Tom Brumley - one of his finest

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 15 Apr 2012 4:37 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-e9hQPn ... ture=share

This, to me, is the ultimate of pedal steel guitar tone.
Does anyone know for sure what pedal steel he was playing here?

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 15 Apr 2012 5:23 am

killer tone

p.w

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 15 Apr 2012 6:58 am

To my ear it sure sounds like one of Tom's Anapeg guitars. Then again, he got GREAT tone out of anything he played!!!

Greg

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 15 Apr 2012 7:33 am

Thanks Greg, I was hoping you would chime in.
This one is sort of important to me so if anybody knows 100% sure, please let me know.

Yes, I agree with you, Tom had superb tone on everything. Here though, there was a clarity and distinctness I had not heard before.

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 15 Apr 2012 7:59 am

Bent, I think the recording is not that old and it could be possible that it is a Mullen guitar but I dont think so. When Tom had his website up, before he passed there was a video clip of him playing the Anapeg at home. It had the same clarity and sparkle that this song does. Also by the time this was recorded, Tom may have sold the Mullen guitars, so that left the Anapegs and ZB's. I am pretty sure it is not a ZB as Tom was playing the Anapeg guitars almost exclusively then.

Greg

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 15 Apr 2012 10:28 am

Greg, It has got to be the Anapeg then. My ear tells me it isn't a Mullen, so I agree there.
I appreciate you figuring this out for me.
I must repeat: What a tone and clarity!

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 15 Apr 2012 12:06 pm

It doesn't sound like the usual tone that he got out of his Anapeg, it sounds more like a ZB to me

Billy Tonnesen · Post by **Billy Tonnesen** » 15 Apr 2012 3:31 pm

Sounds like there is a significant use of "Reverb" in the Steel playing and other parts of the record.
Reverb was dominent in the earlier years and then, I believe was used in conjunction with Digital Delays which gave a somewhat new sound.

David Zornes · Post by **David Zornes** » 15 Apr 2012 6:23 pm

My goodness I didn't know that Tom Brumley could play that smooth and the TONE!!!

Dave Seddon · Post by **Dave Seddon** » 16 Apr 2012 5:39 am

How right you are Bent, the start of the steel break sounds just like "hand bells" such a pure clean sound. I reckon every steel player on earth would just love to get that tone. Pure heart felt.

Franklin · Post by **Franklin** » 16 Apr 2012 12:03 pm

I believe this was recorded when Tom lived in Nashville and still playing his ZB.

If whoever posted this would tell us the release date we would know for sure.

Paul

B. Greg Jones · Post by **B. Greg Jones** » 16 Apr 2012 1:19 pm

Paul, I just looked at another cut by the same artist and the album is dated 1991. I dont think Tom had the Anapeg guitars by then but he did have a Mullen and of course his ZB's. Guess I was wrong but I have heard him on the Anapeg with the same sparkle. Anyway, you have better ears than I do!!!!!!

Greg

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 16 Apr 2012 4:40 pm

Thanks Paul, thanks Greg.
Somehow I was hoping that the ZB would win out in the end. Although Tom could make any guitar sparkle, I don't believe I have ever heard the Mullen with this kind of tone. So that's why I suggest it's just gotta be the ZB. I have always said that ZB had a tone all its own - like the Emmons PP does.

Larry Miller · Post by **Larry Miller** » 17 Apr 2012 8:34 am

Released in 1991
http://www.amazon.com/Maybe-Moon-Shine- ... 87-8902211

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 22 Apr 2012 4:28 pm

1991 was in his Mullen era. I bought mine in Aug of '91 and Tom was playing his Single eleven. Dixie told me that Del had the patterns made for Tom's guitar and my D-11 was not a big deal.

Carl Kilmer · Post by **Carl Kilmer** » 22 Apr 2012 7:37 pm

I don't really care what kind of steel it was played on.
It sure is beautiful, and I learned to play it in 2 days.

Jean DeVore sang it with me at the Mt. Vernon steel show,
and she sang it beautiful. Everyone including me loved it.
Many thanks for posting it Bent.

Carl "Lucky" Kilmer

Ken Byng · Post by **Ken Byng** » 23 Apr 2012 3:39 am

It does sound very like his 'Anapeg tone' to me. It's funny how Tom's tone changed over the years. If you play the old Buck Owens version, Tom's tone is all highs with no bottom end at all. That's the way that engineers preferred it to get more output from the vinyl. Maybe someone could post a clip on here to compare the two.

His recorded tone over more recent years is very rich and clean. His 'In Time' album that he recorded gives a classic example of this. Wonderful tone throughout. He is one of the smoothest players of all time.

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 23 Apr 2012 4:45 am

(Just narrowing in the release date)

Marsha Thornton" "Right in the Palm of Your Hand" from the MCA LP "Maybe the Moon Will Shine."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsha_Thornton

Dave Harmonson · Post by **Dave Harmonson** » 23 Apr 2012 5:45 am

Here's Tom's 1965 version with Buck.
http://youtu.be/IsqQLmWOQ_0

Mickey Adams · Post by **Mickey Adams** » 23 Apr 2012 1:31 pm

Oh my...Im learning this as soon as I get home!

Peter Freiberger · Post by **Peter Freiberger** » 23 Apr 2012 7:08 pm

Here's another with Tom his very best. I got this from Skip Edwards, a great fan of Tom. Skip was also on this session. Thought I'd share.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYV0SCWiW5s

kevin ryan · Post by **kevin ryan** » 24 Apr 2012 5:28 am

Peter... what a find. so ahead of his time and a real original...soooo nice.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 25 Apr 2012 4:14 am

Peter, that's another fine one. That intro really got me..at the very start it sounds like 2 unison strings with a counterpoint after the unison notes. Beautiful!
Another one for you , Mickey!

Dean Holman · Post by **Dean Holman** » 29 Apr 2012 10:16 pm

I'm positive that Tom didn't have the Anapegs yet. I do know Tom was playing a Mullen at that time but he still had his ZB so it had to be one of the two. Sounds a little more like the ZB to me but it very well could have been the Mullen.

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 30 Apr 2012 10:07 am

sounds like a zb to me.

sounds like tom brumley to me.

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Tom Brumley - one of his finest

Tom Brumley - one of his finest

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