Pedal Steel Music

Hello fellow players,

This is an email I got from Mac McCarthy. Read it and I’ll answer his questions below the message.

Hello Bobbe,

Thanks again for “Bobbe’s Tips”! It’s the one email I really look forward to getting each week.

A few months ago, I received my Bobro and nylon bar from Steel Guitar Nashville. Bobbe, this thing makes my Mullen sound more like a dobro than a dobro! (if that’s possible) The dobro sound can be most authentic sounding on a standard E9th pedal steel if you can force yourself to stay off the pedals and use a few more slants than you would normally use. That being said, I love just a touch of the pedal effects with the Bobro … which I guess gives you the “pedalbro” sound that you hear so much on recordings these days.

Thanks for the innovation! Now I’ve got a “three-in-one” guitar for just a very small additional investment!

If you can, tell us a little bit about how the Bobro came into being. Did you engineer it? How long has the Bobro been around? Do you know of any steel players working in Bluegrass bands using a PSG and Bobro? Being an acoustic bass player, I can appreciate the non-electric aspect of traditional Bluegrass, but many bands are using electric bass these days. Seems to me a PSG/Bobro would fit right in!

I used to blame the heavy stainless Emmons bar I’m using for my inability to play fast. Your nylon bar I use with the Bobro disproves my theory! ha I don’t wear shoes when playing, so it can’t be the heavy shoes slowing the pedal action. Maybe it’s the heavy picks.

I hope your health is good these days!

Mac McCarthy
Roswell, Ga.

Thank you Mac McCarthy for your questions. As far as the Bobro goes, I experimented around with a Boss pedal and kept experimenting until I found a combination that worked. All the parts come from Boss. I just assemble them differently.

I thank all you guys for your replies and things that you have to say about my newsletters and communications. I am learning something about myself and how the human mind works by having been forced into a wheel chair recently. It seems like a fall that I had in my garage last Christmas time damaged more than I thought. It’s kind of hard to play steel guitar from a wheel chair but then again it may be more the humiliation of me trying to act big and tough when I know I’m not.

If I didn’t have you guys out there to talk with, read my newsletters and talk with, I’d be way down the totem pole in mood. Actually, my attitude is great. I’m still at the store everyday although my hours have been cut back. I’ve had to sell one of my airplanes, the Piper PA28. I still have my PA2220. It’s hard to fly in a wheel chair being a tail wheel airplane, but I would if the FAA would let me.

I am doing technical things at the store like wiring steel guitar pickups. As a matter of fact, Mr. Duke Durham just sent me a question that several of you have recently. Could you please tell me what the original pickups in the D-10 Professional Sho-Bud? Is there a wiring diagram for the two pickups and the neck selector switch? The answer is not that I know of. I can get someone to send you something to get you going.

Here is an email I got from Stephen Patt from the west coast steel guitar community.

Bobbe, thanks for the wisdom and the laughter–and yes, I agree with you about the lapse in taste that can lead to a diarrhea of notes….mostly, sadly, from a lack of confidence. Jimi Hendrix painted himself into a similar corner with the theatrics–playing the guitar behind his back, burning the guitar. And yes, he was insecure–told me he wanted to just sit and play a set, see what the music did for the crowd. Reminds me of Eric Clapton at the first Crossroads Festival, listening to young Eric Johnson’s amazing set…he turned to his stage manager, and whispered–“He’s quite good…but why does he play so many bloody notes?”
Yup, in full agreement….Stephen “doc’ Patt

Doc, I try to write my newsletters with humor because that’s the way I normally communicate with people, and yes I agree with you about the lack of taste that results in a diarrhea of notes. I personally would rather hear too few notes than too many. The things that impress me about other players is how well they can play just a few notes tastefully.

See our monthly specials at … www.steelguitar.net/monthlyspecials.html.

The friend to all bar holders,
Bobbe Seymour
www.steelguitar.net
sales@steelguitar.net
www.youtube.com/bobbeseymour

Listen To Steel Guitar Music Streaming 24 Hours A Day!

Steel Guitar Nashville
123 Mid Town Court
Hendersonville, TN. 37075
(615) 822-5555
Open 9AM – 4PM Monday – Friday
Closed Saturday and Sunday

Hello fans and fellow players,

I would very much like to thank JR Ross for this email that I am sending you all to read over. I think he makes some excellent points and it needs to be shared with all the players on my list.

Bobbe,

Great post. Allow me to add to your post about great players. Using Jeremy Lin was a great comparison to pointing out his ability to excel in his sport like a lot of the super stars around him. Buddy Emmons is a superstar in his own right but think about all the great steel guitarists that never had the chance to be recognized cause they never got a break. Maybe some of em never left their house and only serenade to 4 walls cause they had great ability but didn’t have the personality to play in front of people. Or maybe they weren’t in the right place at the right time.

This almost happened to Jeremy Lin. He was close to giving up and getting a day job because of all the rejections. He got cut from several teams and he was overlooked in some cases just because nobody believed an oriental could excel in basketball. Now he is outperforming 80 percent or more of the players in the NBA and the Knicks got him for peanuts cause nobody had faith in him. I’m sure he will be in line now for a super star high dollar contract.

How many more undiscovered Jeremy Lins are out there that should have gotten a chance at basketball? This applies also to our undiscovered Steel guitarists still out there. Don’t you think?

Your buddy,
JR

Bob Callaway called me from Derby Guitar and let me know that their production has slowed down dramatically, but they are not totally out and they have not let previous customers of Derby Guitar Company without a supply of parts and service. Bob is a wonderful guy and will help any Derby owner or anybody that will need parts for similar guitars.

Peterson tuners have been such a big hit with steel guitar players. They are dropping their present model and will be coming out with a new model in July. This company has made some amazing products and we are so happy to be a dealer for them.

Well it’s almost springtime and you know what that means. I feel most of you can find more places to work and more jobs to play throughout the summer. Now may be the time to make sure all your equipment is in excellent shape, that you’ve got a good supply of all the extras you may need such as strings, cords, an extra bar and power supply. Just be prepared for the upcoming gig season.

We have a previously owned Lloyd Green Sho-Bud that will be a tremendous value along with an immaculate Professional and a very exciting Super Pro with six knee levers and eight pedals like the factory delivered it. The Super Pro has got the tone that everybody looks for in any guitar, not just Sho-Bud. Pictures should be on the website in the coming week.

All these will be priced below retail so if you’re looking for a great professional previously owned steel guitar in immaculate condition, one of these three might be for you.

Check out our monthly specials at www.steelguitar.net/monthlyspecials.html and we’ll try to save you a lot of money.

The friend of all bar holders,
Bobbe Seymour
www.steelguitar.net
sales@steelguitar.net
www.youtube.com/bobbeseymour

Listen To Steel Guitar Music Streaming 24 Hours A Day!

Steel Guitar Nashville
123 Mid Town Court
Hendersonville, TN. 37075
(615) 822-5555
Open 9AM – 4PM Monday – Friday
Closed Saturday and Sunday