Recordings of your favorite lap steel tone(s)

David DeLoach · Post by **David DeLoach** » 16 Feb 2023 4:10 am

What are some of the landmark lap steel tone recordings you'd say were an inspiration to you to dial in your sound?

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 16 Feb 2023 5:21 am

It's a good question, and I kind of realize my answers have more to do with the players than with the gear or recording circumstances, probably. (Spoiler, most of mine are Hawaiian players from a certain era)

Andy Iona has some really sweet, almost breathtaking tone on some of his recordings...mostly all single note, and not usually technically all that complex, but he plays it (to borrow a Hindustani music term) gayaki-ang, "vocal style", just really gets the instrument to sing...great example is his "Carefree". The way his vibrato extends the sustain at points, almost a shadow of the note still going...I have found that in approximating this, the problem is my frypan has almost -too much- sustain, and the instrument happily keeps singing and doesn't have the same breathless tone that Andy gets out of his instrument. The 45s I have digitized of him playing Ho'i Mai also qualify, even if they are very dirty and noisy.

Jules Ah See being my biggest inspiration, he naturally qualifies, but there's a couple different versions of his sound that I love. First, the extremely smooth, full sound of some of the slower Hawaii Calls records. Sand (on Hawaiian Shores LP) is certainly the one I've paid most attention to, and it is lush and beautiful, really making full use out of the B11 tuning on 8 string. Other ones in this category include Mauna Kea in C13, also from Hawaiian Shores, and Temple Dance (a version of Narcissus Queen) from Fire Goddess LP. The latter is a great example of a player just having the right touch, it sounds so smooth.

The other side of Jules' tone is not what I would call classically "good" tone, but the Tapa Room Tapes which were live broadcasts have him playing with his hair down. He's probably got a Magnatone amp cranked up and there's often a touch of a bit of hair on his sound, and for some of those blazing fast solos which he takes invariably on every track, it just sounds great! It's his talent and creativity on display maybe more than the tone, but still, it's his energetic live show sound, and I dig it.

Lastly, "Steel Guitar Magic" comprised of duets between Billy Hew Len and Barney Isaacs. They are both fairly chordal players (though Barney moreso) but their sounds are really unique, Barney with a thinner tone and lots of chords and Billy with an almost muscular sound (probably my favorite). The album just sounds great to me (I know some people, including my kumu, don't love it because of the more jarring contrast between their sounds and styles but I like it anyway!).

K Maul · Post by **K Maul** » 16 Feb 2023 5:57 am

For clean Hawaiian I’d say almost anything by Jerry Byrd. For contemporary music David Lindley with Jackson Browne but also a little known player, Dave Carroll, on the Steve Gibbons 1978 album DOWN IN THE BUNKER. Those are my sources of tonal inspiration.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 16 Feb 2023 6:37 am

In the beginning, it was David Lindley and Sol Hoopii, then later it was more Dick McIntire and then Ralph Mooney. As I started finding my own way, my goal was for my own sound to be my favorite. That’s what I work on to this day. A tone that tells my own story as a converted guitarist. I never let go of all of that.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 16 Feb 2023 7:35 am

To my old ears, it's hard to beat the tone Jerry Byrd coaxed out of his Bakelite during his Cincinnati era as a sideman. The York Brothers boogie tunes knock me out.

Levi Gemmell · Post by **Levi Gemmell** » 16 Feb 2023 11:59 am

I'm with Jack on this one: Jerry in the "Cincinnati era" is where it's at, and made the biggest impact on me at the beginning of my steel guitar journey. The 'vocal' decay from the horseshoe/bakelite combo, all driving through the octal amp and field coil speaker is incredible.

Afterwards that emphasis shifted for me towards Dick McIntire, who looms large like Sol from the very advent of the electric guitar. I think Dick has the best tone of all the Hawaiian players, regardless of which guitar he happens to be using. It must be a frypan sometimes, a bakelite at other times on the recordings.

In recent years I've come to deeply appreciate Jerry's late period tone from the Sho-Bud - soft, round, warm and reedy even. It's not a lap steel sort of tone really, but is very beautiful.

Honourable mention to Bill Stafford who plays pedal steel in a very similar style, and just sounds exquisite.

Joe Burke · Post by **Joe Burke** » 16 Feb 2023 12:05 pm

What are some examples of recordings from Jerry Byrd’s Cincinnati era?

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 16 Feb 2023 3:34 pm

Jerry Byrd's tone, pretty much anything that he played.

But Jules Ah See has one of my favorite tone as well. Nic Neufeld summed up Jules' recordings which I totally agree with.
What I wonder is when these guys recorded, what amp were they using? I guess it would depend on the brand of steel too. The tone between Jules and Barney on Hawaii Calls radio broadcasts, in my opinion, was incredible. This was late 1950s. How were they mic'd, I'm sure from their amps, and not direct into a board. Not sure they did direct from each instrument in those days. Maybe one or two stage mic's catching the entire stage volume??? Be nice to find out.

Levi Gemmell · Post by **Levi Gemmell** » 16 Feb 2023 5:03 pm

Duane, I've often wondered the same thing.

Magnatone amps with Magnatone consoles, and Fender amps with Fender consoles?

Is it safe to assume that it's how artist endorsements would have worked, but am I jumping the gun to suggest endorsements at all?

Rich Arnold · Post by **Rich Arnold** » 16 Feb 2023 7:46 pm

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PDRvUIVw2ts#bottom-sheet

I want to mention when I was sick with Covid-19 I layed in bed trying to catch my breath and I played this over and over. And over.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 17 Feb 2023 3:31 am

Jeff Au Hoy

https://youtu.be/fv4XrNr9AnI

Phillip Vaught · Post by **Phillip Vaught** » 17 Feb 2023 5:00 am

First time i heard on you tube GeorgeBoards playing Teaching my children Teaching my parents i knew that was the steel for me. What a quality guitar it has been, realizing we all have different sounds we like this is the one for me. thanks

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 17 Feb 2023 6:16 am

Murph, on the Sun Valley Suite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ttt2ONEBE

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 17 Feb 2023 6:48 am

Levi Gemmell wrote:Magnatone amps with Magnatone consoles, and Fender amps with Fender consoles? Is it safe to assume that it's how artist endorsements would have worked, but am I jumping the gun to suggest endorsements at all?

I'm guessing there was at least some kind of endorsement deal based on this:

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 17 Feb 2023 6:55 am

Rich Arnold wrote:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PDRvUIVw2ts#bottom-sheet

I want to mention when I was sick with Covid-19 I layed in bed trying to catch my breath and I played this over and over. And over.

That's one I uploaded actually, out of frustration that that version was not online already (except in the other one sandwiched in between Andy Iona and Jerry Byrd's versions). But I had a similar experience, minus the Covid...back in, probably 2017 when I was first discovering this music I happened on this version of Jules playing Sand and man, it hooked me. I was at work, and downloaded it into MP3 form and had it on repeat literally all day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv3B5dIdTuM

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 17 Feb 2023 8:07 am

Jules playing the version of Sand on Web's Hawaiian Shores lp is what just knocks me out. Those low bass chords! This is what drew me to the 8 string B11 tuning that Jules used.

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 18 Feb 2023 3:55 am

I hadn't heard this version, Duane. You're right about those low register strums. Wow!

David Matzenik · Post by **David Matzenik** » 18 Feb 2023 2:20 pm

In general, I like the steel guitar tones recorded before World War Two. Although recording technology was evolving, perhaps improving, something happened to aesthetic taste after the war. I don't like the tone of Santo and Johnny or the slew of “Hawaiian” albums incorporating the organ and bland vocal groups. The steel guitar tone was usually thin on recordings that seem uninspired in the same way that “Hellenistic” art paid lip service to its origin. Part of this change can be attributed to cheap label economics and marketing, because it does not apply to recordings coming out of Hawaii at the time, like those of Benny Rogers etc. And then, of course, a steel guitar player in 1955 would probably take what they could get in the way of a session.

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 18 Feb 2023 2:27 pm

Andy, you can also hear the low bass string technique on another of Web's lp Hawaiian Strings Vol 3, with South Sea Island Magic, and others that utilize all the 8 strings. Barney and Jules was doing it for Web in the late 1950s, but I've heard other more recent players like Jeff Au Hoy, and Billy Hew Len using all the strings as well.
Sadly, for me, and this is my opinion, that I'm sure most all will disagree with, but sadly, all I hear from the guys today and the younger players is the single string melody played on a 6 string. That's just not my cup of tea. Reminds me of the stuff coming out of the studios of New York in the 1960s-the Leo Addeo stuff-and speaking of tone, same tone too.

Steve Cunningham · Post by **Steve Cunningham** » 18 Feb 2023 5:25 pm

Takin' Off by Bob Dunn...swinging his tail off.
https://youtu.be/EFMRtJeWBFM

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 19 Feb 2023 4:07 am

For me, there's not just one perfect steel guitar tone but many. Tone is a complex equation by the time it gets to our ears. It involves the guitar, the amp, the player's technique, the mics and engineering, the sound of the room or processing used if direct, the recording media, and the playback system on which we're listening. Add in the factor that we may each perceive the same sounds in different ways.

There was indeed something about the tone on those early steel records ... a snap and presence, a robustness, and often, with just the slightest hint of distortion. They didn't have 100+ years of recording history at their fingertips so tones were informed by the world they knew and on some levels, that affected the sounds they dialed in.

Joe Burke · Post by **Joe Burke** » 19 Feb 2023 5:32 am

I also love listening to the early Hawaiian greats, but as far as contemporary players go, I like the tone on anything Greg Leisz plays.

Here's one with Jackson Browne.

https://youtu.be/7923AHiJ_U8

Lee Gillespie · Post by **Lee Gillespie** » 19 Feb 2023 7:14 am

Thinking back 75 years...What turned me on to steel was Roy Wiggins with Eddy Arnold. Back then nobody in Norwich Conn. even knew what a steel guitar was..Plus no teacher..So I bought every Eddy Arnold records and wore them out to know what tuning to tune my converted guitar. Roy made a slight rake and Waalaaa.. I had his tuning. At the time all I could play was any Eddy Arnold songs...Then progressed to the Master.. Jerry Byrd. Started learning when I was 15 and now pushing 92.. I still pick and grinn today...Benn a long ride...BUT a good one.. Lee

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 2 Mar 2023 3:19 pm

My new favorite band! Fat tone with a little breakup...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8GD4im ... Gs&index=3

Matt Berg · Post by **Matt Berg** » 3 Mar 2023 4:43 pm

I think the sound that Red Rhodes got with his own handmade pickups is something unique and not quite obtainable...