Emmons, Newman, Hughey et al

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 12 Aug 2002 3:23 pm

Why is it that Emmons, Newman, Hughey and most great steel players have a great individual sound regardless of the name of the instrument that they use?

Brian

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 12 Aug 2002 3:26 pm

Once at Jeff Newman's I heard Buddy play a short piece on a Shobud Maverick. He sounded just as good as on his Emmons!

Al Miller · Post by **Al Miller** » 12 Aug 2002 3:26 pm

ITS IN THE HANDS!!

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 12 Aug 2002 3:26 pm

"Talent".

R. L. Jones · Post by **R. L. Jones** » 12 Aug 2002 5:54 pm

Just plain ole Know How , raw talent

R. L.

R. L. Jones · Post by **R. L. Jones** » 12 Aug 2002 5:56 pm

Just plain ole Know How , raw talent

R. L.

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 13 Aug 2002 3:58 am

Since it is mainly talent and "in the hands" can we conclude that whether your instrument is a maverick or a legrande is immaterial?

John Lacey · Post by **John Lacey** » 13 Aug 2002 5:41 am

I don't know about your ears, but I can tell the different guitars that Buddy plays on the Swing Shift CD's. Can't tell you which is which, just that there's a difference. There's also a huge difference in tone with the first one, the P/P.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 13 Aug 2002 5:51 am

I'm with John on this one.
In the fever of the moment, with Buddy playing a Maverick, one is tempted to be amazed at how well he commands the instrument and to minimize the fact that it sounds . . . different. It does to me anyway.

These guys have far more than RAW talent. They have talent that has been amplified by a great musical ear and a LOT of hard work. Nobody plays like Buddy Emmons by practicing casually and letting things just fall into place.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 13 August 2002 at 06:54 AM.]

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 13 Aug 2002 7:07 am

Ain't that for sure...

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My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 13 Aug 2002 3:41 pm

Larry...you pretty much covered it. I didnt play my steel for about two months during the move and i'm still not back up to where I was.

Bob.

Dennis Atkins · Post by **Dennis Atkins** » 13 Aug 2002 7:26 pm

If I may quote an illustrious player, Mr. Joe Wright, he says "It is not the car, but the driver".

Joe said this at the last steel show that I was able to put on in Minnesota, last October, and he proved it by not only playing his Sierra on the show, but that night, went to a club where one of our local players, Curt Olsen, was playing with The Rose Family. Curt plays an Emmons with a D9 tuning, and Joe fell right into the set that he played on without any trouble.

I would agree with the consensus, that it is not only the practice that it takes to master the instrument, but you need some talent to grasp the complexities of the instrument. Dedication, practice, a God-given gift of musical knowledge, and a desire to make it your own. All the great players, whether it be the steel guitar, or some other instrument, all have these qualities.

Dennis

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MSA S-10 Sidekick
Gorilla Amp with Digitech RP100 Processor
pedalman@msn.com
www.geocities.com/mnpedalman/index.html

Red Kilby · Post by **Red Kilby** » 13 Aug 2002 11:20 pm

I agree, "It's the personal touch, that gets the indivdual tone"

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 14 Aug 2002 12:39 pm

Perhaps we pay too much attention, energy and money on the instrument to get that sound instead of cultivating talent and learning to use our hands!
Brian

Jeff Peterson · Post by **Jeff Peterson** » 14 Aug 2002 2:45 pm

Ever drive a Ferrari? Subaru's are more commen, both get you where you want to go. If Mario drove a Volkswagen on a daily basis, there must be some other agenda going on. I say, provide yourself with the best(read priciest-sometimes) possible gear, and you will tell the difference. YOU may not be able to tell the difference when a name plays this or that.....but they can. There are many reasons why some name player plays this or that instrument...the absolute truth is not always readily offered. Use your head, you usually get what you pay for. Again.....ha!....weight is NOT a factor...no matter what you're talking about.
Here's a thought to promote controversy(kinda' from another thread, but I'm leaving town in 20 minutes).....if the band is too loud, you're too old........if the gear is too heavy....stay home, or get your wife to carry it....that's why I got married.

Jim Florence · Post by **Jim Florence** » 15 Aug 2002 10:52 am

Yeah but,how come every time you see these guys, they have a different setup than they had last time? except for Joe and Jeff? Are they like some of us, still looking for something?
Jim[This message was edited by Jim Florence on 15 August 2002 at 11:54 AM.]

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 15 Aug 2002 11:23 am

it's the same thing as all the good singers out there...but you know who it is when you here tanya tucker, vern gosdin, emmylou, george jones, etc. it's the soul!

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 15 Aug 2002 12:48 pm

Yeah, but how come every time you see these guys, they have a different setup than they had last time?

Couldn't it be they have several steels and amps, and just want a little variety?

I say, provide yourself with the best (read priciest-sometimes) possible gear, and you will tell the difference.

Possibly, but there's no guarantee anyone else will notice, except maybe when you're setting up!

most great steel players have a great individual sound regardless of the name of the instrument that they use...

Wow, finally, someone who sees the real picture.

Oh yeah, I see this a lot. A guy goes out and buys a good guitar and amp, but he ain't gettin' "the sound". Then he trades his amp for a rack setup. Then, he adds a few more pedals. Then he buys new pickups and speakers...still no "that sound". So, he buys one of them fancy volume pedals, and some of them special cords, and maybe different strings. Still...it eludes him. Must be the picks! Nope, that didn't do it either. Maybe one of them new bars will do it? Sure, buy 2 or 3 of them too. Still...no "that sound". Hmmmm, maybe it was that old stuff that made them guys sound so good? Sooooo...he trashes it all for an old Emmons p/p and a Twin Reverb!

Boy! This is closer than he's ever been to "that sound"! But it's still not quite there.

Well, the moral of this story is that he's made a lotta changes and expended a lotta time, money, and effort, that's for sure.

Trouble is...

all along...

most

of his problem....

was really between the steel and the seat.

You can't buy "the sound", you have to "make it"!

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 15 August 2002 at 01:50 PM.]

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 16 Aug 2002 1:44 am

Excellent subject which in my view pretty much ends that arguement "If you don't play brand X you won't sound good".

Tone starts upstairs, you know, the cranium, the ability to transfer it to your Instrument is the defining moment. I've always prescribed to the theory that you either hear it or you don't. No middle ground. Sometimes we hear it and don't execute which probably means theres hope.

My Les Paul sounds better than your Telecaster, oh yeh..my L5 sounds better than your Danelectro..oh yeh...My ( insert brand name here ) Pedal Steel sounds better than yours ...

Sometimes we are so busy trying to play a song we forget to play the music . The above mentioned players I think play music first than apply it to whatever the heck song they are playing. When I first started playing many years back a good steel playing friend said to me that Buddy Emmons makes more music with one note than most can make playing the whole guitar. I think he was on to something. Now does this mean you shouldn't play on quality Instruments? Of course not. Quality instruments have their own undeniable tone which in the hands of a capable musician will be brought to the forefront.

I would fully agree, more often than not the main factor is between the seat and the steel !
tp
[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 16 August 2002 at 03:09 AM.]

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 16 Aug 2002 4:11 am

I think any reasonably experienced musician knows that good equipment is essential. It's like Craftsman tools or any good quality tool you see at a job site. It's no different on stage. The stage is a job site too. The best guitar players I know (6 string guys) usually sound pretty much like themselves on almost any guitar they play. It may vary a little here or there but you know it's them when you hear them. Lonnie Mack used to come in and sit in every once in a while with us. I don't know what he plays these days but as soon as he hit the strings you knew it was him. I first remember him playing a Fender Jaguar through a Magnatone amp with a bunch of tremelo in the 60's. This time it was a G&L through a small single 12" speaker amp by Fender. The really good players have that kind of command of their instrument. I don't think anybody including the best of the best quit looking for a better sound or tone.

Joe Miraglia · Post by **Joe Miraglia** » 16 Aug 2002 7:26 am

Donny--You said it all there--right on! One thing is for sure, doesn't matter what brand or equipment I use, I sound bad on any of them!! One thing I have noticed on the Forum posts is that players who tend to repair or sell and promote certain makes of guitars say that the super tone lies in the guitar and the equipment. People who are not affiliated with the guitar industry say that it is the person's talent and dedication--not the equipment--that makes the player super. I say both are important--first talent to learn the instrument and then having the right equipment.But who do you listen to?

Joe

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 16 Aug 2002 8:41 am

I'm not in the same league as "Emmons, Newman, Hughey et al", but I like to play different steel guitars and use different amps. I suspect that some pros feel the same way. It's fun to hear different overtones coming from the same musical parts in your hands. Also, different instruments will inspire you to explore different musical trains of thought.

Judging a tone to be "good" or "bad" sort of misses the point, IMHO. Great music comes from the hands, the mind and the "heart". It sounds great no matter what instrument it is channeled through.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/b0b.gif" width="64" height="64">Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (F Diatonic) Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6)

Matt Steindl · Post by **Matt Steindl** » 16 Aug 2002 9:16 am

Tone is in the fingers! Stevie Ray Vaughn is a prime example. Every blues freak, spends thousands of dollars trying to emulate his rig, and they dont even come close. SRV could play a silvertone guitar through a crate amp and still have THE TONE!

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Mattman in "The Big Sleazy"-:
S-10 Dekley, Suitcase Fender Rhodes, B-bender Les Paul

Brian Henry · Post by **Brian Henry** » 16 Aug 2002 9:59 am

Donnie,

You can't buy "the sound", you have to "make it"!

You said it better than I ever could. Thank you

Brian

You can't buy "the sound", you have to "make it"!

Willis Vanderberg · Post by **Willis Vanderberg** » 17 Aug 2002 8:55 pm

Lots of great comments in this thread.
I have always felt that every guitar has a "Sweet Spot ".Some find it by their ear and some never find it at all.We all have the same "opportunities" as Buddy Or LLoyd or John.The problem is they are disguised as hard work and some never give them a second look.For years I was busy working to raise a family.Practice time was very limited.Now I am retired and my guitar is always ready to go at a moments notice.
I also think guys like Emmons lie awake at night figuring out simple move to blow our minds.Don't ever give up..
Buddy Van
Legrande 111,MCI SD-10, MCI S-10.Fender 1000
Two Nashville 400s,Evans SE-200,LeGrande 600[This message was edited by Willis Vanderberg on 17 August 2002 at 09:56 PM.]