The Steel Guitar Forum

My 2-cents: The "new" Gretsch guitars, most or all of which are built in whole or in part in Japan, are really nice guitars. My impression, the few times I have briefly handled new Gretsches from the 1990's, is that they are rather heavy, more so than the old ones.  But that may not be cor...

The sound post between the top and the back of the guitar, near the bridge area, was installed in some Gretsch models some of the time.  I don't know which guitars had it and which did not.  The sound post was one of Chet's contributions. My 1964 Gretsch has the sound post, along with the closed top...

Mike... I don't know the whole Gretsch story, but I have been interested in Gretsch since the early 1960's, and have two different books written in the 1990's about only Gretsch guitars, and a couple of old catalogs.  But I think the serious Baldwin-Gretsch quality problems came toward the last of t...

Many of the features of the Gretsch Chet Atkins Series of Guitars, of which the Country Gentleman was the top model, were based on Chet's ideas.  Other features were added by Gretsch without Chet's approval.  Jimmie Webster of Gretsch came up with the padded back, the muffler contraption, and some o...

PLAIN STEEL STRING DIAMETER VERSUS TENSION: Using information about plain steel strings found on the D'Addario website ( Steel Strings ) the tension per cross sectional area can be calculated. The website data gives string diameters together with tension, for various pitches and for a 25.5 inch scal...

One useful thing to know about Elixir strings:  The plain (non-wound) strings are NOT coated, they are just standard steel strings.  That can be seen on the Elixir website, in their FAQ: Elixir FAQ "What are the ELIXIR Guitar Strings made of?" . So, while the Elixir wound strings will last...

Go to the link below for some info on the light-gauge design of the Del Vecchio.

Del Vecchio versus National & Dobro design differences.

By the way, as far as I know, all Del Vecchios are round neck designs, meant to be fretted, not played with a bar.
 

Check out the "fret" spacing on that thing!

For some more incomplet leads on Joe Maize, try the Social Security Death Index (SSDI). Click here for the SSDI . Search for last name Maize, and get 337 results.  Go to pages 15 & 17 of the results of the search. The SSDI list has: J Maize , 4 people Joe Maize , none Joseph Maize , 5 people.  

"Hello music lovers..."  <font size="-1">as Spike would sometimes say.</font> ---- Carl... Dorothy Shay doesn't sound right, so I'll have to look that up in my copy of that Spike Jones book.  There were several lady singers (most doing "opera") that participated with Sp...

There is some video available of Spike Jones on TV in the 1950's.  Look for "The Spike Jones Story", which was assembled in 1988. Here is one source: Spike Jones Story from Elderly As I recall, there is one clip in that video with Freddy Morgan playing a steel guitar.  It has a sign on it ...

Carl... I'm still too new to this steel guitar stuff to be an expert on this particular subject, but it seems to me that leverage from the legs of your stand that you are designing could undo your gains at keeping the Rick from flexing.  Legs on a non-level floor, leaning on the stand, bumping a leg...

Were you playing a Spider Bridge "Dobro" and competing with a Biscuit Bridge "Dobro"? Biscuit Bridge cones are usually louder, but much less balanced in tone. Here are excerpts from a message I posted in February 1999: <font size="-1">The spider bridge style has an alum...

Here are two Stringmaster schematics. Early Fender Stringmaster Schematic . Later Fender Stringmaster With Blend Control(s) Schematic . Note: I'm conviced that the 0.05 microfarad capacitor of the tone control is not shown with the right hookup.  I think the right end of that capacitor should connec...

To answer the "Billy Robinson tapes" question, go to an older forum thread of January 5 through 7, 2000. Here is a link to it. Forum thread with Billy Robinson info. Billy Robinson is the master of string pulls on a lap steel. <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This me...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>(December 19, 1999)  ... I can supply you with any kind of part you need to build a Steel.  The question one must decide is how much mechanical capabilities they have and the tools to do the job. ...

Antique Electronic Supply
6221 S. Maple Avenue
Tempe, AZ 85283

Phone 480-820-5411
Fax 800-706-6789 (U.S. and Canada) or Fax 480-820-4643

http://www.tubesandmore.com/

This tuning might work: It's an E13 tuning spanning two octaves. It has the power-chord interval of a fifth in the bass. <font size="1">POWER BASS: Two notes simultaneously with an interval of a fifth between them generates an additional note one octave lower. Example. Note 1 - a Low E, an...

Billy Robinson has two cassette tape albums available. One is called " Lap Steel Guitar Instrumentals ". The other is called " Lap Steel Guitar Instrumentals #2 " On #1 , there is a picture of a 9 string lap steel that appears to be custom made. It is "guitar" shaped, a...

I don't recall the details of the picture of the Sierra lap-steel in a stand, but: The König & Meyer guitar stands I have do not have a neck cradle. The support a vertical (6-string fretted) guitar from the bottom, and by a large lean-against rubber pad that touches the back (not the neck) of th...

Back to one of Dave's questions at the top of this thread: "Did any of you ever hear him ( Joe Maize ) LIVE in his heyday?" Here is something to jog your memories, quoted from the liner notes of the "Presenting Joe Maize And His Cordsmen" Decca album: " The unique quartet, b...

Yep. "Mambo No. 5", composed by Perez Prado.

With "vocal"!


<p ALIGN=CENTER><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b">[This message was edited by Richard Vogh on 12-22-99]</FONT></P>

Dave... I don't have any new info. Did the sand sculpture Joe Maize that somebody mentioned last time around lead to anything? A web search leads to this: Joe Maize sand sculpture. I did buy a copy of the 12-inch LP "Presenting Joe Maize And His Cordsmen" from some used record dealer. I ma...

Richard Mermer in Florida makes a Weissenborn-style guitar using koa wood.

Mermer Guitars

Mermer's "Maalaea Special" Weiessenborn-style guitar