The Steel Guitar Forum

I have always been a fan of Curly since the early '50's. I had the opportunity to take six hours of personal instruction from him before he passed away. I learned some of his ways of playing and in between sessions he told me of his carrier. He has made five albums, some with the producing of Tom Br...

Curly Chalker used National finger picks and just licked his fingers where the pick fits. Ever notice how a quarter back licks his fingers before the ball is snapped. I use Pro Picks.

Larry,

That's what I've been trying to tell you for years.

Dale G.

Curly has always been my favorite steel player since I saw him playing with the Hank Thompson band in about 1951, right after he recorded Cryin' In The Deep Blue Sea with Hank. I have all of his recordings that were put out on 12" disks and everything else that is available. I was lucky enough ...

Jussi, you have my permission to print any or all the pictures that are in the book.

Dale G.

Hi Ron, I bought my Bigsby T8 in 1949 and ordered it by mail from him. I received the guitar within one month. I kept in touch with Paul by ordering strings by phone from him. I'd call him and say I needed strings which he sent to me by return mail. I'd send him a money order right away. He was very...

Hi Ray, There is a story in the March issue of Vintage Guitar magazine along with pictures. A good and complete article written by Deke Dickerson. Deke is a heck of a nice guy and also a friend of Russ Blake, a local boy. This story explains a lot about my experience Paul Bigsby, who evidently consi...

I was contacted by Ron Middlebrook who said he was going to write a book about Paul Bigsby and wanted some pictures and story from me. How many books are going to be written about Paul?

I built a double ten copy of my original t-8 Bigsby steel from Myrtle wood. There is a fine article about this guitar and also a couple of standard guitars my brother and I built. The article is in the March issue of Vintage Guitar magazine and was written by Deke Dickerson. I wonder what ever happe...

Thanks guys for all the interest. I'ts a good amp.

Amp is in very good condition,Color- Burgandy, have owned since new, 1978

Hi Mike, In about April or May of 1949, I Saw Murphy playing a Bigsby T-3 with Tex Williams and knew the Bigsby was the steel for me. I searched all the steel makers for PA's address to no avail. Then in the summer a small publication about the "western" music scene in southern California ...

Hi Mike, I ordered my Bigsby in August of 1949 with no pedals as PA didn't mention them at the time. I received my guitar one month later and had to scramble to come up with the money after the down payment of $125.00. I had five pedals added about 1956. I sold the guitar to someone in Kentucky in 1...

Hi Ray,
I play "South", when ever I play which is about once a month just down the street from where you live. We do several of the old standards. You aught to come see us some time.
Dale.

Hi, I saw Joachin playing with Tex Williams in the early summer of 1949 when they were on tour up the west coast. I ordered my T-8 Bigsby in August of that year and received it within about 30 days. That would be September of 1949. The only identifying numbers on it were number 17 printed on the und...

I've always thought that Reese must have listened alot to Johnny Smith, a jazz guitar player of the '50,s and '60,s. Their chords and single note runs are much alike.

D.G.

Hej, Hej Ulf, I'm 73 year old and have been playing steel guitar for 58 years. I guess I don't know when to quit. My dad and his family came from the area of the hydro dam west of Umea, and I still have relatives that live there. I fact I have a couple of cousins that live at Norfors. Nice to see th...

I took some instruction from Curly Chalker in 1997 and he showed me what he used to get the B-3 effect. It was a small stomp box that he had gotten from Scotty DeWitt. I don't remember the brand or name. Maybe Scotty remembers.

Hi Doug, Been there, done that. I worked with Erney Howland at the Spawning Wheel, oops, Spinning Wheel back about '74 and had to do the same thing, with bass, drums and gal singer. They played about half rock and half country. That's when I learned as many guitar licks as steel licks and everything...

I've used D-9th on my 12 string guitar for years. I like the richer sound and it comes in handy if you are playing in E or E flat. I use heaver guage strings and maybe have less string breakage. My setup is just like the normal E-9th and I add an F# and D for my 11th and 12th strings. Works good for...

Hi Gearless fans, When I restring my gearless Sierra I use a pair of six inch vice grips that I carry in my extra string box. I wrap the string around the Allen set screw and lock the vice grip on the string and pull tention on it. I then tighten and loosen the Allen screw as I pull. This takes the ...

Hi Gearless fans, When I restring my gearless Sierra I use a pair of six inch vice grips that I carry in my extra string box. I wrap the string around the Allen set screw and lock the vice grip on the string and pull tention on it. I then tighten and loosen the Allen screw as I pull. This takes the ...

Hi Chalker fans,

I had the opportunity to take six hours of instruction from Curly about six months before he passed away. That has been the high light of my pickn' career.

D.G.

I just read in the local dead fish wrap that the Sierra Instrument Co. is to be auctioned off on November 18th. The company name, drawings, parts and accessories are to be sold in one package. The machinery to be sold separately.

Dale Granstrom.

I had the privelage of taking six hours of instruction from Curly six months before he passed away. This was in his du-plex he was living in in Nashville. He would show me his way doing his style for an hour and then we would sit and talk, mostly about music. What an opertunity this was, from my ste...