Emmons Push Pull

Earlier this year, Danny and the Champs were invited to play at the Americana Music awards in Nashville.

After a lot of festivals and touring, this was my furthest trip with them by a long shot, and it required me to put my poor battered old Marlen pedal steel on a plane.

On second thoughts this seemed, a bad idea, the idea of turning up to Nashville to discover that the pedal steel was either smashed or lost seemed too big a risk. The next plan was to beg, borrow or steal a pedal steel in Nashville, and this seemed like the way forward until I thought this was a golden opportunity to buy a pedal steel and bring it back.

A quick look on the Steel Guitar Forum and I found this little beauty for sale by acclaimed pedal steel player and instructor Doug Beaumier. I got in touch with him and he said he was happy to ship to where we were staying in Nashville.  (I have to say Doug was about a helpful as is humanly possible with every aspect of shipping the guitar to packing it, setting it up etc, Thanks Doug!)

It is a 1966 Emmons Push/Pull with a bolt on neck. And it is black!

Tone to the bone, no more excuses, now I just need to learn to play the damn thing..!

I had one jet lagged afternoon in Nashville to get this guitar set up for our gig at the amazing Third Man Records but it sounded great on the night. A couple of days later, I wrapped it up and safely carried it back to the UK.

If anyone reading is ever going to fly with a pedal steel, can I recommend that they do everything they can to take it into the cabin with them!