The Joys of Pedal Steel: you need more than one.

[Bill McCloskey]

Spent the day playing Pedal Steel yesterday, moving back and forth between my Mullen G2 D10 and my Sho-Bud Pro III Custom D10. The Mullen has this beautiful mellow modern sound. The Sho-bud has this honkey tonk vintage sound. Both sound amazing. Both sound completely different.

One of the greatest pleasures in life is to be able to move from one steel to the next and hear what you are playing have such a different feel and sound depending on which steel you are playing. No one steel can do it all. And I'm also having a great time moving between necks. I'm playing a lot more C6 these days and love the difference between the two necks.

And add to that, moving through so many different amps, effects, and cabinets using my kemper Toaster and my kemper player. Endless variety, endless enjoyment, endless fun. I'm so glad I took up Pedal steel at age 68. Now 71 and it is an obsession. I'm starting to get to the point where I actually feel like I'm playing the thing instead of it playing me.

Happy Father's day to all my brother's (and sisters) in the Steel Guitar World. What a privilege it is to play this greatest of all musical instruments.

[Howard Parker]

No one steel can do it all.

So happy you are enjoying the journey. As for me, a single steel guitar enables me to make all the music that I have in my head, and then some (my head is bursting).

I acknowledged years ago that if I run into a roadblock...it's never the guitar.

It's on me.

h

[Bill McCloskey]

Well, I don't think it is a matter of ideas but a matter of an expanded sound pallet and physicalness of each steel. Much like a keyboard player might play piano organ, synth, grand piano or an old honkey tonk. Or a guitarist might play electric, acoustic, resonator. I also play the sho-bud and the mullen differently. Physically where the pedals are, how the different pedals feel under my feet, all make me play in a slightly different way. The sho-bud growls, the mullen doesn't. The mullen is mellow and soft sounding, the sho-bud is in your face more and lends itself to a bluesier approach. All of it is fun at 71.

[Howard Parker]

I do understand.

As for me, in a performance setting, I can adjust tonal characteristics with changing right hand positions and attack. Mellow, bluesy, bright... It's all required.

Our philosophies just differ.

All good.

Full disclosure. I do own 2 steels due to laziness on my part. One (Dekley) is always setup for woodshedding and never gigged. The other (Carter) is the performance machine.

They do play differently, of course (Slightly diff copedent) but, it's not an issue (for me). Seat time I suspect.

h

[Bill McCloskey]

But you will admit: a Mullen G2 sounds very different from a Sho-bud III, right?

I don't play out enough to dedicate one steel for home use, one for on the road. As a professional, your needs and mine differ. If I can pull together a youtube recording now and then, I'm a happy man. And having all those sounds at my disposal is just more grist for the mill.

But you remind me of a conversation I had with your teacher (and mine once): At the Dallas show I was talking to Mike A. It was the time the Superslides first came out at the Dallas show. I asked him if he was at all interested in playing a 12 string lapsteel. He said no, "My audience would never accept it." He could barely sneak in a jazz tune now and then. And I thought, at the time, that the professional is often more hemmed in than the amateur. Less free. But of course, the joys associated with performing far outweigh the loss. For those of who playing steel is an avocation rather than a vocation, we need all the sounds and toys we can get.

[Howard Parker]

But you will admit: a Mullen G2 sounds very different from a Sho-bud III, right?

Most likely. They will also sound quite different with different players. So many variables. FWIW, once I get the ergonomics of a guitar to my liking any other differences are more or less trivial to me.

Ahhh...Michael stories. Did you know that when he recorded the "Eight String Swing" album, many players were unaware it was actually an 8 string G6 tuned guitar. Radio announcers rarely went into detail.

Players were asking "how'd he do that?"

When they finally found out about the guitar some players reacted, uh...negatively (and vocally).

Anyways... Mike's pedal steel tone was not classic. Too many years pushing an acoustic dobro around. My playing occasionally suffers from too much dobro as well.

I acknowledge that and continue to work on that issue. It's all on me.

I admire guys like Greg Booth. He can pull it off with both instruments.

But, I digress!

h