| Author |
Topic: Fessenden 8 shot? |
Marc Stone
From:
Louisiana, USA
|
Posted 20 May 2020 1:47 pm |
|
Decided to get back in to PSG but on my own terms, if you will. Was looking for something to transfer my 8 string lap approach to with some changes avail, and ran across a Fessy 8 shot for less than $700US new from Al Brisco at Steel Guitar Canada.
According to whoever picked up the phone at Fessenden (think it was Jerry) the guitar is fully configurable, with the limitation being that the changer only does raises.
Anyone have any experience with one of these?
And yeah I know I won't have every E9 change available, but that not what I'm looking for.
Thx! |
|
|
|
Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
|
Posted 21 May 2020 11:46 am Re: Fessenden 8 shot?
|
|
I've got a 6 shooter - 2 strings and I added a knee lever. The limitation of the raise only changer meant that I've gone for the middle 6 strings of E9 with A&B plus E raise on the lever.
Of course, it's not nearly as versatile as my Sho~Bud 10 string with 3+5 but there are times when using the Sho~Bud just isn't possible or I'm only using pedal steel on a couple of songs. I was playing in a band that mostly required A6 lap steel and pedal steel on 2 or 3 songs and the 6 shooter was perfect - I played in A6 with pedals down on most of the steel songs and played my cliche E9 licks when required.
The E raise lever made a big difference to the possibilities. I'd love E lower as well but I 'm happy with it. And the whole thing fits into the bag I use to carry the legs and pedal bar of my Sho-Bud.
Anything less than a fully loaded 10 string gets a lot of negative reactions around here, but I really think they have their place - not as a replacement but a cool alternative.
Are you going to use the top 8 or the bottom 8 strings of E9? |
|
|
|
Marc Stone
From:
Louisiana, USA
|
Posted 21 May 2020 2:43 pm
|
|
Hi Jeff,
Actually thinking of this as a means to translate my 8 string lap tuning to something w a cpl change options. Not trying to be a full on E9 country cat, I'm a Blues/RnB guy who needs to get some slick chord changes in the mix now and then. With an A and B pedal I can fake enough eau du E9 for any gigs that want that sound (please don't shoot me SGF PSG meisters) and open up other options for myself. Three pedals is more than enough, but if I can squeeze in another change I'd go for the equivalent of an E raise on an LKL.
The real question is what I can get away w for string tension. Right now my low string is a guitar's low E on a 58. No way that's happening. Jerry told me 46 max, but we didn't discuss pitch. Odds are he didn't mean something as low as guitar low E, prob either B or E a fifth or an octave above that E. Guessing I could get away w a 50 for that low E... |
|
|
|
Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
|
Posted 21 May 2020 2:56 pm
|
|
| What is your current default 8 string tuning? |
|
|
|
Marc Stone
From:
Louisiana, USA
|
Posted 21 May 2020 2:59 pm
|
|
EGDGBDEF
58, 42, 30, 21P, 19, 16, 14, 13
would likely go to something like 50, 38, 26, 20P, 18, 15, 13, 12 |
|
|
|
Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
|
Posted 21 May 2020 5:07 pm
|
|
| Marc Stone wrote: |
EGDGBDEF
58, 42, 30, 21P, 19, 16, 14, 13
would likely go to something like 50, 38, 26, 20P, 18, 15, 13, 12 |
So were you thinking about raising D to E and B to C? What about the other pedal?
Another possibility would to have your basic tuning as
EF#DF#ADEF with the A&B pedals raising to your base tuning so default is AB down. The 3rd pedal could raise your Ds a semitone - so strings 3-7 would be a D9 tuning.
If you aren't raising that low E, I'm not sure why your regular 58 wouldn't work?
This is kind of what I do but I use E9 to A6 and you'd be going D9 to G6. |
|
|
|
Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
|
Posted 21 May 2020 7:03 pm
|
|
Our fearless leader, b0b, uses a well-developed form of D9/G6. I'm sure his setup would be a nice way to see what is possible as a minimum, even. I've thought about G tunings a lot, myself.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Wakarusa 5e3 clone
1953 Stromberg-Carlson AU-35 |
|
|
|
Marc Stone
From:
Louisiana, USA
|
Posted 21 May 2020 7:14 pm
|
|
| I don’t think that will work for me. I have to map a few things out first. My only concern is the guitar handling the gauges if I go heavy and do decide to put a raise on one of the lower strings |
|
|
|
Jeff Mead
From:
London, England
|
Posted 22 May 2020 1:16 am
|
|
| Marc Stone wrote: |
| I don’t think that will work for me. I have to map a few things out first. My only concern is the guitar handling the gauges if I go heavy and do decide to put a raise on one of the lower strings |
I suppose the key question is if Jerry was saying "it won't work" or "it will break the guitar".
If the former, I'd say give it a go anyway - what's to lose? |
|
|
|
Adam Tracksler
From:
Maine, USA
|
Posted 22 May 2020 3:07 am
|
|
| Fessies are pretty solid. I’ve had two and they were champs. |
|
|
|
Marc Stone
From:
Louisiana, USA
|
Posted 22 May 2020 6:34 am
|
|
I doubt it will break the guitar.
Having fun mapping this out. Wondering if I can squeeze a knee lever in.
Either way, since it’s raise only, I want a change that will raise low E to F and middle G to G#. That would give me lower register half diminished, flat 9 and dom 7 w 5 in the bass chords. Really important to open up comping options. It also gives me a 3-5-b7-1 voicing for E major, and if I can split that change and only raise the G to G# then I have a really fat major/dominant chord voicing w root on the low string.
Of course need a normal A and B pedal situation to raise B to C and high D to E, but there is only one B to C change avail on my set up, leaving the other raise option on the B pedal open.
C pedal might be a wild card as well, since I already have a straight minor or minor 7 voicing avail in the tuning.
I’m gonna drive myself nuts w this. Glad I didn’t jump back to 10 string 4x5 lol! |
|
|
|
Ian Worley
From:
Sacramento, CA
|
Posted 22 May 2020 11:19 am Re: Fessenden 8 shot?
|
|
| Marc Stone wrote: |
| ...with the limitation being that the changer only does raises... |
Any guitar with a movable finger can be made to both raise and lower within the physical range of the finger. It will just take a few more parts, a bit more finagling, and perhaps a slightly unorthodox tuning process depending on how the guitar is designed. If adding a lower is important to your ultimate goal you just need to seek out a local mechanic familiar with pull-release to help you set it up. |
|
|
|
