The British Steelies Society

Ladies and gentlemen, I received a call from Billy Murdoch tonight regarding the above mentioned.
If you have a moment in your day go to Pagliere steel guitars and click on videos
Let me know what you think
You are very welcome
Asleep at the steel

ETA Links:
https://paglieresteelguitars.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@paglieresteelguitars/videos

Hi Willie, I had an email exchange with Alan a while back. He's a really switched on guy IMHO. The way this works is there is an individual pickup for each string, similar to a midi pickup. The difference being each string pickup samples the note being played and turns it into digital code which can be manipulated, similar to how a digital delay works. The note can then be changed in pitch and then converted back into an analogue note. So what you hear after it is then put through your amp is what you originally played with all the nuances but shifted in pitch. A midi pickup on the other hand samples the note and converts it into midi code which can then be used to control a synth for example.

So you could alter your tunings on the press of a button to activate a preprogrammed preset. It is also how the pedals and knee levers work, there are no rods etc, basically the pedals have sensors which detect how much travel the pedal is making, this is fed into the processor and pitch shifts the note being played, the same for levers. Obviously this means you can have preset copedents which could also be activated at the touch on a screen.

The good thing about this is you would not lose the tone of the cabinet as the pickups are converting the note, tone and all.

I think it's a brilliant idea and he has a lot of experienced players and builders working with him to produce something really special, it would be just like playing a mechanical pedal steel in feel but with all the advantages as described above.

Anyway, it's getting late. I haven't looked at the site for a while so need to look at any updates. If I have any info that's not on the site in my emails I'll post it later.

BTW Alan is a big fan of the Doric and I believe he has written a thesis on this.

Hi Geoff, thanks for that information and I hope your health is improving. When I looked at the site last night, I was astounded,but I'm afraid, being a dinosaur ( as Mr McMiser would say) I'll stick with my Mullen. Interesting concept though.
Cheers my boy, and regards to Janice
Asleep at the steel

I find this very interesting, it solves a lot of pedal steel problems and still sounds like a pedal steel, still play it the same way, I would like to se how it develops. Donny.

Thanks Willie, not too bad atm, Janice is fine. Hope you are well.

Yeah, totally get where you're coming from. TBH if you have your steel set up how you like it, don't muck about changing the setup etc then what's the advantages of this.

An advantage for players who use a double neck and are getting on a bit where weight becomes a problem, then you can have a single neck which can do either E9 or C6 at the touch of a switch. If you like experimenting with different copedents, then this steel would make that a doddle compared to spending a lot of time readjusting rods etc. For example, if you were using a zero pedal, this could be setup with the Franklin change for a tune that requires it and then changed to a totally different function for another tune. Playing in a different key would also be possible if you were backing a singer who required a different key to what you are used to playing it in. Granted, an experienced player could change key without much difficulty but they might not be able to play exactly the same riffs etc as in the original key.

Another advantage is that you could totally compensate for cabinet drop for any pedal/lever combinations. Splits would also be in tune without having to use split screws or the double rod method.

One of the problems that he has identified is that the acoustic sound of the steel would be different to what you are hearing coming out of your amp. This could be off-putting, which is why he is currently building 2 steels, one with a 'normal' style cabinet, the other with a cabinet which damps the acoustic sound so you basically don't hear it. I don't know how this would change the amplified tone, it will be interesting to hear the results once he gets them up and running.

I reckon these will not be cheap, I could be wrong, so there might not be an big enough incentive to replace an existing mechanical steel. Especially if you are outside the US where transport and taxes would be a big factor in the final cost.

I have read that when players started to introduce pedals and levers to steels this was frowned on at the time by some. The story of how a player, (can't remember offhand who, Zane Beck?), had to disguise he was using pitch change by using a lever rather than a pedal so the band leader wouldn't know he was doing it as he didn't approve of this new fangled technique. Think this was how levers originally became a thing. In any case, the point is that there is always resistance to change.

Will this be a success? I think as far as it working as planned and sounding good, it's almost a done deal. Will players buy them, is there a market for them? That's an open question and time will tell once he gets them to a production stage.

If I was younger and could afford one I would almost certainly buy one, though I think I would keep my existing steel.