Bob, you owe me for the coffee I spit all over the screen....

His head/hands are the main thing, of course...but his unusual tuning and changes make for a lot of the signature sounds/licks. you can sorta duplicate them with other equipment, but they just don't sound right. As Bob Carlucci has noted, some of the pedal lowers make a huge difference in the "flow" of notes.

I use it, and find it far more useful than E9 for what I mess with. It's really sort of a universal tuning on 8 strings - like a C6 with E9-type changes, plus assorted unique changes.

Everything is tuned to B rather than E, but most of his changes the same as the standard E9 changes. His pedals 1 and 2 are exactly the same as our A and B pedals. His pedal 3 ultimately yields the same results as the 2nd string lower. His 4th pedal is the equivalent of the E to Eb knee lever, his 5 is the same as the B to Bb change, etc.

I dare say that if he were to switch over to a 10 or 12 string with a standard E9 or universal tuning, after a period of adjustment, he's probably play exactly the same way he does now.

He sounds great because he has great technique and a fertile musical imagination. He chooses to remain with an older instrument and tuning with which he's comfortable, but it's him, not the guitar he chooses to play.

The tuning is just a tool. It is all in the mind and hands...I know... because I have his tuning and I don't sound like him! Damn!

[This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 25 February 2006 at 05:29 AM.]

I played an E9 a few years ago for a little while and never got anywhere with it, quit, came back with another E9, dumped it and got the 400...tuned it to Sneaky's setup and the light went on instantly. Like Russ says, if more folks tried it, there would be a mess of converts.

Another kind of player are the monsters like Joaquin Murphy and Chalker. When I listen to those guys, it sounds like they see past the changes and tuning and see and hear the notes/chords and scales in their head and can achieve those sounds no matter what the setup is. These guys had a HUGE musical vocabulary(IMHO).

I'm sure there are lot's of players in between the two I've described and some with entirely different approaches.

I love Sneaky and think he is a great musican but I don't put him in the catagory with Chalker or Murphy. He has a good amount of musical knowledge and an extended bag of tricks. I still think some of his sound/vibe comes from his setup-not entirely, though. I guess I agree with Jim Sliff on this one.

DZ

[This message was edited by Dave Zirbel on 25 February 2006 at 01:56 PM.]

I lower that string to A on my A pedal, giving me a power chord a fifth below the E chord. I also drop the 11th string to C# on the E-F rais, giving me a root (and a power chord formation) for the C# chord, and I Also lower the string again on a different knee lever to give me the root for the C# minor chord.

Every once in a while I'll try out somebody elses's guitar, and I always miss the bass notes.

Dave Z, Curly Chalker was a certifiable genius. I seriously doubt we will ever see another player like him.

I've been able to work out a lot of the first tune based on a B9 tuning (haven't tried out a 6 tuning yet, too much of a newbee). I really like the way Pete uses the whole tone lower on the high D#. I have it on a pedal right now because no knees on my 800.

Nice to see this amount of interest in a player that personally motivated me as a youngster (and still does). Others this unique that come to mind are Julain Tharp, Mooney, Pete Drake and Red Rhodes. All players that developed a personal style of playing on their own, while the industry was trying to standarized the pedal steel.

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Dave Wren
'95Carter S12-E9/B6,7X7; Twin Session 500s; Hilton Pedal; Black Box
www.ameechapman.com

Any other option suggestions?