Bobby Garrett's E9th setup ?

Ernie Pollock · From: Mt Savage, Md USA

Has anyone here on the forum ever tried Bobby Garretts New E9th approach that he gets a full A6th tuning & the full B6th tuning? He said in an old article Issue 24 from 1995 that he can play Rose City Chimes all on the E9th tuning that he uses??
I have an extra S-10 MSA & am thinking of putting this tuning on it & giving it a shot. I am very familiar with E9th/B6 but this is different. From the top down F#, G#, E, B, G#, F#, E, B, G#, E. Check it out if you have this issue.

Ernie Pollock
301-264-4172
PS: not on the internet, using a friends computer. but I will check for replys from time to time. Rolling Eyes

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

I like the range for a ten Stringer....would like to see the rest of the copedent... there would need to be something pretty exciting in it to sacrifice the D sharp on s2....shame 11 is not an even number. .. so I think 12 is still the best answer. I use the low E quite a bit on my Uni.

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

Eleven would be nice, just lacks the symmetry that players have become used to.
When consulting with Larry Bell about what I need (whether six, eight or ten strings), he said he'd hate to give up the high D#.
He convinced me. If this is E9, it seems the high string should be the ninth.
Possibly a moot point, and makes me remember an old Bill Hankey post in which he said he could see a future with many tunings, different from E9.

The one I'm working is E9/AM7, requiring an extended bass.
What would really be fun is to see other unusual ideas here.
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Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

An 11string guitar could be nice. But, I would go for 12 first. An 11 string E9 would only give me an extra string under the low B. So,I might as well just go for 12 and have both G# and low E.

Charlie... You've listened to a few recordings I have posted in the last few days. I use that D# string a lot. And, I mean a lot. There is no way I would give up that string. None of the 10 strings I have will ever leave my guitar. But that doesn't mean others can't change. I'd like to see your copedent when you get done. Looking at other's tunings 'excites' me.

But, on my C6, I would definitely like 12 strings.
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chas smith · From: Encino, CA, USA

To the best of my knowledge, Bobby Garrett's Emmons D-11 cut-tail. Somewhere I've seen a pic of him playing it, but it's not in my collection.

chas smith · From: Encino, CA, USA

Mothra again, Bobby Garrett's Sho-Bud from 1964

Charlie McDonald · From: out of the blue

They used to call me Mothra, Chas (it's really chasmoth like my email), but that is the real Mothra there. Bea-u-tiful.
A pedal-pusher's dream.

Richard, it's a work in progress. Here's what it looks like at the moment because I'm a couple of rods short of a copedent. Laughing

I've just abandoned my half-Franklin on P1 in order to get a G natural split with P2 and have temporarily retired the notion
of a half-stop to F# on LKR. I'm doing this because I'm starting over, learning to play the melody. It's not your Red River Valley,
it's a complex bossa nova in Bm I wrote 20 years ago, requiring RKL in the manner that b0b hipped me to along with my A#.

When I'm done with that, I'll get back to figuring out what grand(iose) design I had 7 years ago and wondering why
my ex- is getting in touch after a year's absence. Neutral

I'm fond of saying I miss my MSA more than I miss my MRS, half-jokingly.
The bottom half is heretical but experimental requiring no rodding, which is not as easy as my old MSA
because it's newer and the parts aren't worn and lacking round cross-shafts, but life has its trade-offs.
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons

Bob Tuttle · From: Republic, MO 65738

I copied this from that article years ago. Seems like I read that this was his last copedent, and he thought he had found his ultimate E9th setup.

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

That p1 is a very unique idea. C#9 chord
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Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

On an E tuning it's a boo-wah.
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Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

Bobby Garrett if you ever caught him in a club setting had a ton of riffs. Rhythm vamps, finger style, unique phrasings and was able to move easily from Ernest Tubb stuff, Hank Thompson signature riffs, big band and jazz. His finger style stuff was much like Emmons and Jim Murphy, close your eyes and you hear something like Merle Travis. His tunings probably had something to do with his unique sound.

Here's a link to an ET song with Buddy Emmons on lead guitar and Bobby on steel. It's an old Charley Walker song that originally had Jimmy Day on it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNN2v8nD6Z4

Here's a live version of Bobby playing RCC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ka8QyyLXpPU

If you can get a copy of Bobby's album Thumbs Up you'll hear a lot of really advanced playing and unique riffs!

Quotes from Neil Flanz:

"Bobby also worked with Ernest Tubb during the years 1959-1960. In 1960 Bobby played steel and Buddy Emmons played lead guitar with E.T. On the album "The Ernest Tubb Record Shop" you can hear them play twin steels on about three songs.Absolutely beautiful!"

"Regarding "Am I that easy to forget" on the "Ernest Tubb Record Shop" album, if you listen really closely you'll realize that it's Bobby playing the E 9th parts and Buddy answering on both the C 6th and E9th. The difference between the lush sound of Bobby's Sho-Bud vs. the kind of thinner sound on Buddy's Fender 1000 is very noticeable when they play individually and as I understand it was a factor in getting Buddy to switch over to a Sho-Bud amongst other things. The four songs that featured twin steel were "Who will buy the wine", "You win again", Why I'm walkin' and "I believe I'm entitled to you". Great playing and you're right about this being a very important album. For steel players I would consider it a collector's item."

Greg Milton · From: Benalla, Australia

Thanks for that post, Greg.

So, Neil Flanz was essentially saying that Buddy was making Sho-Buds but not using them right away?

Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

I believe that Buddy carved Bobby's name on the Sho-Bud you see in the picture above and that your statement is true. If you're not familiar with Neil Flanz, he was another riff master with 100's of riffs that will drive you crazy trying to figure out how he did them. I first heard of him on an album entitled something like Starr Route (sp???) Some guy in Canada traded country music tapes with us and he had a few hundred rare steel tapes, many made right off the amps of performing pro's during shows and practice sessions. Not PC to swap those or post them now I suppose but there's a HUGE torrent of steel music privately circulating that was taped on reel to reel recorders by hobbyists, pry not as formally done like Jan Curtis did with the ET show. I have a tape made during a Ray Price practice that was the impetus for me to learn palm blocking. Hearing how well these pros blocked notes when just toying around convinced me that I had to learn it.

Scott Hay · From: Portland, OR / Yucca Valley, CA USA

Man that is really interesting. Bobby Garret is a big time personal favorite of mine. It makes sense now.... I've tried to learn choice riffs and gotten stumped as to which neck he's on. That low register is sneaky! Was his C tuning as custom as his E9?

Chas, do you own his Bud??? Any record as to what his copedent was on that pedal beast? He's an under appreciated innovator in my opinion. Hank T's Bubbles in my Beer. 'Nuf said.

Greg, agreed. His finger style is so tasty. I guess that's what happens when you sit next to Merle Travis long enough. Osmosis. The Charlie Walker live in Texas is a great example of Bobby rippin up a honky tonk. Joe Goldmark has posted clips from it.

Tom Gorr · From: Three Hills, Alberta

Drool....at the Bud. .. and at the technical prowess in RCC....

chas smith · From: Encino, CA, USA

Scott, as fate would have it, I own the Bud and the Emmons D-11 cut-tail. The Emmons had at least 2 other owners and then I played it out for several years. It has 10-5 and I don't remember what the tuning was when I got it, around 1991.

The Bud was a basket case when I got it and I put some serious time and effort into getting it to where it is now, and it still doesn't have knee levers.

Tony Smart · From: Harlow. Essex. England

In the D.11 pic. there doesn't appear to be any washers between the changer fingers ???

One of my favourite L.P's is Golden Country Hits by Hank Thompson, with Bobby on steel.

Ernie Pollock · From: Mt Savage, Md USA

You guys are just so Kool!! What knowledge, I never
aquired anything but just learned a little E9th/with a slice of B6 in there. I never dreamed anyone would have this much info on Bobby, its great & thanks to all!!

Ernie Winking

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