to me no matter what guitar he's playing. Mike Johnson pretty much defines Jeff Newman's article called "Tone Be or Not Tone Be". Your sound is all in your touch. |
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Lee Baucum
From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 4 Apr 2019 9:18 am
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I purchased my red S-12 Emmons push/pull back in the early 1980s. Back then, it was called "Derby Red".
As I recall, they had "Derby Black", "Derby Red", "Derby Blue", ... |
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Ken Byng
From: Southampton, England
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Posted 4 Apr 2019 9:50 am
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Mike's guitar is a 'transition' model, and has LeGrande pedals. As mentioned previously, Clem Schmitz regularly maintained Mike's red push pull. Mike told me a couple of years ago that Mike Cass maintains it for him these days.
I sat very close in front of Mike at the Station Inn a couple of years ago when he was playing the red guitar. It has 10 pedals and 6 levers. Interestingly, his guitar had no vertical levers. We chatted about his guitars over dinner one evening once, and I know which are his favourite guitars and pickups. He was even kind enough to invite me to a recording session that he was leading in Nashville, and showed me over his rig which was incredible. Mike is an absolute tonehound and likes a warmer yet clean tone. Some of the measures that he takes to get a tone that he is comfortable with are really interesting.
I've watched Mike play Franklin, Emmons and Show Pro guitars, and believe me he sounded great on all of them. For smaller live gigs, I note that he has used Peavey Nashville 400 and LTD combo amps with Eminence speakers in them. He also uses a sponsored Kemper Profiler, and it has his LTD combo profiled. Mike has a sponsorship with Eminence and uses their EPS 15C speaker.
Mike is definitely not precious about his rigs, tone and preferences, and will happily discuss them (time permitting) at his gigs and seminars. He's a great player for sure, but he is an even greater person. So too are the majority of the top steel players I have found over the years. _________________ Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Jack Hanson
From: San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2019 10:05 am
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Ken Byng wrote: |
As mentioned previously, Clem Schmitz regularly maintained Mike's red push pull. Mike told me a couple of years ago that Mike Cass maintains it for him these days. |
That would make perfect sense, as Mike gave lessons out of Clem's original Pedal Steel Guitar Emporium in Minneapolis 40 or so years ago. |
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Jerry Erickson
From: Atlanta,IL 61723
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Posted 4 Apr 2019 8:10 pm
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Here's a video from his website, linked from Youtube. He says his push pull guitar is a '68 and in the video, it looks like a wood necked guitar.....maybehe had it changed, I dunno. I think that the red guitar that he's seen with most often is a LeGrande. Wonderful player whatever he's sitting behind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=8DgreBFG-4I |
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Ken Byng
From: Southampton, England
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Posted 4 Apr 2019 10:31 pm
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Jerry
Mike's red Emmons that we see him playing live and on the CFR recordings is definitely a push pull. The wood necked Emmons in the video is not the same guitar that he has been playing all these recent years. Mike has a number of guitars, and I've seen him play a LeGrande in London with Reba. His red guitar seems to be his go to guitar for video recordings, and I know that he will mostly use Franklin guitars for audio sessions. He has a number of almost identical rigs, and uses a cartage company to move his rigs where necessary. _________________ Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Henry Matthews
From: Texarkana, Ark USA
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Posted 4 Apr 2019 10:42 pm
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Mike is very humble and a very nice guy and one of the best on the planet but I do like the red Emmons tone better. And don’t you all hate it when you are playing an instrumental and some dude starts singing, even if it’s his wrong key. Again, Mike is humble, I would have stopped and said I’m doing and instrumental, when I’m done you can sing it in your correct key, lol, and have done it several times. _________________ Henry Matthews
D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes. |
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Tommy R. Butler
From: Nashville, Tennessee
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Gary Hamblin
From: Callao, VA
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Posted 9 Apr 2019 5:48 am Mike Johnson's Emmons
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Billy Knowles is the master mechanic on Mike's guitars. _________________ JCH/SD10 ,ZUM,D10 ,Rosewood Emmons Push Pull,T8 Fender Stringmaster.Nashville and Session 400,Walker Stereo Steel,Boss Katana 100 and John Hughey's Vegas 400.Hilton Pro Delay,Telonics Volume Pedal, Steelers Choice Seat,Live Steel Strings. |
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Jim Pitman
From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2019 3:55 pm
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What's a Hybrid push pull? |
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Henry Matthews
From: Texarkana, Ark USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2019 8:33 pm
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Jim Pitman wrote: |
What's a Hybrid push pull? |
Tried to copy link but couldn’t. Go to YouTube and type in search for Emmons hybrid push pull and it will bring it up.
I heard was a mechanical nightmare but played and sounded great. _________________ Henry Matthews
D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes. |
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