The Steel Guitar Forum

I haven't been on the forums much of late, and then I see this and I am just stunned. BOb built far better than he knew, bringing us together as never before. Because of him, we have become a richly-endowed community. It was an inspiration, and we have all reaped the benefit. RIP BOb, our debt to yo...

Fun fact:- There is a nonsense sentence which helps you remember the names of the seven modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian), and it goes thus:- "I own the door to the fridge, but Lydia mixed up all the locks!" Just like 1,4 5 major chord progression, t...

When I started out in the video production industry back in 1993, tripods with carbon-fibre legs were just starting to appear. Camera-crews loved them initially because they made the tripods so light. They quickly fell out of love with them when it became very clear the legs were much more fragile t...

With a little TLC it could end up looking like this:- https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix2020-03/7881_Underside_Completed_00_1.jpg https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/userpix2020-03/7881_Marlen_Oblique_View_00_1.jpg Yours looks well worth restoring. These old Marlens are hand-built, solid, stable an...

I can't tell you anything about the Quilter amp, but I recently bought the Fender Twin Reverb Tone Master and I am highly impressed with it. I preface my remarks with the following brief history:- my first steel amp in 1976 was a Fender Vibrosonic Reverb with a single Cerwin-Vega 15" speaker in...

Stage left, slightly angled towards the centre of the stage so I can keep an eye on the band leader. Just seems to be the most natural for me.

Very saddened and shocked to learn of Mike's passing. RIP.

Bluegrass got me started on my musical journey back in about 1975. Tony Rice was one of the notables back then, he and a certain Clarence White. Tony went on to blaze a trail for guitarists which extended the instrument in Bluegrass to a never-before-achieved level. He is and will remain a lighthous...

Terribly sad news. I had a personal message of appreciation from Mike after I posted on a subject and he was such a gentleman. Rest in peace.

I'm pretty sure Winnie WInstons's book "Pedal Steel Guitar" listed Ralph's copedant in the back with a lot of other players of the day.

Mike, that depends on which side of the output jack the capacitor is connected to. If it is connected to the ground of the jack, connect the unused terminal on the pot to the active side of the jack. If the capacitor is to the active side of the jack, then the unused terminal on the pot goes to the ...

It won't do anything as the other terminal (on the pot) isn't connected to anything. All you have is a variable resistor on one end of a capacitor, the other end of which is connected to the output plug. It is an open-circuit. Until the other end of the resistor (third terminal of the pot) is connec...

I was the Australian purchaser of the Marlen D10 Gary Sill referred to several posts ago. It had been offered for sale via the forum for some time, and eventually, since I had owned a custom-built Marlen back in 1976, I bought it. Gary did a superb restoration on the cabinet, and Jim Flynn (I think)...

Not to take anything away from the great builders we have today (and we are blessed with several of note), but ultimately it comes down to the player. The late, great John Hughey was once asked where tone was to be found. He held up his hands and said "here...tone is in the hands of the player&...

There are two ways of looking at this:- Do you need to be capable of making your band preferentially employable because you bring a number of different sounds and instruments to it?, or:- Do you just want to be versatile and not rely wholly on pedal-steel in your band? To bring different sounds, I'd...

Mike, that looks like a Schaller machine-head, ought to be plenty of suppliers for those. If one's gone, chances are the rest are all fairly tired, I'd just buy ten left-handed ones and ten right-handed ones and replace them all. Be careful though, the length of the shaft has to be such that the two...

Hi Mike, Over the years I have posted quite a bit of information on the Marlen Pull-release steel guitars as I owned one and re-furbished the undercarriage several years ago. Rather than repeat the posts again, I strongly suggest you search the forum for posts and threads on "Marlen", &quo...

My rig is as simple as it can get; steel-guitar, volume-pedal, amplifier (Peavey Nashville 112 with Burr-Brown op-amps), with the second output of the volume-pedal to a Peterson strobo-Flip tuner. I also have a "Slyde-car" and "Pup" from Dale Hansen's Bessdang Gizmos. https://bb....

When you turn the tuning-nut, is the rod rotating as well? If so, the nut won't advance and retreat along the thread and it won't tune the open-note. In the Marlen Pull-release system, is is vital the lowering rod (which is also used to tune the open-note via the tuning-nut) can't rotate. On the low...

Mike Perlowin is quite correct, so I'll add MSA to my list above. Nothing touches the MSA for the ease of swapping pickups in and out.

They are all great, and all still in production. They're not just a steel-guitar, they are true works of art.

Not necessarily in order of merit:- Show-Pro, Rittenberry, Mullen and Williams.

I have a Mullen and a Williams and would love to own a Rittenberry and a Show-Pro. I think I could stop at those four.

Definitely not built by Sho-Bud, but one of the high-end steels and much favoured by session-players for the tone and playability. Jeff Surratt builds one of the best steels money can buy.

Mike, I believe that's how the Alumitones started out, but, guitarists being what they are, people began experimenting. Whoever first thought of trying them in a steel-guitar was truly inspired.

Can't believe it is ten years I've had them in my Carter. Still love the sound.

"Two frogs walk up to a bar..."

Re the little tabbed stop-collars; I turned these up on a Unimat 3 model-makers lathe (I rebuilt the undercarriage on a 1972 Marlen D10 several years ago). I see one very similar stop-collar in the bottom of one of your photos, so you have one already, and may have more. If not, a hobbyist might tur...