Reece Anderson pitching a Pedal/Guitar hybrid circa 1981

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 26 Aug 2022 7:56 pm

Here is something I never knew existed. Reece Anderson pitching a seemingly short lived idea: a Guitar Pedal attachment which looks awkward no matter how you slice it. Interesting to see Reece 20 years before I knew him. Even a tour of the MSA. Must see: https://youtu.be/EbUR6wI5w8s

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 26 Aug 2022 10:00 pm

Tried more than once to buy one of those assemblies. Had an idea…..

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 27 Aug 2022 4:45 am

The first lick on the George jones classic “he stopped loving her today” is Phil Baugh playing a guitar with one of those msa attachments, he was a master of it.

Fred · Post by **Fred** » 27 Aug 2022 4:53 am

I've always wanted to build something like this for a lap steel. It would be most of a pedal steel but the guitar would be where it's most comfortable for me; on my lap.

Sonny Jenkins · Post by **Sonny Jenkins** » 27 Aug 2022 5:26 am

Man I can see this attachment application to lap steel a 1000 times more than to standard 6 string. Are these still available or were they ever actually available?

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 27 Aug 2022 9:45 am

Sonny, I asked if there were some leftover and was told no. Was thinking along the same lines as you.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 27 Aug 2022 7:54 pm

Fred wrote:I've always wanted to build something like this for a lap steel. It would be most of a pedal steel but the guitar would be where it's most comfortable for me; on my lap.

Linkon guitars out of Canada had a lap steel model similar to this. 10 strings

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 27 Aug 2022 8:28 pm

Thanks to Bill’s post:

viewtopic.php?t=176400

Jean-Sebastien Gauthier · Post by **Jean-Sebastien Gauthier** » 28 Aug 2022 1:50 am

Look like a very great travel pedal steel guitar! Expensive for a travel guitar but very cool!

Sebastian Müller · Post by **Sebastian Müller** » 28 Aug 2022 6:11 am

This concept with remote controlled servos instead of cables would be quite a thing in the guitar and lapsteel world.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 28 Aug 2022 10:13 am

The MSA thing was cool. There are several youtube videos of Phil Baugh playing this thing on a couple of guitars, mostly the Peavey T guitar. One on ACL with Buddy, of him doing Shadow of your Smile with his trademark big 6 string lower.

I saw him a few times at the ISGC too.

Unfortunately, he passed away several years ago.

I believe Darvin Wilhoite has or had one of these too. I'm not sure, but I believe someone else took over the MSA design.

Several years ago, we had someone come to our steel club who played the Linkon guitar referred to. It was pretty cool.

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 28 Aug 2022 10:24 am

FYI, in 1981 Phil played st Jeff’s with Buddy and Jeff stated during the introductions that Phil had entered into conversations with Dekley to manf them. The one Phil was using with his Peavey guitar was not as refined as the MSA one in the video. Not sure if Jeff got it wrong but I have the audio.

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 29 Aug 2022 3:29 am

Phil Baugh with BE and THAT guitar... plying the living daylights out'a that pedal system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6J0mgX4bc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znU1TJQ7o_A

... J-D.

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 29 Aug 2022 5:08 am

J D Sauser wrote:Phil Baugh with BE and THAT guitar... plying the living daylights out'a that pedal system.

... J-D.

I called Phil Baugh one day in Nashville to inquire about getting one of those units. He said he was trying to get some made, but he passed away.

I also inquired about the linkon guitar, but at that time it was a bit too expensive for me.

There was another company that made a cable pull add on for tele guitars. Way less complicated and only three floor pedals. Cant Romberg the name.

The MSA unit is the Mac daddy of all of them.

Marty Broussard · Post by **Marty Broussard** » 29 Aug 2022 7:24 am

Bill I agree with you on the MSA unit being the “Max Daddy” of all those units. They were the most refined designs I’d seen. I purchased the bicycle cables, pedals, etc and was going to take a shot at building one but I got pulled in other directions so I placed it all in a dumpster…lol.

Bob Stone · Post by **Bob Stone** » 31 Aug 2022 8:48 am

Marty, please check your email. You and I have some significant connections not only in steel guitar but your family's cattle history.

Best,

Bob

Paul Seager · Post by **Paul Seager** » 1 Sep 2022 12:41 am

Certainly innovative and of its time.

A couple of years back I bought a brand new PSG, the WBS entry model. It cost about $1500 (less than a Duesenberg lap) and it's very good quality, (says a MSA-owning friend of mine). It came with a hard case, it's easy to set up, stays in tune. Now although I've neglected my practice routines lately, would I really want to replace that with external pedals and cables for a normal Lap Steel? Nah! Easier to have a second instrument.

That said, for the adventurous, I was thinking though that some modern multi-effects units have sophisticated pitch shifting algorithms. I know I read some instructions on how one can change chords and I thought "why would I bother" but perhaps with some time investment, one could set up such a device to create pedal steel functionality!

\ paul

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 1 Sep 2022 5:59 am

I fiddled with this type of thing when I first got the idea to build a steel guitar about 2 years ago. I stumbled on pictures of these contraptions and realized it must be possible. I spent a couple months drawing up designs and collecting parts. The mechanics of cables used in this way have the advantage of being able to bend (obviously) and therefore open up possibilities on where to place the pedals or attach them etc. The drawbacks soon became obvious however. How to quickly and easily disconnect them, how to tune the notes ( you can't thread a cable). Basically I decided I wasn't up for all the hurdles and now I am just working on a traditional pull release design using rods. Obviously it can be done, but it isn't for me.. It would be great to look at the mechanics of these things closer to see how it all works. There are some other similar guitars I found too from this era can't remember the names. It seems there might be a reason this thing never took off. You can't deny what Phil Baugh is doing on guitar is phenomenal! I hadn't heard of him before, damn!!

Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 1 Sep 2022 8:47 am

Tim Toberer wrote:You can't deny what Phil Baugh is doing on guitar is phenomenal! I hadn't heard of him before, damn!!

here is phil baugh on the greatest country song ever recorded. he plays the fills on the first verse by himself and then behind the harmonica. on the key change there is some pedal steel, but through the rest of the song you can hear his fills on the cable msa guitar. over the years, he had several guitars with this system....a les paul, peaveys, even a gibson L5S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es1uCh48TNY

Tim Toberer · Post by **Tim Toberer** » 4 Sep 2022 5:14 am

Bill Hatcher wrote:
Tim Toberer wrote:You can't deny what Phil Baugh is doing on guitar is phenomenal! I hadn't heard of him before, damn!!
here is phil baugh on the greatest country song ever recorded. he plays the fills on the first verse by himself and then behind the harmonica. on the key change there is some pedal steel, but through the rest of the song you can hear his fills on the cable msa guitar. over the years, he had several guitars with this system....a les paul, peaveys, even a gibson L5S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es1uCh48TNY

Reminds me of a simpler time (when I was little) Thanks for sharing that. Dig those lamb chops!