Acoustic pedal steel

Jacek Jakubek · Post by **Jacek Jakubek** » 28 May 2007 7:38 pm

Did anyone ever try building an acoustic pedal steel guitar?

I think it would be a great idea to design a pedal steel guitar that, unplugged, would sound as loud as a dobro or acoustic flat-top guitar.

This type of guitar would probably have an interesting tone and might make the steel more appealing in different types of music, such as bluegrass.

To have the loud acoustic tone, you would need some sort of chamber under the guitar. There is not that much room under a normal pedal steel, with all the metal rods and knee levers, but I'm sure someone could design a different body that would be suitable.
Maybe you could even install a metal cone like in a resonator guitar, for even louder volume. Or maybe you could use a SD body and have the sound chamber just under the fret board part, and the knee levers would be under the pad portion, so the chamber would not interfere with the knees, you'd just have to sit a little farther from the guitar.

The only limitation I can think of is that you would not be able to use a volume pedal when you're not plugged in. But, there could also be a pickup installed in this acoustic PSG and you'd be able to plug into an amp and volume pedal, as well. It would have amplified, acoustic PSG tone that would still sound unique compared to a regular electric PSG.

With all the mechanisms already used in building pedal steels today, and with all the great builders and designers of these guitars, making an acoustic version should not be that hard, unless I'm missing something.

I love the sound of an acoustic guitar and think it would be an interesting thing to hear an acoustic pedal steel.

A. J. Schobert · Post by **A. J. Schobert** » 28 May 2007 7:45 pm

The pedalbro from paul franklin is probably the only thing close right now. I thought that would be a good idea myself, but there is alot of tension and stress, you would really have to modify the thing up. It would add a new sound.

Ernie Pollock · Post by **Ernie Pollock** » 29 May 2007 4:10 am

I can just hear the bluegrass boys squawking when you drug that acoustic pedal steel in, I would love to have one myself, I like playing bluegrass songs but they slam the door in electric steel players faces everytime they try to get in!! That would be something to try to build, thats for sure, at least making it loud enough to hear would be a problem.

Ernie
http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 29 May 2007 5:51 am

Been done. Here is a link. Scroll down a bit too see it. VERY cool.

http://www.bradivarius.com/pedalsteel.html

Per Berner · Post by **Per Berner** » 29 May 2007 6:51 am

...can't understand why bluegrass players wouldn't want a steeler to join them.

The results can be very, very good – a nice example is Buddy Emmons playing E9th bluegrass with Benny Martin & Lester Flatt, on Martin's ´76 album called "Tennessee Jubilee", if memory serves me right.

IMO, BE's steel fits perfectly in that sonic landscape of banjos, fiddles, mandolins and ringing D-28s. But maybe it takes someone of Buddy's caliber to make it work?

Bobby Caldwell · Post by **Bobby Caldwell** » 29 May 2007 6:56 am

I believe Shot Jackson made one for himself. It may have been a Dobro with pedals. This goes back to the fifties. I remember hearing it one some recordings but I never saw it. Maybe someone else can shed some light on shot's guitar. Perhaps "The Big E" might know. Bobby

Bobby Caldwell · Post by **Bobby Caldwell** » 29 May 2007 6:57 am

I believe Shot Jackson made one for himself. It may have been a Dobro with pedals. This goes back to the fifties. I remember hearing it one some recordings but I never saw it. Maybe someone else can shed some light on shot's guitar. Perhaps "The Big E" might know. Bobby

Tony Dingus · Post by **Tony Dingus** » 29 May 2007 8:24 am

Didn't Paul play an acoustic pedal steel on a Don Williams song? I've been Loved by the Best or something like that. If that'a correct, maybe the acoustic pedal was part of the building block to the ped-a-bro. I like both of them and have been tring to think of a way of building one myself. Time will tell.

Tony

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 29 May 2007 8:43 am

Per Berner wrote:...can't understand why bluegrass players wouldn't want a steeler to join them.

I jam with a blue grass bunch about three times a month: however, they do not want my steel at their gigs. They have a sound that they want to hold onto and a steel guitar is an intrusion as far as they are concerned.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 29 May 2007 9:07 am

Here's Paul Franklin Sr.'s Pedabro patent:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=5jguAAAAEBAJ
He also made one called "The Box" that doesn't have a resonator.

The Pedabro played by Paul Franklin Jr. was featured on Randy Travis' hit "Forever And Ever, Amen". I think that was the first commercial recording of it.

I've been told that only 25 Pedabros were made. Forum members Dan Tyack and Peggy Green each have two of them.

Ernie Pollock · Post by **Ernie Pollock** » 29 May 2007 9:51 am

Bill: that is one kool looking pedal dobro, I would trade one of my steels for that any time!! It looks really neat!! Is that by chance your pedal dobro??

Ernie Pollock

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 29 May 2007 9:55 am

b0b didn't bother to mention that you can purchase an extraordinary CD here on the Forum, entitled The Resocasters.

Mike Auldridge and Jimmy Heffernan on resonator guitars, and the late Hal Rugg on the Franklin Pedabro.

You can listen to an entire song on the record label's website by clicking below:

http://tinyurl.com/38wfeq

On the above track, "Rock Bottom," you can hear Hal take the break on the Pedabro about halfway through the song. Jimmy and Mike aren't too shabby on the dobro, either!

My favorite track on the CD is the Hoyt Axton tune, Evangelina. Hal plays an incredible solo on that one. When I'm driving in my car listening to the song, I have to hit the reverse button so I can hear that solo three or four times!

And a couple of small photos of the Pedabro from Paul Jr's website:

http://www.paul-franklin.com/bio.html

A. J. Schobert · Post by **A. J. Schobert** » 29 May 2007 10:34 am

I think that Jack is asking if an accustic guitar has ever been combined with pedal steel, I think a dobro is the closest thing but I have not seen an accustic type.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 29 May 2007 11:21 am

Pedabros, though they have a nice tone - are not especially loud.

One of the reasons that modern resonator guitars have been developed is that traditional Dobro brand Dobros, due to the construction of the "innards" weren't very loud in competing with a banjo in a bluegrass situation.

Dobros intially were developed in the 1920's to be louder than an acoustic flattop guitar, which couldn't compete in volume with for example, horn instruments.

Perhaps a Pedabro type instrument with construction more along the lines of a Scheerhorn reso, with its baffle system for sound projection, would be even louder.

Jacek Jakubek · Post by **Jacek Jakubek** » 29 May 2007 1:37 pm

That dobro/PSG combo looks interesting and I plan on listening to those songs listed to hear more.

Anyone know about a PSG based on a regular acoustic guitar?
And also have it look like a regular PSG, rectangular in shape.

Maybe I will build one someday just to see how it sounds, since it looks like there's not that many acoustic PSGs out there. It's probably because the electric version already sounds so good.

Marlin Smoot · Post by **Marlin Smoot** » 29 May 2007 7:03 pm

I like the sound Ricky Skaggs got when he mixed pedal steel and electric guitar with his bluegrass sound.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 29 May 2007 8:21 pm

Al Sato wrote:A Bobro is a dobro emulator for the steel guitar built into a Boss effect pedal enclosure made by Bobbe Seymour...

http://www.steelguitar.net/audio/bobro.wmv

I thought of building one until I heard the above demonstration of the BoBro. You can do just what you want electronically without building a new instrument.

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 29 May 2007 9:22 pm

You can play that Bobbe Seymour BoBro demo for me until I'm blue in the face - but it still sounds like an electric instrument attempting to simulate a dobro, and barely getting into the ballpark.

I have the utmost respect for Mr. Seymour as a great player and a leader in the steel guitar world, but I'll never own one of those things.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 30 May 2007 2:36 am

Mark, unfortunately what I heard, Bobbe is only using it as an "effect" rather than playing dobro licks and thus does a disservice to the unit.

I have an original model MatchBro and I've fooled a lot of people, including several Bluegrass pickers (one of them worked for Bill Monroe for a year). But, when I use the MatchBro I go for dobro licks and think "dobro". Obviously the MatchBro is not a real "resophonic" but the next best thing, if played correctly.

Jerry Hayes R.I.P. · Post by **Jerry Hayes R.I.P.** » 30 May 2007 5:36 am

I don't remember what his name was/is but the guy who used to be in Keith Whitley's touring band had a double neck instrument which was an E9th neck on the inside and a PedaBro on the outside. It was cool having both things on one instrument. I've never seen another like it. He played it on a segment of "Austin City Limits" which featured Keith. I imagine it was built by Franklin but I'm not sure....JH in Va.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 30 May 2007 6:36 am

If it was a "Ped-A-Bro" then it was built by Franklin. He has (had) a patent on it.

Bo Legg · Post by **Bo Legg** » 30 May 2007 9:30 am

While you were out there on the road did you ever push the end of your pedal steel up against the Motel wall and play? Now there's a great sound and that's about as acoustic as pedal steel gets.

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 30 May 2007 11:32 am

Bill,
I have it very good authority that the pedal dobro on the Bradivarious site is now owned by the Forums own, Howard R!
Maybe he will post some pics for us.
I played it a few months before it changed hands and it sounded sweet!

Dennis Schell · Post by **Dennis Schell** » 30 May 2007 3:05 pm

b0b wrote:
The Pedabro played by Paul Franklin Jr. was featured on Randy Travis' hit "Forever And Ever, Amen". I think that was the first commercial recording of it.

I'll be darned. I was listening to that song on the radio today and never would of guessed it was anthing other than an "ordinary" dobro...

I'll pay closer attention next time! Can you tell if notes are being pedaled?

Dennis

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 30 May 2007 3:35 pm

If you go up to my earlier post, where I provide the link to get you to the sample song from the CD The Resocasters, and you follow the instruction to pay attention in about the middle of the song, you will hear Hal Rugg making obvious use of pedals on the Pedabro.

Damn - now I sound like a middle school teacher!

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Acoustic pedal steel

Acoustic pedal steel

But wouldn't it be fun!!

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