The Diplomatic Bag....

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

Baz, as usual your 100% correct! I should have put "In my humble opinion this is a good idea" and then started my ramblings Twas not my intention to try and police the forum and I apologise if that's how it came across ..... must confess to being a little disappointed that no one actually agreed with me but such is life... It is also true that we are not equal in knowledge and ability but I think we are in the way we like to be treated by each other with kindness and consideration........
and those on here that warrant respect do get it IMHO.

How d'ya like them apples eh??

[Ken Byng]

As the Yanks say - Basil hit the ball out of the park with his post. No-one in the UK, nay - Europe, has more knowledge on steel guitar than Mr Henriques. He has forgotten more than most of us will ever know, and is what I would call a real musician. We are lucky to have someone of his standing in our community and have the benefit of his wide ranging knowledge. He knows as much if not more about Fender steel guitars as anyone in the world, and I would include Mr Fender, Jody Carver in that.

[Basil Henriques]

John, I know what you had intended in your post, I was just being my usual vitriolic self, playing with semantics..
As a point of interest, once you get to ninth down the list of most posts, everyone after that has less that one fifth of the number that JD has accumulated..
(Total posts:2043 8.32% of all posts / 1.57 posts per day)

And Ken, (Total posts: 1058 4.31% of all posts / 0.64 posts per day) thanks for the Kudos I was not soliciting such, but nice to know that you think I'm nice to know and HAVE NOT BLOCKED ME at least. (Enquiring minds really do want to know who you have Ken?)

Of all the top class players in the UK there are a few unsung heroes who either don't post or can't for various reasons. I really wish that Pete Haywood could/would, he is a superb all rounder, and I see very few posts from Alan Cook (Total posts:207), Derek Thurlby (Total posts:3), and Dave Nutt (Total posts:434), all superb players who I'm sure have a lot they could pass on to lesser mortals! I'm not sure why Maurice Hipkiss doesn't post here either, he has the internet as Anita often e-mails Pat ?

Maybe a reminder in the BSS Newsletter that their presence would be not only beneficial but most welcome.

Apologies to anyone I've left out, not intentional just only so much room left in the old sponge, can't hold everything in the encephalon..due I think to misspent youth as a lab rat.

[Jason Lynch]

Gods, Baz. Have I really found 405 insane things to say...? the mind baffles!
Seriously, JD, couldn't agree more. It is very difficult to convey a sense of sarcasm or irony in a post, or email, for that matter.
peace all.

[Ken Byng]

........thanks for the Kudos I was not soliciting such, but nice to know that you think I'm nice to know and HAVE NOT BLOCKED ME at least. (Enquiring minds really do want to know who you have Ken?)...........

Basil
The two people concerned are unblocked. One has apologised to a person that he has deliberately offended, which is good enough for me. The matter is closed now and we move on.

I wouldn't block you. I am one of the members who you have helped out in time of difficulty if you remember. I do like people who are forthright, and no-one can accuse you of being a shrinking violet. Besides that, you are the only player that I have ever seen to use the 'wrap around' foot technique when using both both feet on the pedals at the same time - i.e. your right foot was on a pedal left of your left foot. Whether it was show-boating or for a practical reason, it looked cool.

[Basil Henriques]

Well Ken, I am relieved, and as for the "Wrap Around" foot bit, well It wasn't showboating, it's necessary to get a diminished when I'm starting from my Left and Right foot home positions.. Left foot is pedals 1+2 and right foot is pedals 5+6: to get a diminished I need to press 5+6 and 7. Repositioning my right foot would not allow me to do a legato change from the min6 (Faux 9th chord) to a diminished, so, with pedals 5+6 down for instance fret 3, it's a Cm6 (F9th almost.. Bass player depending) I move my left foot behind right foot and press pedal 7 and Voilà! Cdim.. Very convoluted I know.. BUT the Fender 1000 & 400 models only go up and down once per string and only any two strings per pedal.. it's akin to having E's to D#, but not to D as well... and E's to F but not F# on the E9th..
Still, I managed to come up with a median tuning that gave me the best possible combinations considering the limitation.. My "Open" strings are A7th but my mainstay tunings that I change to whilst playing are E6 30% C6 30% and A6 30% the open tuning and others make up the balance..

Here's a pdf that tells all about how I set it up..
WARNING WARNING, it's deep ! but good clean fun..
http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets ... Tuning.pdf

And this is the basic floor plan !

[Ken Byng]

Well Basil
It's not until you mapped out your pedal changes that it all made sense. I can see some of the changes that give you a good array of usable chords. The Fender cable pedal steels have certain limitations to say the least, and it just shows how much pedal steels have evolved over the years with their increased capacity to make numerous pulls on each string. However, the sound of these guitars is unique, and they have many devotees who would not want to play a modern guitar in place of a Fender cable series.

I still love the Ralph Mooney and Norman Hamlett sound of the mid to late 60's that they produced from their Fender 1000s, and I can still remember drooling over the Fender catalog of their pedal steels as a teenager back in the 60's. Could never afford one, but you could dream.

[Basil Henriques]

I saved up and bought a Fender 1000 in 1964, paid an arm and a leg for it, that's why my playing stayed quite static since then... well, you try playing with just one arm and one leg..LOL

Ah memories Ken, Just to help remind you and the myriad of others who almost died when they saw the guitar Fender had in their 1970 catalogue.
Really the stuff dreams were made of..








One of only 16 made to demo the model, unfortunately that year Fender decided to stop Pedal Steel production and instructed the salerooms to sell off the demo models, a couple were made to special order, but it was the "Special Orders" that made Fender decide they were not in the custom build business so they quit altogether, we may thank Gene Fields for the design and Fender for letting the "Smaller" manufacturer into a market they once dominated.

Sadly there are probably only half a dozen PS-210's left, mine would be probably the most pristine of the original pre-production models.

[Ken Byng]

The PS 210 is possibly the most innovative pedal steel ever built. However, it does come complete with a truss, as it is guaranteed to give the owner a hernia job. Your guitar is far and away the heaviest I have come across. For its size it weighs a tonne. You must have a right arm like Schwarzenegger!!!

[Basil Henriques]

Made from LM6 Alloy, the lowest expansion coefficient of all Aluminium Alloys. It weighs a mere 54 lbs. only the equivalent of 4 bags of spuds..