Mike Neer's website

[mick hearn]

I would make one statement here. Do we want to try to do a carbon copy of the Emmons version, or, do we establish the song as Basil would say and then put your own mark on it on whatever steel and tuning you use. Mike Neer admits that there are very slight variations. Herby opens up like Emmons but then puts his own mark on the free for all section. This surely is what makes players individual. I never got anywhere in the 60's trying to be a carbon copy of Hank Marvin, whereas others learnt from him and then went there own way breaking the rules and achieved fame. Learning it note for note may teach you technique etc but will it make you stand out as Herby did.

I leave it with you

Mick

[Basil Henriques]

It's long been the established modus operandi in OTHER forms of music that to establish the melody and then improvise is the WTG. Personally I wouldn't/couldn't view it any other way. So, I agree with Mick Hearn about learning the COMPLETE solo as per, but I believe one should stay true to the nitty grittty un-improvised section of any solo instrumental.
BUT there are some that can only be played one way correctly, omit a section and it becomes incomplete, examples of that would be Remington Ride or Steel Guitar Rag. Also If you change the original key or play it in a tuning other than the intended one, you loose some of the inherent character of the piece.
A typical faux pas would be to play the aforementioned Remington Ride or Steel Guitar Rag in the C6. They were A6 and E13th originally and the DEFINITIVE versions were/are the yardstick and are retained and reference subliminally by the listener.

[Ken Byng]

Is this probably the short clip you refer to ?
You can see the pedal rods ! no prizes for guessing the make of the guitar !

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No that's not the one Basil - I have that clip too. The one I was referring to is earlier than that one as Buddy is obviously younger still. The guitar he is playing is blonde with 3 legs and Buddie written on the front.

Like a lot of his material, Buddy refined 4WD over the years and by the time he recorded it on an Emmons push pull, he was occasionally using pedals 5 & 6 for the improvised solo in the middle section. There is tab available out there. Mike Neer's lap version is pretty well spot on to Emmons' non-pedal version.