Day setup........an eastern thing?.........

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 7 Mar 2008 9:26 am

I've often wondered if the Day setup of floor pedals one through three in the E9 tuning was an eastern or east coast thing.....

I played on the west coast for many years and I really don't remember ever seeing anyone who used the Day setup out there but since moving to the east coast (Virginia) it seems that at least 50% or more of the players back in this end of the country use Day over Emmons........

Are there any West Coast players who use the Day setup. This doesn't include players who learned to play elsewhere and then moved to California, but players who learned to play out there..............JH in Va.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 7 Mar 2008 9:34 am

Jerry,

All I can add is that after many years of asking why various people I met played the Day setup,the answer was universally,that's how my first guitar was set up so that's how I learned.

Not one person ever said it was because they liked Buddy or Jimmy.

My first guitar was set up Emmons and I didn't know any better so that's my reason.

Gordon Borland · Post by **Gordon Borland** » 7 Mar 2008 10:11 am

Dick,
That is exactly what happen in my case.

Larry Hamilton · Post by **Larry Hamilton** » 7 Mar 2008 10:24 am

When I started in southeast Oklahoma in the early 70's everyone that I knew played the Day setup. When I moved to Oklahoma City a couple years later, pretty much everyone there played the Emmons setup. One of the drawbacks to the Day way is that most guitars at conventions are set up Emmons. Therefore about I can do is push pedals except for when I try out the C6th neck.

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 7 Mar 2008 10:28 am

Some players have said the Day set-up is easier on the ankles and seems more natural.

Roger

Billy McCombs · Post by **Billy McCombs** » 7 Mar 2008 11:10 am

I know of four guys here in Bakersfield that play the Day setup includeing my friend Larry Petree. My first Steel that I bought from Larry about 18 yrs ago was Day setup,Im sure that Larry can add more numbers to the list because he teaches Steel. Billy

Max W. Thompson · Post by **Max W. Thompson** » 7 Mar 2008 11:13 am

My first psg was a starter psg with a "standard Emmons setup". After 8 months I got a Blanton that was already in a Day setup. I just left it the way it was to try the Day setup, and had no trouble getting used to it. I can't imagine ever changing back.

Alan Harrison · Post by **Alan Harrison** » 7 Mar 2008 11:13 am

Like many of you Day setup players, My first professional Guitar, a D-10 ZB had the Day Setup on it when I bought it from Mr Larry Petree in Bakersfield California in 1972. I have never seen any reason to change to the Emmons setup.
Larry is a fantastic player and unless he has changed in the last ten months, he still plays the
Day setup on his Zum's. And very well I might add.

Jerry Roller · Post by **Jerry Roller** » 7 Mar 2008 11:21 am

When we were building my first "original" Pedalmaster, Jimmy Day was a frequent visitor to the shop which was a block from my house. I suppose that is why I play Day setup.
Jerry

Wayne Wallett · Post by **Wayne Wallett** » 7 Mar 2008 12:44 pm

Interesting! I am from Pennsylvania and play Day setup. There are several other players I know that play Day as well. I was at Chas Stepps Derby plant and he said a lot of the guitars he builds/sells in KY are Day set up including his own guitar. Don't think there is an advantage one way over another. I like Day because the flow of the knees match the logical flow of the neck. LKL lowers E's and logically your flow is to the left or down the neck the same direction as my thinking. E to F lever is LKR or up the neck. Just my way of thinking.
Regards,
Wayne

Billy McCombs · Post by **Billy McCombs** » 7 Mar 2008 12:52 pm

Jerry thats as good a reason as any

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 7 Mar 2008 1:19 pm

california all my life...backwards pedals all my life...

Dan Burnham · Post by **Dan Burnham** » 7 Mar 2008 1:33 pm

I have Day Setup on my BMI Zane Beck Model. I have a Sierra S-12 that has Emmons setup. I play both of these guitars and I'd have to say the Day setup works better for me. I would agree I think the Day setup is more comfortable. I started out on Emmons Setup.

Dan

Roger Crawford · Post by **Roger Crawford** » 7 Mar 2008 1:42 pm

My first guitar had Day pedals. It just didn't feel comfortable. Maybe if the knees had been set up like Sho-Bud it would have worked better. Any way, swithed to Emmons and been there ever since.

Andy Hinton · Post by **Andy Hinton** » 7 Mar 2008 4:49 pm

The late, Great,John Hughey & Jack Mathews both played Day. That's good enough for me.
Andy H.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 7 Mar 2008 6:55 pm

My first guitar was setup with Day style floor pedals, and I never saw any reason to change. Knee levers are a different story. I just added changes wherever I thought they would work, like lowering the E's on the RKR, and raising them on the LKR. I also use two RKL's and a few others.

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 7 Mar 2008 7:20 pm

Many of us started out before ever hearing of Day or Emmons.Use the set up and tuning that works for you.It is really that simple.

Roger Rettig · Post by **Roger Rettig** » 7 Mar 2008 8:17 pm

Most of the ZBs that were sold out of Eric Snowball's music store in Maidstone in south-east England were set-up 'Day'. I'm pretty sure that it was Gordon Huntley's influence that was responsible, as he was a sometime steel-tech for Eric.

That's certainly what started me off, and I'm happy with it.

Tommy White is a notable 'Day' player, as well as Weldon Myrick, Rusty Young and Norm Hamlett. So was John Hughey....

I'm convinced that it's an easier motion for the human ankle, but I've been ridiculed on here before for that suggestion, so please ignore it....

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 8 Mar 2008 4:55 am

I started on the Emmons setup, but went to U-12 and discovered how much easier the Day setup was on my ankles , so I switched from 10 to 12 strings, and from Emmons setup to Day setup all at the same time ... I see various players playing a particular brand of pedal steel who are in various area's, but I find it interesting that you bring up the East/West concept concerning the Day/Emmons setup ... I've never thought about it in that light before ...Interesting ...Things that make you go hmmmmmmm !!....Jim

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 8 Mar 2008 8:37 am

I agree with Roger, it seems much easier to roll my ankle to the outside than to the inside. Maybe Jimmy discovered the same thing when he split up the Isaacs pedal.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 9 Mar 2008 10:13 pm

Here I thought it was a West Coast thing and the only way to play.

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 10 Mar 2008 7:25 am

From the replies so far it still looks like the Day thing is more common the farther east you go.

Here's a good question, what would you call Ralph Mooney's setup as he splits his two G# strings and has one on each side of his "A" pedal?.....JH in Va.

Jody Sanders · Post by **Jody Sanders** » 10 Mar 2008 9:11 am

As to Moon's set up ; weird. If you ever get a chance, sit down to his guitar and you will see what I mean. Jody.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 10 Mar 2008 9:40 am

There are a lot of Day players on the west coast. It's not a regional thing.

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 10 Mar 2008 9:41 am

I like Jay Dee's opinion, he plays both. Pedals-Emmons, knees-Day. He's a real Diplomat without the setup-bias.

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Day setup........an eastern thing?.........

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