The Steel Guitar Forum

G’day Phill, It is difficult to advise because there isn’t a trail of previous sales to go by. I don’t know what the SGF policy on valuations is, if indeed there is one. You could ask for expressions of interest or personal message David Matzenik, he has/had been custodian of one for many years and ...

Thanks for the photos John. Your guitar looks to be in very good cosmetic condition. Your head decal is complete, mine is perhaps 50% intact. Your number 91 is engraved wheras David Matzenik’s is stamped. That suggests a serial number rather than a year which David’s 47 could have suggested. If ...

Many thanks Ron & Jim. Erv Niehaus was able to tell me Ph stands for Palm Harmonics & the curved lines represent 1/8th notes. The capital H, circled in blue above is explained as Harmonic, printed on Chimes Waltz, Chart (710). https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix2020-03/19426_5061D503D9F9...

What I am rather hoping for is a lesson, leaflet, or booklet explaining how Oahu indicated slides, hammer ons, pull offs, slants etc. The Kilo Hana chart is pretty bare in that respect, but the If You Were Only Mine chart is full of mystery to me, given that I have only the Hal Leonard Lap Steel Gui...

G’day Ron, I took a chart to my local music shop & my Guyatone HG 76A. The guy started to play the cord part of the duet & came up with, Low to High, EAEAC#E. I subsequently found other posts here and George Rout’s posts were particularly helpful. George described 2 A Major tunings used ...

Against gentle advice not to, I bought 50 Oahu Orchestration tablature, Hawaiian Guitar, sheet music charts. Apart from the sublime music, they are things of beauty & contain wonderful advertisements & cultural notes from the 1930s-40s. None of them show a guitar tuning; the structure is 6 l...

Kindly advise shipping to Australia or to San Antonio Texas.

Thanks again David, I’ll follow your instructions when I get it cleaned up further, repair the bridge cover & secure it. I checked Ancestry & found several references to David John Ferrier in electoral rolls. I’ll keep at that as well. By joining the FB group Vintage Guitars Australia I ...

Many thanks David. I’ll let you know how I go. It is owned by a brother-in-law’s partner so I don’t want to cheat her, nor do I want to pay too much. I sent you 2 PMs on 20 & 21 March, but can’t tell whether they went as my Delivered folder is empty. By joining the FB group Vintage Guita...

I hope Australian members might be able to give me an idea of the value of a Sutton Centurion Lap Steel Guitar which I am thinking of buying. It has been suggested to me that it might be a copy of, but not as good as, an Epiphone Electar Zephyr. The one I am interested in is in excellent condition i...

Sorry about the duplication. I hit submit, nearly 20 mins later submit was still there, so I hit it again.
Admin, please delete one or if I can, please let me know how.

I got a little excited when I searched the forum for the Sutton Centurion, now I realise this is a very old post. It also appears any photos have now gone. I have the opportunity to buy this guitar, but so far have not found out anything about it, or any idea of value. Any assistance greatly appreci...

I got a little excited when I searched the forum for the Sutton Centurion, now I realise this is a very old post. It also appears any photos have now gone. I have the opportunity to buy this guitar, but so far have not found out anything about it, or any idea of value. Any assistance greatly appreci...

Hi David, Do you know what the basic tuning of this guitar should be? Or options if there are any. Do you know the suitable string gauges? I propose to use the thin Super Glue to stabilise the cracks & then fibreglass the bridge cover. I like your suggestion about securing the cover in place. Wh...

You can see the reference to photo etching just above the expiry stamp on the registration form, revealing another aspect of the manufacturing process.

G’day David, Thanks for your comprehensive reply. What you say about the nut, scale length and fret markers is now clear to me, comparing my SM8 to any other guitar. I am away from home babysitting my granddaughter on an overnighter & then away for the weekend. I’ll check for the number when...

I have received the following photo from the State Library of Victoria showing the application for and granting of Registered Design 23983. David was right in that the design registration was for the fretboard only. I was rather hoping that it was for the whole guitar, in particular the tuning adjus...

G’day David, Thanks for your comprehensive reply. What you say about the nut, scale length and fret markers is now clear to me, comparing my SM8 to any other guitar. I am away from home babysitting my granddaughter on an overnighter & then away for the weekend. I’ll check for the number when...

My String Master decal has seen better days, it is cracked with broken edges lifted slightly.
Any suggestions for preserving what is left?

Nut cover missing from my guitar.

Hairline cracks in Bakelite bridge cover.

Looks like my previous problem might have been network related.

I thought I uploaded a full view and now the Upload picture button is partially greyed out & won’t let me add other photos.