Uploaded May 2013 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
This is a similar, second take, on the 1927 classic song "Charmaine" (see song #1). Each song is uniquely different to the listener if you enjoy the song. I kept the Peavey Nashville 112 (i.e., one 12 inch amp speaker) close to the JVC video recorder to get a nice rich tone (as much as possible). I'm not using the external mic. I think the built-in mic actually sounds better. Nothing can sound as good as live, but it's not bad for sharing in cyberspace in my humble opinion.
My favorite C6th artist on pedal steel is the late, great, Tommy Roots. In particular I love his song, "Stardust." Tommy Roots has a knee lever that lowers his 4th string a half tone (from A to Ab) and then also raises the 1st string from D to D#. It's a really nice chord change to have. Tommy also has another knee that lowers string 5 from G down to an F. It's a great change to have as well. Other than that Tommy uses a pretty basic set-up. I got his tuning copedent from an old VCR tape that I purchased from a gentleman after Tommy Roots passed away. I really wanted to have that instruction course by Tommy, and I cherish it.
On this Sho-Bud I actually lower my E's on the E9th front neck with my RKL (right knee moving left). That helps reduce the stress on the left knee which works pedals A, B and C. I'm playing through my Peavey Nashville 112 Amplifier, which I really like. It has a great tone for a mid-sized amp. I've never played through the Fender Steel King, but sure would like to try. I'd likely never buy it because it weighs around 55 lbs and is rated for around 200 watts I think. Amps don't sound as good if you only operate them at 10-15% of their rated wattage. So for at home the Nashville 112 is poifect! (perfect... lol)
I'm using a Goodrich volume pedal and a BOSS DD-3 digital delay set for a long delay (DD-3 knobs... 9 o'clock; 9 o'clock; 2 o'clock; 800 ms). These strings are actually overdue for replacement. The guitar's been in the case for a year since I've played it. The C6th strings look in better condition than th E9th, where there's some rust forming at the ends.For old strings they sound mellow and good. I have two sets of new strings from Ernie Ball, I just need to change them. New strings always make everything brighter. Plus it takes a couple days of tuning to wait for the strings to stretch and everything settle into position. For those reasons I don't like to change strings. I change strings about once every year, depedning on how much I play. Sometimes two years, or every few months if I play every day.
The Ernie Ball strings are nickel wound for the C6th, which makes them a bit easier on the hands while sliding, but they aren't quite as bright as the stainless steel. The Ernie Ball E9th strings are stainless steel. I'm not an Ernie Ball fan, but they're the only strings that I could get. My favorite are George L strings, because they don't require as much of a pull to achieve a given tone. I've actually had guitars where no other strings will work except George L's. If you have a situation where your guitar won't tune far enough on the 6th string, use George L strings and your problem will be solved. In other words, non-George L strings require you to move the knee lever farther to achieve the same desired note!!! I like George L strings.
This is a similar, second take, on the 1927 classic song "Charmaine" (see song #1). Each song is uniquely different to the listener if you enjoy the song. I kept the Peavey Nashville 112 (i.e., one 12 inch amp speaker) close to the JVC video recorder to get a nice rich tone (as much as possible). I'm not using the external mic. I think the built-in mic actually sounds better. Nothing can sound as good as live, but it's not bad for sharing in cyberspace in my humble opinion.
My favorite C6th artist on pedal steel is the late, great, Tommy Roots. In particular I love his song, "Stardust." Tommy Roots has a knee lever that lowers his 4th string a half tone (from A to Ab) and then also raises the 1st string from D to D#. It's a really nice chord change to have. Tommy also has another knee that lowers string 5 from G down to an F. It's a great change to have as well. Other than that Tommy uses a pretty basic set-up. I got his tuning copedent from an old VCR tape that I purchased from a gentleman after Tommy Roots passed away. I really wanted to have that instruction course by Tommy, and I cherish it.
On this Sho-Bud I actually lower my E's on the E9th front neck with my RKL (right knee moving left). That helps reduce the stress on the left knee which works pedals A, B and C. I'm playing through my Peavey Nashville 112 Amplifier, which I really like. It has a great tone for a mid-sized amp. I've never played through the Fender Steel King, but sure would like to try. I'd likely never buy it because it weighs around 55 lbs and is rated for around 200 watts I think. Amps don't sound as good if you only operate them at 10-15% of their rated wattage. So for at home the Nashville 112 is poifect! (perfect... lol)
I'm using a Goodrich volume pedal and a BOSS DD-3 digital delay set for a long delay (DD-3 knobs... 9 o'clock; 9 o'clock; 2 o'clock; 800 ms). These strings are actually overdue for replacement. The guitar's been in the case for a year since I've played it. The C6th strings look in better condition than th E9th, where there's some rust forming at the ends.For old strings they sound mellow and good. I have two sets of new strings from Ernie Ball, I just need to change them. New strings always make everything brighter. Plus it takes a couple days of tuning to wait for the strings to stretch and everything settle into position. For those reasons I don't like to change strings. I change strings about once every year, depedning on how much I play. Sometimes two years, or every few months if I play every day.
The Ernie Ball strings are nickel wound for the C6th, which makes them a bit easier on the hands while sliding, but they aren't quite as bright as the stainless steel. The Ernie Ball E9th strings are stainless steel. I'm not an Ernie Ball fan, but they're the only strings that I could get. My favorite are George L strings, because they don't require as much of a pull to achieve a given tone. I've actually had guitars where no other strings will work except George L's. If you have a situation where your guitar won't tune far enough on the 6th string, use George L strings and your problem will be solved. In other words, non-George L strings require you to move the knee lever farther to achieve the same desired note!!! I like George L strings.
