Just got this 1964 Fender 400 off Reverb, with a view to playing some retro (late 50's early 60's Ralph Mooney / Jimmy Day style) pedal steel guitar on it.
These are not especially sort after by modern pedal steelers as they are only 8 string, have no knee levers, only a single raise / lower on each strings, and the cable mechanism is slacker than rods.
However a ton of great players used these old old 8 string Fenders (often the double neck 1000 model) including Ralph Mooney, Alvino Ray, Tom Brumley, Al Perkins and Sneaky Pete Kleinow at some times in there careers.
I've got it set up for E13th, with 4 of the 5 Ralph Mooney changes + a couple of other changes that allow me to swap between E13th and B6th.
On my double 8 string I use E13th and A6th, so this should allow me to play what I'm already doing, but with some retro pedal steel sounds.
Also I find the string spacing really comfortable, unlike many PSGs where is much closer together to accomodate the extra strings.
The most pressing issues seems to be what footwear is best for playing it!
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