The Steel Guitar Forum

Try supergluing a thumb tack (point up) to the Caps Lock key. This way you will notice when you hit it! LOL

Regardless of what brand of fingerpicks you use, two things are always true. 1. No two finger tips are the same size and shape, even from right hand to left hand. 2. No brand of picks will fit all of a person's finger tips perfectly right out of the box. Any set of picks will probably need to be cus...

My sincerest condolences to you, Jim. I faced the same situation with my Mother at 92 in January. Know exactly how you are feeling.

When I was working, I visited several upholstery and foam cutting shops. They both recommended using at least two grades of foam in a seat. At least one inch of firm foam on the bottom (so you don't bottom out) and at least one inch of softer foam on the top (to keep the seat comfy for long gigs).

Gerald,
I don't think Len Stadler built too many of the West models, but Lenny Stadler (his son) probably had some in the old shop before he passed away. He was selling off stuff from the shop just before he passed. Maybe someone got some then. Sent you a PM.

Glenn

Depends a lot on what material you want for the pickguard. I made one out of solid chrome-plated brass for a Forum member for a old Tutmark instrument, and he was quite pleased. A lot of work to make it, though! If you want one made from plastic, that's a little easier. If you are interested, and wa...

Precision Drum used to offer a folder with little squares of each of their wraps; of course that was before nice color pictures were available on the 'net. That was also before the 'net, too. They may still provide samples if you ask.

What do you think is wrong with the neck? Does it just need to be shimmed? If the neck warped, then Hembry should fix it.

Barbara,

Thanks for the beautiful program. Sent you a PM.

GAU

Whatever dolly you use, Lee, it's gonna' be tricky. A dolly that tall will have a high center of gravity unless the base is really big and heavy. Think your best bet would be to turn the steel upside down on a padded dolly. Move it to where you want it, and turn it upright.

Like Jacob says, the higher the chrome content, the better. If the piece of stainless rod you have still has a nice, shiny finish after some time in storage, it is probably OK to use. If it has turned gray in storage, don't use it. Another way to test is with a small magnet. If the magnet sticks, it...

Generally, the voltages in a solid state amp are low, except for the power supply area. But to be on the safe side, I would only go poking around in an amp with a thin wooden dowel, not a screwdriver. Even if you tap with the butt of the driver, you could still bump something "hot" with th...

Does your tablet have a slot for a memory card? You might be able to get the vids onto a card and play them that way. Unfortunately, you will still need some kind of DVD player to get the vid onto the card. Do you already have the DVDs?

I've got a Sony DVP-FX730 player that works well, and was less than $100 a couple of years ago. What makes it better is a case I got from Case Logic that holds the player, and has adjustable straps to make the case into a shelf to attach the player to almost anything: back of a car seat, music stand...

When trying to bend any kind of tubing, a trick to keep it from collapsing is to fill the tubing with sand before you bend it. Put a plug in one end, fill the tube with sand, and plug the other end before bending. When the bend is done, dump out the sand (obviously).

Mike,
I have some hand-written tabs that Mr. Alkire himself wrote in the 60's. It's easy stuff but not exactly for beginners. Eharp arrangements, but not copyrighted. I'll see if I can get them copied.

Got it now, Adam. Best way to lift a bullet bar is to squeeze it between the thumb and second finger, lifting it off the strings just a fraction of an inch, while you deaden the strings with the 3 and 4 fingers. The bar stays parallel to the strings. Takes a little practice if you are used to liftin...

Adam,
If you have a hard time picking the bullet bar up off the strings, try a smaller diameter bar. A tapered bar might help too!

Thanks for correcting the name, Jim, and to Bill, for setting the record straight. Jim, I stand corrected.

Think that was Al Perkins. There should be several posts on the magnet thing in the archives. Search on "Al Perkins".

Barbara,
Sent Roy an email about a donation. Make sure he opens it and replies. I'll send you a PM too.

Sounds like grounding the bridge to the ground side of the pickup will help a lot. Lining the pickup cavity with metal foil and grounding that will also help.

Had a S-8 Harlin once. Got it cheap and should have kept it. It was in almost perfect shape. The tuner and changer covers were just heat-formed 1/8" acrylic plastic. Pretty easy to make if you have a pattern. Changer screws are standard hardware items. Cable for the pedals is also available.

Ian,
I don't imagine ground stock 6mm x 20mm would be that much more expensive than cold-finished (or cold-rolled, as we say here in the States). You want as smooth a finish as possible where the fingers touch the spacers. (No binding.)

Instead of buffing down the 6mm stock, I would just use slightly thinner spacers. Unless the 6mm bar stock has a ground finish, I would sand it very lightly with 400 grit paper to make sure it is perfectly flat and there are no burrs on it.