Phil Baugh's Guitar

Zach Keele · Post by **Zach Keele** » 14 Dec 2008 8:41 pm

This has probably been asked before, but I have a friend who is a guitarist, and he was wondering who wound up with Phil's guitar after he passed, and who had it now.

All my friend talks about when I see him is how all the great pickers are gone. Phil and Jerry Reed were his favorite and I told him I would see if any of you guys had any info.

I think I'll go pick 'the claw' while I wait on a reply.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 14 Dec 2008 8:58 pm

do you mean phil baugh?

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 14 Dec 2008 9:01 pm

Which guitar. I have seen pics of Baugh playing several different models.

Zach Keele · Post by **Zach Keele** » 14 Dec 2008 10:40 pm

Yeah. I corrected it. I've just heard him say his name. Didn't know how he spelled it.

The Peavey T-60 with the pedal set up that he played most of the time is the one he was wondering about.

Alan Harrison · Post by **Alan Harrison** » 15 Dec 2008 5:32 am

I was fortunite to get see Phil Baugh at one of the Monday night mini concerts that Jeff Newman had when Jeffran College was just off Old Hickory Blvd in Nashville, probably between 1979 and 1983. He demonstrated his guitar with pedals and answered a lot of questions we all had about the guitar.

Unless my memory has completely left, I believe Phil had a son who was also a fine six string player and I would imagine he ended up with Phil's instruments. JMHO. alan

John DeBoalt · Post by **John DeBoalt** » 15 Dec 2008 6:30 am

Wow OK All this time I thought Phil Baugh was a 6 string player. I remember a record that was out a number of years ago where he (Phil) did imitations of various famous 6 string players. Then at the end he did himself. Was this one man who played steel, and 6 string, or were there two, father,and son. The curious wish info from the more knowing. John

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 15 Dec 2008 8:03 am

John DeBoalt wrote:Wow OK All this time I thought Phil Baugh was a 6 string player.

John, Phil was a 6-string player. He had a couple of straight guitars that had 6 pedals on a floor pedal board. The pedals were hooked to these modified straight guitars via a series of flexible cables. He could play a lot of stuff on those guitars that sounded more like a pedal steel. And, of course, he could also play with the best of the straight guitar players without using those pedals.

Yes, he did a couple of novelty records where he immitated both different players, and different instruments (steel, banjo, bass, sax, ect.), as well.

Phenomenal player.

John DeBoalt · Post by **John DeBoalt** » 15 Dec 2008 8:29 am

Thanks Donny John

Shorty Rogers · Post by **Shorty Rogers** » 15 Dec 2008 9:26 am

I met Phil's son while playing in Sweet Home, OR about ten years ago. He sat in on guitar for a set or so. He told me then he had one of the Pedal-pitch assemblies and no, he did not want to sell it. Not sure if he is still in Sweet Home.

Joe Casey · Post by **Joe Casey** » 15 Dec 2008 9:42 am

I believe someone told me a while back that it was Paul Franklin Sr. who built the set up for Phil.

Shorty Rogers · Post by **Shorty Rogers** » 15 Dec 2008 10:25 am

I always thought it was called an "MSA" Pedal-pitch.

Zach Keele · Post by **Zach Keele** » 15 Dec 2008 1:28 pm

So 10 years ago his son had at least one of them. I'll tell my friend. I've never heard that Mr. Franklin built it before. I thought some company out west invented that system for telecasters, and Phil had it put on a T-60 because Peavey was sponsoring him.

John Floyd · Post by **John Floyd** » 15 Dec 2008 1:32 pm

Then Paul Franklin modified some peavey T-60's for him. Somebody in Texas has one of the T-60's. I just exchanged some Email With him a few months back, but can't remember the name, He is a Forum Member, maybe he will answer up.

Just Found The Name
Darvin Willhoite Do a Search on his name and you will see a few pics when you find the topic.

Brint Hannay · Post by **Brint Hannay** » 15 Dec 2008 1:33 pm

It's my understanding Shorty is correct--the device was made by MSA and called "Pedal Pitch".

EDIT: John got in while I was typing. I hadn't heard of the Franklin connection.

Reece Anderson · Post by **Reece Anderson** » 15 Dec 2008 1:56 pm

The "pedal Pitch" was designed by Sonny Bennett and built by MSA. Sonny is still the head engineer for MSA to this day.

Zach Keele · Post by **Zach Keele** » 15 Dec 2008 2:20 pm

Reece, Do you know if anyone makes them anymore?

Roy Glaze · Post by **Roy Glaze** » 15 Dec 2008 7:04 pm

Here are some pictures of Phil's guitar that I found on the net.
Roy

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 15 Dec 2008 7:16 pm

I'm sure that years ago I saw a photo of Phil playing a Gibson L5S (solidbody guitar with L5-like inlays, binding, etc.) with the Pedal Pitch device...?

Reece Anderson · Post by **Reece Anderson** » 15 Dec 2008 7:20 pm

Zach......as far as we at MSA know, no one has ever built anything like it.

Reece Anderson · Post by **Reece Anderson** » 15 Dec 2008 7:24 pm

Jim.....IF memory serves correct, you're right, we did also build units for Phil on a Gibson and a Fender Jazz master, I have always felt Sonny's design was 25 years ahead of it's time.

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 15 Dec 2008 7:36 pm

Thanks Reece.

I'm going to just make an uneducated guess, that an almost certain market exists today for this device, many guitarists would throw away their palm-pedals, hipshots etc. for this device, some would beg for it, anyone can see that it would be much superior in performance, but it is not in production today nor has it ever been mainly because it could not be built in a cost-effective way, it would be more expensive than most guitarists would consider paying and therefore not considered to have a worthwhile market?

Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 15 Dec 2008 7:43 pm

Phil Baugh playing his MSA Pedal Pitch-equipped Peavey guitar:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6J0mgX4 ... re=related

And these with Buddy Emmons:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0nvvZxbKt ... re=related

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=m7e0Txtbq ... re=related

Mike Cass · Post by **Mike Cass** » 16 Dec 2008 5:15 am

The first time I met Phil in '73 he was using the MSA Pedal-Pitch, a smallish looking unit if I remember correctly.
The pedal device in the first picture up above looks like the changer system that Mr. Franklin built for Phil(dont know when), which is what he was using when I worked for him at The Sound Factory. The second pics and on(with smaller pedals) may be the MSA unit.
The last time I saw Phil's guitar David Smith was leaving the funeral home with it to give to Phil's son. That was a sad day....

Dave Grothusen · Post by **Dave Grothusen** » 16 Dec 2008 5:29 am

I had the opportunity to ask Phil one time, why he did not just learn to play a steel. He said because he already knew how to play 6 string and wanted the pedal steel sound.

Zach Keele · Post by **Zach Keele** » 16 Dec 2008 7:04 am

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'll send my friend a link to this forum. He used to go down to the Jeff Newman graduations and listen to him all the time. He'll appreciate the info.

Also, Thanks to Reece. I agree that there probably is a market for it too, but I'll bet the price would be up there with a decent steel.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Phil Baugh's Guitar

Phil Baugh's Guitar

Phil Baugh

The First Version Was MSA