Bobby Lee's Copedents

My Williams 400X is a double 12 with 5 pedals and 5 knee levers. A unique "crossover" mechanism switches all of the pedals and levers from one neck to the other, creating the equivalent of 10 pedals and 10 levers.

The front neck is set up to extended E9th. The back neck is similar to the standard C6th, but it also includes D strings between the C's and E's. The result is a versatile music system that seems to have any chord I can think of, though the grips can be real mind-benders. I find that the pentatonic scales are very intuitive for improvising lead lines in blues and rock.

On the extended E9th:

Right Knee Left includes a compensator that raises the middle F# about 12 cents. I tune the open F# to be in tune with the first pedal C#, and raise it with the compensator to be in tune with the open B in the LKR position.

Many players raise and lower their E strings on the same knee. I did that for many years, but then I discovered that putting them on opposite knees gave me an extra full-step change. In the F lever (C# major) position, you can move smoothly between the 2nd and 3rd degree of the scale by releasing one lever as you engage the other (LKL and RKL on my chart above).

I sometimes use the first pedal with LKL and P2 to get big, strummable power chord. It's a C# major with doubled root and fifth: 1 5 1 1 3 5 5 1 3 5.

Learning the Back Neck

For my gigs with the Country All-Stars, I played an antique Speedy West Custom double ten. This beautiful instrument has a primitive pull-release changer that will not allow a string to be both raised and lowered. I set up the front neck with the essential E9th changes, and I raised the back neck from C6th to D6th because I needed the higher timbre to cut through the big band sound.

The band broke up, and I no longer own this guitar.

Experimental Directions


		LKL	LKR	p1	p2	p3	p4	p5	RKL	RKR
.012	F	+F#
.014	E					-Eb		-Eb
.016	D								-Db
.018	C									+C#
.020p	Bb				+B
.022w	A		-Ab
.024	G
.026	F	+F#
.030	D			+E		+Eb
.036	C									-B
.042	Bb				-A				-Ab
.052	F	-D					-Eb

I've always been interested in diatonic tunings. In 1995 I published an article about adding pedals to Jerry Byrd's C Diatonic tuning. Since writing that article, I've applied the same principles to a tuning that's a fourth higher, my Concert F diatonic tuning. It doesn't sound "Country" at all - I've used it for classical, progressive rock and new age music. I have it set up on a Sierra Olympic S-12. I have another page that shows it as a 10 string tuning, from when I used to have it on the back neck of a different Sierra.

Vintage 8 String C6th

I like tinkering with vintage pedal steels. Here's a C6th copedent that I have on a Rickenbacker 8 string. It contains the standard western swing chord voicings, and it's what I recommend for anyone who is learning to play on an antique pedal steel.

Hawaiian Guitar Roots

I also play a Fender Stringmaster double 8 (no pedals). I change the tuning on the rear neck a bit, but it's usually set up like this:

Front Neck E13

   .013   F#
   .012   G# 
   .015   E  
   .018   C# 
   .020p  B  
   .024w  G# 
   .034   E  
   .036   D

Back Neck A6 or C6

   .015   E     E
   .018   C#    C
   .022p  A     A
   .026w  F#    G
   .034   E     E
   .038   C#    C
   .046   A     A
   .054   F#    G

For blues, rock and recording, I often use a single 8 Sierra Laptop. The Sierra Laptop is the best sounding steel guitar I've ever played. It practically plays itself, it's so smooth! Lately I've been tuning it to an E pentatonic scale:

   .012   G#
   .015   E
   .018   C#
   .020   B
   .024   G#
   .028   F#
   .034   E
   .038   B

Copyright 1997-2007 by Bobby Lee
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