Phil's guitar's were set up as follows: Each string had a pedal. Strings 1-E, 2-B, 3-G, 4-D, 5-A were each raised a whole tone. String 6-E was lowered two and a half tones, (from E to B.) Pedal one was for the small E and so on. He ran the pedals with his left foot and the volume pedal with his right.

(I re-scanned the image that was here. It's down the page.)

I played the guitar in the picture above at Phil's Sound Factory office in Nashville in '82. This one is a Peavey T-60, but the first one I saw that had pedals was either a Music Man or a G&L. He played it when the Nashville Superpickers were on Austin City Limits, (below).

Sadly Phil passed away on November 4, 1990. He was 53 years old.

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My best,
Ernie

www.buddyemmons.com

[This message was edited by Ernie Renn on 24 September 2003 at 09:00 AM.]

It was a Fender swivel top volume pedal. Phil had it wired so he could go between the straight guitar sound and the Korg Guitar Synth by swiveling to top of the pedal.

The pedals were done with cables, similar to brakes on a bicycle. I don't recall how they were connected to the strings.

For a time there was talk of Peavey producing a Phil Baugh signature model pedal guitar. At the time the Sound Factory was doing two TV shows, "That Nashville Music" and WTBS's "Nashville Alive!" with host Ralph Emery, (I believe the show eventually turned into "Nashville Now" on the Nashville Network.) Both shows were cancelled and interest in making the guitar without the national weekly promotion faded.

I'll see if I can find a couple more pictures...

The Echoplex stuff and pedal bends he and Buddy tossed back and forth made some of the most entertaining music I've ever heard.

I'm 53 this year, myself. And I miss Uncle Phil. Incicentally, I've exchanged EMails with his daughter Tiffany who lives in Texas.

It was a Bigsby pedal. I looked and found a couple more pictures, including one where I could see the name on the pedal. All I really remembered was the swivel.

One a little closer:

The "Pak-a-couch":

Coincidentally, my cousin bought this seat from Phil. I wonder whatever happened to it... (I found out where it ended up: The Sumner County dump, just outside of Nashville. My cousin said he kept it as long as his second wife would let him. But it was getting pretty rickety by the time he got rid of it.)

Larry, could you please send my e-mail address to Tiffany. Thanks! BTW: I heard your tune just yesterday. Another coincidence? Hmmm... (Ironically, I've called him Uncle Phil since 82.)

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My best,
Ernie

www.buddyemmons.com

[This message was edited by Ernie Renn on 24 September 2003 at 09:27 PM.]

"Uncle Phil" is a really cool tune! Are you playing guitar and steel? (I do that, too...)

You should hear from 'Cousin Tiff' soon. I just got a response from her. She's a sweetie.

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

I almost bought a 14 string lightweight Proto-type Msa that Bud and Chuck Wright built when I was there.

Carl-It had a vertical knee lever that pushed straight up, with a long piece with holes in it, so you could get just the exact adjustment .

I think it was called "El Camino" model...al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

A dear friend recently sent me a copy of a song Phil and I recorded called "Rapid Ragg" which I had forgotten about. It was by far the fastest thing I have ever played on record. He was incredibly quick.

MSA built the very first pedal guitar which was called the "pedalpitch". If memory serves correct there was a patent issued to Sonny Bennett (who is still the head designer for MSA) and Phil Baugh, both for application and the pulling system.

Jason;
The first was Country Guitar and the second was California Guitar in '69.

(I'd like to find a copy of California Guitar to put with my copy of Country Guitar. I wonder if it was surf music? )

country guitar, longhorn w02, circa 1964 and also reissued in the 1980s, i think by "club of spade". about half of the songs are vocals by vern stovall.

california guitar, happy tiger/era 801. this contains pop instrumentals such as girl watcher, little green apples, hey jude, and harper valley pta. i think this is all instrumental.

country guitar II, toro 502. this is from the 70s and has vern stovall on a few vocals. tunes include night life, country guitar number two (a remake of the original on the longhorn album), malaguena, flint hill special, panhandle boss, and spanish fandango. great cover shot of phil with what looks like a gibson les paul, an MSA tailpiece, an MSA pedal unit, and a peavey amp.

he also did 6 or 8 singles, some of which are not any of these lps.

he was originally from around yuba city, california. vance terry grew up in the same immediate area and they did cross paths in the 1950s.

vern stovall is still at least semi-active in texas. i got an email from a niece or grandaughter (??) within the last year saying that vern was still picking at casual gatherings.

[This message was edited by Mitch Drumm on 26 September 2003 at 11:48 AM.]

I don't recall the name of the song but I can never forget Phil's singing on a guitar sampler number he did. The lyrics went:

Play me something sweet
Like you've never heard
Play me a chorus
Like Jerry Byrd

And then he did just that !!