Boomer and the Mr. Hyde CD

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Well I've just finished spinning the Mr. Hyde CD by Mr. Hyde a great group featuring the Forum's own Boomer Castleman on pedal steel, palm pedal, vocals, banjo and various electric standard guitars.

The four piece have a CD that imaginatively recalls and reinvents the West Coast country rock and jangly guitar sound (the Byrds,etc) from the 1960s and early 1970s.
It's fantastic, think the great solo stuff that ex-Byrd Roger McGuinn had with all the usual jangly guitar checkpoints, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, the Byrds, REM, etc.

Tasteful playing, great vocals and cool songs fill up this sixteen song CD, whether originals, outside collaborations, covers or classics from the Castleman/Michael Martin Murphey Screen Gem days.
A big thumbs up for this debut effort by Boomer, Chris James (lead voc, harmonica, kyb), Bob Hatter (6 & 12 strings, voc) and Rick Lonow (drums, perc, voc).

"Mr. Hyde" (TX 2057 - 2 TA, issued December 2000, is on the German based Taxim Records.
www.taxim.com

Well done Boomer, and thanks!

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The future ain't what it used to be

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

Hi Jason
I remember hearing about a palm pedal but never did find out what it was? Any info ?
By the where abouts in Melb. do you live?
regards Brendan.

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Brendan, if Boomer doesn't post here, then email me and I'll send you some info on the palm pedal... I'm pretty sure I have some good quotes here somewhere.

I live in West Footscray, although only for the last six months, before that I lived in several different suburbs and before 1996 I lived all over the country. I was born in Melbourne though.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

Hey Brendan,
The Palm Pedal is a string bending device invented by the Forum's own Boomer Castleman. It was marketed by Bigsby in the 70's and on in the 80's. As of this moment they're not available. I have both styles. As with the Bigsby Vibrato they made a solid body type and a trapeze type for 335's etc. They came with two levers usually used on the 2nd and 3rd string. The usual set up was to pull the second string B to C# and the 3rd string G to A but there were other setups. I knew a guitarist in LA named Gerald Ray who just pulled the 3rd string lever a half tone to G# along with the 2nd string whole tone pull. This way he could get the basic steel guitar 1 to 4 change with them. I don't know why they didn't catch on more than they did maybe it's because a major guitarist of national fame didn't use them. Hopefully with some of the recording projects he's doing these days we'll be exposed to the work of the great Boomer Castleman. Boomer's palm pedal is different from the marketed Bigsby version. He has six (6) levers on the thing and he uses them all. In Los Angeles the first guy who I saw using them was Al Bruno who was (and still is) one of the most awesome pickers you never heard of. There's a company called HipShot who makes a string bending device which uses a lever sticking off the back of your guitar which bends the second string. By special order you can get a 3rd string palm pedal added to the device which works quite well. I've got some pictures of mine now and if you like I'll scan one for you.

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

[This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 08 January 2001 at 08:43 AM.]

[This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 08 January 2001 at 08:45 AM.]

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Thankyou Jerry, I was hoping you wpuld come on over and see this one and post.
Boomer's device came out around the same time Clarence White and Gene Parsons were building the Stringbener into Mr. White's Tele.
Both devices (Boomer's & the Stringbender) have been markted over the years, but it's interesting to note that the prototypes are different to what got marketed in both cases.

Brendan Mitchell · From: Melbourne Australia

Thanks Jason and Jerry
So it is something like one of those Parson White? string benders?
Jason,I'm over here in Highett.Howyagoin?

Herb Steiner · From: Spicewood TX 78669

Here's some trivia for y'all I hope Boom doesn't mind me posting.

Boomer and I were in a band together about the time (1970) he made the first palm pedal from a coathanger wire, which was attached to his '56 Telecaster. I was primarily an E9 player at that time and we did lots of twin string-bending licks together, since Clarence was also coming on strong with his bender about that time.

Boomer's father-in-law at the time was going to machine a device (if my memory serves me), and they were going after a patent. I slightly rained on their parade when I told Boomer that a steel picker I knew in San Diego, Tony Zitnik, had already designed such a device. Zitnik's thing looked like little pedal steel pedals sticking out the side of the guitar. Boom made the trip down south, got in touch with Zitnik, and ultimately they shared the patent on the device and the royalty for the licensing to the Bigsby Co.

And now you know "... the rest of the story."

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

All this string-bender talk reminds me of one time back in the late 50's or early 60s, when Carl Perkins booked as a single one weekend with our band. This was during that period before Cash 'rescued' him and he was struggling pretty hard with life and it's 'liquid' temptations...but the point I'm trying to get to is that back stage he kept showing everyone this little string stretcher device he had invented that attached to the nut end of his guitar neck, that he knew was going to make him a millionaire. Carl was such a great guy at heart that I was pulling for it to come true.....but I never heard of it again. I've often wondered if he ever did anything with it, or if anyone ever heard of it? Or, if some of these devices discussed above may be a descendant of the Perkins invention.

[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 09 January 2001 at 12:57 PM.]

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Gene, I'd be interested to know what happened to Carl's device.
In a way it's kind of like the evolution of the guitar really, there's always going to be some sort of mutation.

Tommy Turman had a stringbending type device in the late 1950s in Northern California, I hink it's just a case of guitarists wanting to take things a step further.
Phil Baugh used to use his fingers and a voluke pedal to create steel effects in the 1960s, later adding pedals to his standard guitar.

The fact that rock, folk, pop, bluegrass and country were blending in the 1960s, as well as an enviroment where guitarists were encouraged to be more creative, (at least through the spirit of the era, if not finacially), sort of helped I'm sure.
Look at it this way, in the late 1960s you had Boomer, Clarence White and Tony Zitnik with devices, while Al Bruno and Phil Baugh were trying things as well.. even Stringbender No#1 (Clarence White's) and Stringbnder No#2 (Bob Warford's) are slightly different as Bob customised his.

Jerry Hayes · From: Virginia Beach, Va.

The original palm pedal Boomer developed was different from the Bigsby as is the one he uses today. Bigsby wanted it to be modified to use the existing frame of the vibrato tailpiece they already manufactured. If you check out a Bigsby vibrato you'll see the round area where the spring goes. On the Palm Pedal they supplied you with a small silver round nameplate which you'd stick in there after the screw went in which said "Bigsby Palm Pedal". They worked very well and stayed in tune pretty good. I once modified a unit for Nokie Edwards of the Ventures fame. He wanted one with 4 levers so I took two units and combined both of them making a whole tone pull on the first four strings. The 1st and 4th string levers were cut off a little bit and raised higher than the usual two so they could be operated independently. Al Bruno probably remembers this unit as he was the one who turned Nokie on to them and sent him to this music store (Nash's Music) where we were both working at the time.

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Have a good 'un! JH U-12

[This message was edited by Jerry Hayes on 09 January 2001 at 08:52 PM.]

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

Hey Jerry, that is so cool!

It's making me wonder when the 'Hipshot' device came out, boy this is really a bender topic now.
I'd love to know if Nokie still has that set-up on his rig. Possibly for his solo gigs as he tends to do more twang action at his shows than the Ventures normally do. (at least that's what I hear).

Brenda, how ya doin' there!?!
I used to work at a real dodgy place in Highett when I lived in the Southern suburbs.
My stomping grounds for a couple of years.

Boomer · From: Brentwood, TN USA

I believe Dan Balde has the manufacturing rights for the Bigsby Palm Pedal now, as Bigsby sold out to Gretch (sp?), and Fred Gretch did a deal with Dan. You can contact him at dbalde@eclipse.net

The whole history of the palm pedal is featured in the cover story of Rock & Read Magazine (April 2000 issue #43N; e-mail: rocknread@aol.com). And while I look 15 years old in the pix, I swear I still look like that today

Jason, thanks for the wonderful plug on the "Mr. Hyde" CD. I'm really proud of it. Best, Boomer

[This message was edited by Boomer on 10 January 2001 at 05:07 AM.]

[This message was edited by Boomer on 10 January 2001 at 05:09 AM.]

Jason Odd · From: Stawell, Victoria, Australia

It's cool Boomer, thanks for making it and for continuing with the project!

db · From: Bethlehem, PA 18015 USA

www.db.bigsbypalmpedal.com

Thanks Boomer

[This message was edited by db on 14 March 2001 at 03:51 PM.]

Joe Alterio · From: Irvington, Indiana

Wow, the CD has my favorite song, "What Am I Doin' Hangin' Round"! Written by the fine duo of Travis Lewis and Boomer Clarke!

I think I'll have to pick up a copy for that one alone.....also has another Monkee-related tune, "Texas Morning" (Nesmith did it on his "Nevada Figher" LP).

Joe

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