Sneaky Pete: E9 or C6?

Brooker Buckingham · Post by **Brooker Buckingham** » 18 Jun 2003 2:23 pm

I'm stuck on Gilded Palace of Sin these days, and I'm trying to figure out what Sneaky is doing on Sin City. Is he using C6 or E9? For the most part, did he stick with one neck or the other?
Thanks in advance.

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 18 Jun 2003 2:38 pm

I think it was Bb6th on his old fender in those days.
JE:-)>

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 18 Jun 2003 2:47 pm

I believe the answer is a little of both, but he's a single neck player. I've only seen him play a single neck 8-string Fender with all his effects built into the guitar. That guitar is part of his trademark sound. I believe he tunes the E's to D#, so it's B6/E9 rather than the reverse, on an 8 string guitar.

Here's a picture from his website

Great, innovative player.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 18 June 2003 at 03:53 PM.]

Brooker Buckingham · Post by **Brooker Buckingham** » 18 Jun 2003 4:04 pm

Thanks guys. Bb6th seems to make sense. I was becoming more and more convinced that it couldn't possibly be E9. Great fills in that song.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 18 Jun 2003 5:08 pm

B6, not Bb6 -- Maurice Anderson's tuning. They're not very similar at all, other than the open tuning.

Sneaky Pete's tuning does not have the low range and jazz voicings that Bb6 is known for. It's actually E9 with the Eb lever engaged. You should be able to find most everything on the front neck. I don't recall the exact pedal changes he uses, but there was not much of the sixth tuning jazzy/swingy feel. Sneaky's playing is much more rock and country/rock oriented and his tuning is optimized for that style.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Jeff A. Smith · Post by **Jeff A. Smith** » 18 Jun 2003 6:31 pm

It's actually E9 with the Eb lever engaged.

Larry,I've been thinking lately in terms of the sixstring 6th tuning on E9 with dropped E's, which includes strings 10,8,7,6,5,and 4.

Could you tell me the other two strings that would correspond to the 8-string tuning?

One and three maybe?

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 18 Jun 2003 7:10 pm

Hi, Jeff -- long time no see

I used to have Sneaky's copedent around here somewhere. I studied it when I was designing my universal setup, but can't put my hands on it right now. I BELIEVE his tuning is something like F# D# B G# F# D# B G# (high to low -- first string is the highest -- no high G#) and he uses 10 pedals and no knee levers. It's a very logical 4 string repeating pattern. So that would be like 1, 2/4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, and a low G# like the 10th string of E9/B6U. Or SOMETHING like that.

It's really a cool guitar, painted psychedelic with the built-in Fx.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Jeff A. Smith · Post by **Jeff A. Smith** » 18 Jun 2003 7:14 pm

Thanks Larry. I still check your website once in awhile to see what gigs you have scheduled. I intend to make it up to another one.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 18 Jun 2003 10:12 pm

<pre>Earnest Bovine posted 07-18-98 01:27 AM Pacific (US)
---------------------------------------------------------

When Dan Dugmore got Pete's old MSA this was the setup:

LKL LKR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 RKL RKR
F# G# F
D# C# E D
B A# A# C#
G# A F# A# A#
F# G# F G
D# C# E D
B C#
G#
F# G#
E

On his 8-string, the bottom 2 are missing.
</pre>

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 19 Jun 2003 8:33 am

WHA..? Is that pic of Pete's album cover another one of those reverse negatives or did he really have a left handed Fender 400??

Jeff A. Smith · Post by **Jeff A. Smith** » 19 Jun 2003 1:58 pm

When Dan Dugmore got Pete's old MSA

Does anybody know if either of these guys used the MSA in any significant way?

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 19 Jun 2003 2:23 pm

Pete told me that MSA once gave him a guitar but he couldn't get his sound on it so he got rid of it. Dan may have dabbled with other guitars but he's always played a Sho-Bud since I've been knowing him(mid 70s). -MJ-

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 19 Jun 2003 2:34 pm

I think that picture is from the back of the guitar.

nick allen · Post by **nick allen** » 19 Jun 2003 11:01 pm

Nope... it's a reversed picture

All those controls are across the front (audience side) of the guitar.
Nick

Jim Eaton · Post by **Jim Eaton** » 20 Jun 2003 7:40 am

The guitar that Pete was given by MSA was shipped to "Livley Arts Music" in Northridge being the closest MSA dealer at that time.
I don't remember if the factory got some of the pulls wrong or if Pete had changed his mind, but I spent a few hours tweeking the set-up and the chart posted earlier seems like what it was. I was not at the store when Pete picked up the guitar and never got to meet him.
JE:-)>

Bob Blair · Post by **Bob Blair** » 20 Jun 2003 8:57 am

I read an interview with Dan Dugmore in an issue of SGW,in which Dan recounted the story of going down to the Palamino to pick up his MSA from Sneaky. I think that was Dan's first steel.