Steel Guitar Magic Hawaiian Style

Peter Krebs · Post by **Peter Krebs** » 26 Jan 2025 11:52 am

Picked up this CD recently which features Billy Hew Len and Barney Isaacs, Jr on steel(s). The rest of the band are all heavy-hitters. Great record, if you’ve never heard it. It sounds to me like both Barney and Billy are playing on each track and it’s cool to hear how they back each other up, trade/share fills and melodies, etc. Can someone help me identify which steel is Barney and which is Billy? The liner notes are pretty slim. Thanks!

David Venzke · Post by **David Venzke** » 26 Jan 2025 5:44 pm

Maybe this will give you a start:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... 2c8d2271e5

Peter Krebs · Post by **Peter Krebs** » 27 Jan 2025 9:56 am

This is perfect. Thanks for reposting the thread!

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 28 Jan 2025 12:41 pm

It was a nice reminder of when I was brand new to the forum and to this music

. And a great treat to hear from Jeff Au Hoy, who I later got to chat with in HNL.

What I'd really love to know, but I'm not sure anyone still living could say, is how he had his A6 copedent set up on his Fender 400!

David M Brown · Post by **David M Brown** » 28 Jan 2025 5:52 pm

Nic Neufeld wrote: What I'd really love to know, but I'm not sure anyone still living could say, is how he had his A6 copedent set up on his Fender 400!

Me too.

I also noticed that many of the pictures and rare videos of Billy show him playing non-pedal steels.

Roger Fletcher · Post by **Roger Fletcher** » 28 Jan 2025 11:23 pm

I had the huge pleasure of sitting right in front of Billy for around 3 hours one evening in the Blue Dolphin room back in 1976. He was playing the Fender 400 standing and rarely used the pedals in those 3 hours.

He later played a Frypan in A6. Interestingly, Herb Remington and Tom Morrell also moved from pedal steel to non-pedal. I'm sure aging was a factor, but probably also an increasing awareness of how much they could do without pedals. When asked if he could do everything on his 10 string non-pedal, Tom Morrell answered "I can do enough".

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 30 Jan 2025 10:12 am

These old timers were gigging and probably a combination of...I won't call it laziness, but a certain desire for physical efficiency, with a "you know what, this is good enough". I've even found myself doing the same where I realize I can play songs I previously needed a different tuning for in my main tuning so that I don't have to haul a doubleneck around.

And a 400 is no joke to haul around (and set up, tear down) compared to a lap steel.

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 30 Jan 2025 10:19 am

These were a couple ideas I thought about tinkering with.

Joe A. Roberts · Post by **Joe A. Roberts** » 30 Jan 2025 11:32 am

The interesting thing about Tom Morrell is he at one point had one of the most complicated copedents I've ever seen, especially for the time. (12 strings and 4 knees!)
Certainly the largest range, with Eb presumably below the E string of a bass, to high Bb.
Interesting that he decided to ditch the pedals later on. I guess he'd been there, done that!

And Vance Terry too; one of the greatest non-pedal players ever and he had perhaps THE most complicated copedent ever with stacked pedals and all.

It is a shame that Jules Ah See died before the world really got to see what he could do with pedals...

Is this Billy Hew Len on pedal steel? Awesome musicians all around...
Lena Machado - Ho'onanea (1962):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH9hlmI7H0M

Thanks for sharing your copedent Nic some cool ideas there.

Nic Neufeld wrote: I've even found myself doing the same where I realize I can play songs I previously needed a different tuning for in my main tuning so that I don't have to haul a doubleneck around.

I know that feel for sure. Like the realization hits: wait a second, why is this tune I spent so much time working out on x specialty tuning working out so well if not better on C13th?!

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 31 Jan 2025 10:45 am

Joe A. Roberts wrote: Is this Billy Hew Len on pedal steel? Awesome musicians all around...
Lena Machado - Ho'onanea (1962):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH9hlmI7H0M

From the liner notes it is indeed BHL:

HO'ONANEA, 1962
Benny Saks worked his magic in this arrangement of Ho'onanea weaving his plaintive piano work within the velvet touch of steel guitarist Billy Hew Len. Lena holds her trademark high notes for all eternity on this second taste of her classic Hawaiian ode to love.

I didn't hear any too obvious pedal "tells"...until his pa'ani, specifically that run at 2:33, that sounded a bit like stuff I've heard Basil Henriques do. Pretty sweet.