Anyone ever try Sneaky Pete's tuning............

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 3 Oct 2005 7:35 am

His version of "Blackbird" is special as well.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 3 Oct 2005 9:59 am

That interview with him in Steel Guitarist Magazine #2 is really good, by the way. He also describes the gadgets and circuits he uses to get that trademark tone.

Tim Bridges · Post by **Tim Bridges** » 3 Oct 2005 12:26 pm

Wasn't it Pete that played on the Little Feet tune, "Six Feet of Snow"? I don't think that would be easy to play with any set up. There is some really cool timing and phrases in the steel all through this song.

Bosse Engzell · Post by **Bosse Engzell** » 5 Oct 2005 4:37 am

A BIG thank you to SYSOP for the nice chart over Pete´s setup. I will study that very clouse. Exuse my spelling.

Bosse in Sweden

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 5 Oct 2005 5:36 am

Tim,
Pete is also on the Little Feat album from 1970.
He plays on "Willin'" and an amazing solo
on "I am the One".

Tim Bridges · Post by **Tim Bridges** » 6 Oct 2005 4:23 am

Jay,

I remember those tunes very well. I've always been a Little Feet fan. Really miss Lowell George's contribution to the band and music.

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 6 Oct 2005 7:29 pm

This is hilarious...if this link works it's to a pre-MTV video of the Burritos with Sneaky, Gram, Chris, Bernie and Mike doing "Older Guys" on a boat. You watch Pete in the background cracking up wihile standing and faking at playing his steel while Gram pretends to be Mick Jagger.....

Classic stuff.
http://20-248-e.onlinestoragesolution.com/spikepriggen/public/BurritoBrothersOlderGuys.mov

Bosse Engzell · Post by **Bosse Engzell** » 7 Oct 2005 1:13 am

That was great to see. Any DVD with Gram P. and Flying Burito Brothers?? PLEASE let me know!!

Bosse in Sweden

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 7 Oct 2005 6:29 am

It was Sneaky's work with Jackson Browne on "For Everyman" that started me on pedal steel in the early 70's- specifically the transition from "Take It Easy" to the next song "Our Lady of the Well(?)". His phase-shifted weaving of the two songs captivated me and consequently I purchased a pedal steel (Maverick) to do that. It wasn't until I started hunting down songs that had a pedal steel in them that I realized that, at the time, it was fairly unusual to have a pedal steel in that genre and I was forced to listen to country music just to hear the steel guitar (a tough swallow for me at the time). Now I listen to country 80% of the time and have a steel guitar store. All Sneaky's fault!. If I ever get the opportunity to meet him I'll have to thank him for changing my life.

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 7 Oct 2005 11:14 am

Jim,

That was one of the first songs I learned as well. My band played both songs in the mid 70's and I got a good sound with my Sho-Bud and a small stone phase shifter. I now have a 400 and it sounds even better!

Russ

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 7 Oct 2005 11:53 am

I could be mistaken, but I think that Jackson's version of "Take It Easy" had both Sneaky and Ed Black on it. One did the track & the other did the solo...don't know who did what.

Anybody care to clarify?

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 7 Oct 2005 12:15 pm

Skip,

I believe that one is just Pete. Sneaky and Ed played on the Michael Dinner album together and also on some songs together. I don't think Ed played on "For Everyman." The solo was Pete and David Lindley.

Russ[This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 07 October 2005 at 01:15 PM.]

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 24 Feb 2006 10:03 am

John Poston · Post by **John Poston** » 24 Feb 2006 10:14 am

b0b- LOL

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 24 Feb 2006 10:38 am

hi dave,
i have enough trouble with my own tuning!

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 24 Feb 2006 10:39 am

b0b,

That is classic!

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 24 Feb 2006 11:35 am

I'm making a poster out of that for my den.

Bob, you owe me for the coffee I spit all over the screen....

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 24 Feb 2006 5:38 pm

Yeah, Jim P., that transition from Take it Easy to Lady of the Well on that Jackson Browne album is one of the great musical moments since the advent of rock 'n roll.

------------------
Mark

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 24 Feb 2006 6:23 pm

I'm kinda with Bob on this one. Pete's great, but I think his sound comes mostly from his head and hands, and not his tuning or guitar. I also wouldn't consider his work with the FBB among his best stuff!

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 24 Feb 2006 10:10 pm

Donny, if you get a chance to listen to some of the boots floating around, the Burritos stuff was by FAR his best! When I saw him live in the 70's he was jaw-dropping. some of his studio stuff is stellar, but much is paid-session filler.

His head/hands are the main thing, of course...but his unusual tuning and changes make for a lot of the signature sounds/licks. you can sorta duplicate them with other equipment, but they just don't sound right. As Bob Carlucci has noted, some of the pedal lowers make a huge difference in the "flow" of notes.

I use it, and find it far more useful than E9 for what I mess with. It's really sort of a universal tuning on 8 strings - like a C6 with E9-type changes, plus assorted unique changes.

And the tone is simply unique to Fenders.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 25 Feb 2006 1:33 am

After looking carefully at Pete's tuning got a while, I have to concur with b0b.

Everything is tuned to B rather than E, but most of his changes the same as the standard E9 changes. His pedals 1 and 2 are exactly the same as our A and B pedals. His pedal 3 ultimately yields the same results as the 2nd string lower. His 4th pedal is the equivalent of the E to Eb knee lever, his 5 is the same as the B to Bb change, etc.

I dare say that if he were to switch over to a 10 or 12 string with a standard E9 or universal tuning, after a period of adjustment, he's probably play exactly the same way he does now.

He sounds great because he has great technique and a fertile musical imagination. He chooses to remain with an older instrument and tuning with which he's comfortable, but it's him, not the guitar he chooses to play.

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 25 Feb 2006 5:14 am

I tuned my fender 400 with six pedals to Pete's B6 and in a few minutes I felt right at home with it. It works like a B6/E9 to some degree. Third fret G chord with AB pedals... release the pedals and you have a D chord...back to frets to C. The range is much lower and thats cool and I don't break strings with the D# to E pull. I think if more E9 players sat down with his set up we would see a few more converts.

The tuning is just a tool. It is all in the mind and hands...I know... because I have his tuning and I don't sound like him! Damn!

[This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 25 February 2006 at 05:29 AM.]

Jim Meiring · Post by **Jim Meiring** » 25 Feb 2006 7:55 am

a trip down memory lane. Great vdeo. the times have changed. Little Feat, Pure Prarrie league, New Riders, Poco.,great influences on me. Not long after Emmylou's Hot Band and Ricky Skaggs hot country band seemed to end an era not seen again. is it just me?

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 25 Feb 2006 8:28 am

Mike - that's the same thing I noticed, but with one slight difference - the open tuning is much more "western swing" sounding than an E9. Pete comes from that background, so the 6th tuning makes sense. It also seems to be easier to duplicate rock/blues guitar licks with that tuning than an E9 (again, thinking of it open). The other nice thing is that it has a huge low end that isn't there on the E9.

I played an E9 a few years ago for a little while and never got anywhere with it, quit, came back with another E9, dumped it and got the 400...tuned it to Sneaky's setup and the light went on instantly. Like Russ says, if more folks tried it, there would be a mess of converts.

And while the instrument is old and limited in terms of changes, those issues are irrelevant. If you settle on that setup you don't NEED a myriad of change options or chromatic strings. It is what it is - and works darned well for just about anything other than "speed country", which seems to be fine with most of us who play them. We don't need to "upgrade" since what we have works for us. Pete's a great example of that (and he had an MSA at one time...still went back to the Fender).

Jon Zimmerman · Post by **Jon Zimmerman** » 25 Feb 2006 9:06 am