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Topic: 8 string Melbert steel & a thanks |
Don Reynolds
From:
California, USA
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Posted 2 Jan 2019 11:17 am |
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Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself + show off my steel. I'm really glad this forum exists...several months ago I was but a simple flatpicker and recording engineer looking to get into lapsteel playing because I love the sacred steel and country sounds so much. I stumbled on an ad here for Melbert steels which I found more compelling than the cheapo stuff from big companies or the decrepit antique steels I saw in local shops. I can't recommend his work highly enough for anyone who's on the fence. Besides building beautiful sounding and looking *custom* instruments at a major bargain, Mr. Allen is genuinely nice man to work with. So thank you to this forum and its admins for its existence!
I have her tuned E7, from low to high: E G# B D E G# B E. I chose this because dom7 chords are my favorite chords to build on, so I can easily hit a b7 if I want...while still having two Emaj triads to get a familiar steel sound. I keep the B & E strings on the top so I can benefit from flatpicking patterns for single note stuff. I am really enjoying learning this instrument and now have even more respect for those who do it well.
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David Knutson
From:
Cowichan Valley, Canada
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Posted 2 Jan 2019 4:48 pm
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Don, welcome to the forum, and to the never ending steel guitar journey. Nice looking Melbert - I bet it sounds great through that Twin Rev.
Lots of good old country in an E7 tuning, and if you drop your G#s to Gs, you have a G6 tuning which is great for Western Swing and more jazzy stuff. Also more minor chord/scale potential. Have fun.
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David K |
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Michael Lester
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 2 Jan 2019 5:03 pm Bob Allen
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I've said this before about Bob and his steels:
Old world craftsman and service the way it should be.
Michael Lester |
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Don Reynolds
From:
California, USA
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Posted 5 Jan 2019 5:29 pm
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| David Knutson wrote: |
Don, welcome to the forum, and to the never ending steel guitar journey. Nice looking Melbert - I bet it sounds great through that Twin Rev.
Lots of good old country in an E7 tuning, and if you drop your G#s to Gs, you have a G6 tuning which is great for Western Swing and more jazzy stuff. Also more minor chord/scale potential. Have fun. |
Thank you David! Any songs you recommend learning in E7? As for the sound, I get nothing but compliments when I take it out to jam sessions. The George L's SS-10 is great. That's a interesting idea re: the tuning, I'll try that out
One question that I have for the group here is: how hard are you pressing down with your left hand? I get better tone by pressing down harder on the bar and the dragging fingers but then I find that my vibrato is choked off. I'm trying to keep the left hand as loose and light as I can but it's hard to fight the urge to tense up.
My main focus now is to work slowly to get my intonation and vibrato working consistently. I'll be searching around here and elsewhere for guidance on proper technique...watching videos of AJ Ghent and Robert Randolph while trying to ape those licks in super slow mo has been helpful so far. |
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