Photos for b0b

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 6 Dec 2001 1:44 am

Bobby, back in the 2025 thread I mentioned an instrument I made, the DADO, that spun plates over a dozen EMG pickups with a servo, well:

While we're at it here's one, Adkins, that doesn't spin and has 6 saw blades welded to springs with a dozen pickups:

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 6 Dec 2001 5:24 am

Try gettin' that in the trunk of a '56 Cadilac after a New Years eve job!

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 6 Dec 2001 6:25 am

Is it all-pull or push-pull?

All seriousness aside, how in the world do you play it? What possessed you to make it in the first place?

Gene, might want to leave that one at the house. You think they wonder what a steel guitar is...

------------------
My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Bill Moore (RIP) · Post by **Bill Moore (RIP)** » 6 Dec 2001 7:39 am

Chas, they are beautifully designed and crafted, whatever they are.

Sage · Post by **Sage** » 6 Dec 2001 9:52 am

Chas, please put up photos of BassTweed and Copper Box so folks can see more of your work.
You guys should hear what these SOUND like. They are extremely beautiful and haunting. I got the nikkowolverine album shortly before Sept 11, while in the midst of my divorce. It was the music that I played the most during that time. Now that some time has passed, I STILL like to listen to it. Be aware though- IT IS NOT TOP 40.
Chas' work is so close to the ineffable that it is nearly impossible to talk about.
Whenever one makes an instrument, you hoist a little sail from your deck hoping to catch some spirit wind that blows from the divine. For some a sunfish is enough. Chas makes these clipper ships with a crew of 30, deep water subs with hidden propulsion, and high flying lineless kites with massive wingspans. He makes a h@ll of a pedal steel too- and knows how to play it!
T. Sage Harmos

Peter · Post by **Peter** » 6 Dec 2001 12:00 pm

Where can we hear this amazing instrument?
Is there a site with WAV or MP3 files?
We would love to hear it.
Peter

Bill Crook · Post by **Bill Crook** » 6 Dec 2001 2:06 pm

Am I missin' something here ???
(O.K. I know I'm niave here but,still,???????)

1) These photos dosen't look like any kind of PSG I've ever seen.

2) They look like they might be a safty hazard if them plates and/or square thing start spinning. Boy, that thing could take a hand or finger right off. Looks like there is a motor drivin' belt hook-up at the bottom of the device.

3) I would suspect your average picker would have a heck of a time with this.

4)In fact,I don't think OSHA would allow this thing out to the public.
[This message was edited by Bill Crook on 06 December 2001 at 02:09 PM.]

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 6 Dec 2001 8:43 pm

Chas: Do you ever visit Apex electric on San Fernando road in Sun Valley? I think I have seen some things there that look as exotic.

I can see there is a lot of work in that thing as well as some bucks in anodizing. Are those pic or berg 3 ways?

Does the servo rpm control pitch, and and what drives the servo?

Anyway, love to hear it.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 7 Dec 2001 1:04 am

Thank you. Sage I have a photo of Bass Tweed over in the non pedal section, since it doesn't have pedals. Curiously enough, I have a '56 Cadillac series 62 sedan in my front yard, the neighbors are especially fond of it and the El Camino. The saw blades are unused and not dull, I took out my shins assembling Adkins.
I released a couple CDs, 'Nikko Wolverine' and 'Aluminum Overcast' on Cold Blue Records that use these and my other instruments. http://www.coldbluemusic.com/pages/newreleases.html
Frog Peak also has Nikko. Amazon is supposed to have both in classical, but one day they have them, the next day they don't, then they lose the artwork then then then...

This is NOT traditional music. You probably wouldn't put it on for a romantic dinner unless you were dining with my last ex and you were seated in a shark cage.

All seriousness aside, how in the world do you play it? What possessed you to make it in the first place?

The plates on DADO can spin over the pickups and they Doppler (Leslie) and they make complex sounds so the result is very complex. When they are spinning or stationary I can hit them with various mallets or metal things and I also scrape them with glass. The obligatory saw blade in the middle doesn't sound very good, it's there for the 'My instrument eats your instrument' battlebot effect.

The idea behind Adkins was to hit a blade on top and have the sound travel through the springs and out the other blades and just fade up those pickups. It didn't work as good as I had planned. It does, however, make big metallic sounds when it's struck or scraped.

Safety hazard, yes, this one took a bite out of me and one of the other two that spin, took away a metal rod I was using and gave me a whoopin.

The quick answer to why I made them is I love complex metallic sounds, (the steel guitar makes a metallic sound as does a vibraphone). For my compositions, I was dissatisfied with always using traditional tuning systems and sounds, and since my skills are in metal working, I could do a little showboating. We all want to leave our mark.

Ken, I know Apex and Joe Factor's, now Luky's, very well. Between DADO and Tio, one of the others, I have about $1000 in plating, annodizing, powder coat and black oxide. I made the gear boxes, they have nylon gears in them. I use a Hewlett Packard 40 amp DC power supply to control the servos, which is a bit of overkill, they don't have to spin very fast for the 'effect', and the problem with the servo is the pickups 'hear' the RF that comes from the commutator, which is what we were talking about in the 2025 thread.

Michael Holland · Post by **Michael Holland** » 7 Dec 2001 12:10 pm

This thread sparked my memory of an article I read in Electronic Musician magazine. For more on our brilliant and inspired friend Chas, CLICK HERE.

Jay Fagerlie · Post by **Jay Fagerlie** » 28 Nov 2004 9:31 am

Any sound clips where we can hear this stuff?

Jay

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 28 Nov 2004 10:41 am

You really didn't expect this to stay in the "pedal Steel" section, did you, Chas? I'm moving it to 'Music'.

They are really beautifully crafted "instruments". I'm duly impressed.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 28 Nov 2004 10:56 am

I've been to Chas' house and had him demonstrate some of his creations. They are amazing, as is their creator.

However, he wouldn't get much for them at a pawn shop, lemme tellya.

------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 28 Nov 2004 11:00 am

You really didn't expect this to stay in the "pedal Steel" section, did you, Chas? I'm moving it to 'Music'.

It hung in for three years. I'd call that a successful buck of the system.

Rick Garrett · Post by **Rick Garrett** » 28 Nov 2004 11:07 am

HA!!

Rick

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 28 Nov 2004 1:04 pm

So are you tuning it to Just Intonation?

I hope not.

EJL

James Morehead · Post by **James Morehead** » 28 Nov 2004 1:18 pm

How many power tubes does it require? OR is this the digital model? Will they be marketed through K-Mart? I want to be the first kid on my block to have a dado!

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 28 Nov 2004 7:14 pm

Gentlemen, thank you for the kind words.

Eric, actually all of the cuts in the square plates are the mathematical equivalents of Just intonation. But the reality is they aren't dead on and it's more about concept and intent.

I want to be the first kid on my block to have a dado!

It ate a chunk out of one of my fingers when it was being tested, you may want to settle for a chain saw. The Mantis, not pictured here, stabbed me when it was being tested, it may have been "channeling" the last ex-wife...

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 28 Nov 2004 7:34 pm

Chas, you are one strange dude. We really must do lunch.

Johnny Baldwin · Post by **Johnny Baldwin** » 28 Nov 2004 8:15 pm

Count me in at that lunch. Chas, you are definitely, one interesting individual.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 29 Nov 2004 4:06 am

Chas nice to see you have a brain in your head...
and WAY too much time on your hands!