Replies: 3 people have rocked the mic!

Make room for "Howie."

Posted by Paddy @ 01/18/2004 06:39 PM EST

I was first introduced to the Ghost Pedal while in college 1962 by a girlfriend from Springfield, OR whom was given the pedal by Mr. Ramsey, while she was a drummer in high school there. It was my main pedal while playing professionally on the road for four years. While passing thru Springfield about 1967, I stopped and had a wonderful visit with Mr. Ramsey in his home shop. He had several of his first efforts on the shelf, showing the development of his pedal. As well as I can remember the story, he was on a ship nicknamed The Ghost,(it might have been the Blue Ghost) I'm sorry I don't remember the ship's name. He "played around" in the machine shop designing and building the pedal for a drummer on the ship. I left my original pedal with him for reconditioning, and bought a new one from him to use. He took a pedal apart and showed me how it was put together. He was a gentleman of the old school, the afternoon with him lives in my memory forever, just wish I had made notes at the time. He mailed the reconditioned pedal to me, I think I was in Great Falls, Montana at the time, and it was smoother than the new one I had and remained my no. 1 pedal for ten years. I traded it to a drummer friend who just told me he had given it to his son with a drum set some years ago. Now my friend wants to buy my other ghost, but I won't part with it. I still play professionally, just a couple weekends a month now, in Elks Lodges in Portland, OR. I have a set of Allegra Drums, made in Portland, OR, they are the best sounding drums I have ever had, and I have played them all. My picture was in the Pearl Drum Catalog 1975-1978 as an endorsing artist. I was working 5-6 nights a week in night clubs in Portland at that time, and taught at 4 music stores, had 40-50 students a week. I enjoy your page.
Dick Allen