Ed Bierly's 12-string Copedent

Ed Bierly, known as "ebb" on the Steel Guitar Forum, was one of the first contributors to my web site. Below is one of his first email to me, followed by an update he sent me in September of 2004 (9 years later!). Steel guitar continues to evolve.

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From: "E. Bierly" <ebierly@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 31 May 1995
To: quasar@wco.com
Subject: Quasar Steel Guitar

Attached is my copedant. I will be at the Cajun Classic Steel Guitar Jamboree June 23, 24 and 25 at the New Orleans Hilton Hotel. Great cajun players Richard Comeaux, Chris Lougon, Danny Cormier, Jessie Credur, Murnel Babineaux and Junior Martin will be performing as well as Jimmy Day, Hal Rugg, Herb Remington and Johnny Bush. Most of the cajun players play a G tuning and many play PEDALMASTER guitars built by Roy P. Thomas of Maurice, Louisiana. I have been waiting for your Web page. Great job!

Ed Bierly

 1. E-------------------------------------F#-------------------F
 2. C#------------------------------------|-------B----C       |
 3. F#----------------F-------G           |       |    |       |
 4. D----D#------C#---|-------|-----------|-------|----|---E   |
 5. B----|-------|----|-------|-------D---|-------C#   C   |   |
 6. A----|---G#--|----|---B---|---B   |   |       |    |   |   |
 7. F#---|---|---|----F---|---G---G---|---|---G#--|----|---|---E
 8. E----|---|---|----|---|---|---|---|---F#  |   |    |   |   |
 9. D----D#--|---C#   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |    |   |   |
10. C----|---|---|----|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|----B---C#  |
11. A----|---G#--|----|---B   |   |   |   |   |   |    |   |   |
12. F#---|---|---|----|---|---G---|---D===|===|===|====|===|===E
         L   V   R    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8    LN  LF  R
         Left Knee    ___________Pedals____________   Right Knee

Editor's note:

Ed's tuning threw me until I realized that it's based on D instead of E. It has an embedded sixth note (the B on string 5) that makes it a D13th tuning. This shifts the root tone down to string 9 instead of string 8. The standard E9th pedal changes are on pedals 2, 3, and 4, and the levers on the left knee are standard E9th changes as well.

    -b0b-

  

After seeing this page, Ed sent the following additional information:

Mondo! You might want to include the following equipment description. I know I enjoy reading about other's setups.

Steel guitar is a WHITNEY made by Paul Redmond of Black Mountain, NC.

Features:
• Keyless tuning. Changers on both ends of guitar. Lowers on left. Raises on right.
• Pedals V and 2 together raise strings 6 and 11 to A#. LR and LF raise 4 to D#.
• 6 position multi tapped GEORGE L pickup stereo through WEBB and EVANS amps.
• Koa wood body. Maple neck with ebony inlayed fret markers.

Accessories:
• KORG A2 effects unit.
• FRANKLIN stereo volume pedal.

As for personal information: I have been in NYC for 25 years. I graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in 1975. I played steel in a pop/punk band fronted by a woman named Jo Marshall for which Elvis Costello wrote songs. This is well documented in Krita Reece's book titled "Elvis Costello" replete with pictures in front of CBGBs. We toured with The Ramones, Pat Benatar and The Specials in the early 80s where I did my best Sneaky Pete imitation in some unusual venues. We did a no label record and broke up.

I knocked around as a pickup musician at the old Lone Star Cafe where I sat in with various touring acts like Kinky Friedman, Doug Sahm and numerous less well known names. I retired from live playing to work as a programmer in a Insurance co. and now I work for a hedge fund on wall street. I play occasional live gigues with G.E Smith and have just done some tracks for a, as yet unreleased, CD by jazz saxophonist Bob Malloch written and produced by composer Steve Barber. I do mostly demos for song writers these days and also have done some commercial jingles.

Thanks,
Ed

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Here's an update that Ed sent me on Sept 29, 2004:

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My tuning has changed since I have joined the forum.

Below is the current tuning on my anapeg.

Strings are the same as E9 tuned down a whole step.

Additional strings are a 13^th on string 5 and a 3^rd on string 12.

LLNear - root half tone raise

LR - root half tone lower

P2 - 5^th whole tone raise

P3 - 3^rd half tone raise

all standard E9 A,B,D,F.

C is P1,P2 and RL together.

Other familiar pedals

P1 - franklin pedal when used with RRN

LV - X lever

P6 - "hughey change" on the top with 7^th

String	Note	LLN	LLF	LV	LR	P1	P2	P3	P4	P5	P6	P7	RL	RRN	RRF	split	ga.
1	E										F#				F		14P
2	C#		C								D						16P
3	F#							G									12P
4	D	D#			C#								E			D#	15P
5	B		C#							D					C		17P
6	A			G#		G	B									A#	20W
7	F#							G				G#		E		F	24W
8	E								D		F					E	30W
9	D	D#			C#												34W
10	C		B						B				C#			C	36W
11	A			G#			B		G							A#	42W
12	F#							G		D				E			54W

Because of splits I can have the pedals do double duty.

See how I play C6 changes below.

Here’s That Rainy Day

	F m	C 7	Ab 7		D alt9	Db M7	C m7	C m6	Bb m
1
2
3
4				6	10
5			4	6 RRF	10 RRF	11 LLF
6	3	3	4 LV	6	10 P2 LV	11	13	13 LV	13
7	3 P3 RRN	3 P3 RRN		6	10	11	13	13	13 RRN
8
9	3	3 LR	4			11	13 P4	13 P4	13
10
11
12			4 RRN

 

	G m11	C 7	C 7 b9		F M7	C m7			F 7	Bb m
1
2
3
4			5	8
5			5	8	10	13 LLF	13	13
6	3	3				13	13	13 LV	15 P1	15
7	3 P3	3 P3	5 P7	8 P7	10	13	13	13	15	15
8	3	3	5 P6	8 P6					15	15
9	3	3 LR			10	13	13	13
10					10 P4				15	15
11					10 P4				15	15
12

 

							Ab M7	Db M7
1
2
3
4
5							13	6
6	15 P2 LV	15 P2 LV	15 P2 LV	15 P2 LV
7	15 P3	15	15 P3 RRN	15 RRN		13	13	6
8					13	13 P6
9	15	15	15	15
10					13	13
11					13	13	13 P4	6 P4
12

 

	G m7 b5
1
2
3
4	8	8	8	8
5							10
6	8 P2	8 P2 LV	8	8 LV
7	8 P3 RRN	8 P3 RRN	8 P3 RRN	8 P3 RRN		10	10	10 P3
8					10	10 P6		10
9
10					10	10		10
11					10	10	10 P4	10
12

 

Copyright ©1995-2004 by Ed Bierly, HTML by Bobby Lee