Black Remington Steelmaster T-8

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 13 Apr 2009 5:21 pm

Rick Alexander wrote:...My old Airline - you must have gotten it from Keith Cordell!...

I did indeed. In fact one of the selling points was that it was once owned by Rick Alexander. I figured that some of your talent must have rubbed off on it.

Tom Pettingill · Post by **Tom Pettingill** » 14 Apr 2009 7:17 am

Nice score Rick! ... and I always enjoy your videos

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 14 Apr 2009 8:25 am

And at least 10 people stopped to ask one of two questions:

1. What is that?
answer - It's a Steel Guitar

2. What's the name of that song?
answer - Sleepwalk

Wow, does that sound familiar! Those ARE the two most asked questions. We need to Educate the public!

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 14 Apr 2009 8:28 pm

Alan, I hope the Airline works out well for you.
It has the Rick Aiello NIBro magnets, and it's definitely a screamer . .

Thanks Tom!
I'm glad you enjoy them, that makes it all worthwhile.

Doug, I have to agree.
Maybe I should just announce in a loud voice: "I WILL NOW PLAY SLEEPWALK ON THIS HERE STEEL GUITAR! IT'S NOT A SLIDE GUITAR OR A LAP SLIDE - IT'S A STEEL GUITAR, AND I AM NOW GOING TO PLAY THE ONLY STEEL GUITAR INSTRUMENTAL THAT EVER SOLD OVER A MILLION RECORDS. THE NAME OF THE SONG, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T HEAR ME THE FIRST TIME . . . . IS SLEEPWALK ! ! ORIGINALLY RECORDED IN 1959 BY SANTO AND JOHNNY, AND SUBSEQUENTLY RECORDED BY EVERY STEEL GUITAR PLAYER THAT EVER ENTERED A RECORDING STUDIO - INCLUDING ME . .
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I GIVE YOU SLEEPWALK ! !

But then sure as anything, somebody would come up at the end of the song and ask: "What is that instrument, and what is the name of that song?"
So maybe educating the public is something that happens one person at a time . .

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 14 Apr 2009 11:17 pm

But it ain't made of steel. That looks like wood to me! $:\$ And how come yu need so many strings on that laydown guitar

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 15 Apr 2009 4:04 am

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Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 15 Apr 2009 7:07 am

Rick Alexander wrote:Alan, I hope the Airline works out well for you.
It has the Rick Aiello NIBro magnets, and it's definitely a screamer... (Yes, it sounds great..Alan)....So maybe educating the public is something that happens one person at a time ... (The first lap steel I ever built I added the words "Solid Steel" on the front, meaning that it was a solid guitar made for playing steel. The main comment it generated was, "It must be very heavy, made of solid steel" ..Alan)

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 15 Apr 2009 5:20 pm

http://rickalexander.com/BigSteel/Remin ... terT8.html

Rick: I stumbled on this video of your other Steelmaster. Wow ! What a great tone. If your new one sounds even better I can't imagine what it must be like.

Looks like I'll have to start saving my pennies and get in touch with Mr. Remington....

Cindy Cashdollar · Post by **Cindy Cashdollar** » 15 Apr 2009 8:00 pm

Hey Rick;

So great to hear and see you play my/now yours Remington triple neck! I know for sure that it has a happy home and is in good hands. And it gets to go to the beach.

Look forward to seeing you and everyone next year at the Dallas Steel Guitar convention, and I'll definitely have my new Remington D-8 worked in by then and ready for some fun playing with you and Herb and the non peddlers.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 15 Apr 2009 9:10 pm

Hey Cindy,

Thanks so much for this beautiful Remington Steelmaster, I really love it!
I promise it will never be lonely.

Yes, we go to the beach together - and it helps me to educate people about Steel Guitar.
For quite a few of those people, it's the first Steel Guitar they've seen or heard!

I'm really glad you're going to join us at next year's TSGA Non Pedal Session in Dallas on March 12th & 13th.
Can't wait to see and hear your new Remington D-8!
We will definitely have some fun!

Chuck S. Lettes · Post by **Chuck S. Lettes** » 16 Apr 2009 6:58 am

Cindy Cashdollar at next year's Non-Pedal Session! I'm looking forward to March already.
Chuck

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 17 Apr 2009 5:32 am

I'll be there!

I already have my hotel reservation.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 17 Apr 2009 5:41 am

Count me in, too.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 17 Apr 2009 6:15 am

Way to keep it alive Rick! What a fantastic location for the perfect pair!

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 17 Apr 2009 8:04 am

Chuck, glad you're coming!
It wouldn't be a real Non Pedal Session without you.
In fact, there wouldn't even be a Non Pedal Session if it weren't for you . .

Gerald, you better show up!
We need your rhythm guitar, lead guitar, steel guitar, bass guitar and ukulele playing . .

Mike, you'll definitely be a welcome addition to the Non Pedal Session!

Thanks Jim! It is a great location alright . .

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 17 Apr 2009 11:54 am

Okay, here's the story on the pickups.
They were rewound at Cindy's request - with fewer windings, which essentially brings out the highs and de-emphasizes the low mids.
This gives it more of a "single coil" type of sound, although it is not single coil and is still nice and quiet.
This modification was done in the early 90s when she was playing with Asleep At The Wheel.

Here’s what Cindy says about it:

At the time, I was with Asleep At The Wheel, and I took into consideration my main tuning, C6th. It worked better (at least I thought it did, plus I think it's what John Ely used) for the keys that Ray Benson sang in, but C6th is a good deal brighter than Herb's nice warm A6th, so I thought it needed some "shade" to tone it down on the treble end.

Playing Western swing with the large and loud Asleep At The Wheel, I still needed something that would cut through, and Ray favored the authentic Fender steel/vintage pickup sound over the original George L's that the Remingtons came with. So my idea was born from trying to appease both sides of the situation. I think there's a lot of facets to consider when the opportunity is there to be able to choose a pickup.

As if playing steel guitar isn't wonderfully challenging enough as is!

So there you have it folks - no wonder I love this guitar!

Due in part to your comments in this thread, plans are now afoot to make the Cindy Cashdollar Pickup configuration an option on Remington Steelmasters.
We'll be making a video very soon to compare the 2 pickups, using a black double neck with stock George L's and the black triple neck with rewound George L's. The black D-8 is also 24 1/2" scale, so the only major physical difference (other than the number of necks) will be the pickups. To begin with, I'll play the same licks with the same tuning through the same amp with the same settings - and then do some tweaking to demonstrate various tonal possibilities.
I have a feeling that some players will prefer the stock pickups and others will prefer the rewound ones - so hopefully this will give everyone a clear idea of how each one sounds.

As you will hear, the black D-8 with the stock George-L's is a wonderful sounding guitar too!
In fact, there's already a video on the D-8 page of me playing "You Belong To Me" on the D-8 in the studio.
However, the new video will be a side-by-side A-B comparison.
I was thinking of using a NV112 and then maybe repeating the process with a tube amp, just to be thorough.

But first - I just need to get through the weekend and recuperate from the Saturday gig at the RipTide tomorrow afternoon.
Seeing all those bodacious beach bunnies bouncing around in their bikinis can sure tire a feller out . .

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 19 Apr 2009 5:07 am

Well, the gig yesterday presented a slightly different face of the beach.
The wind was much stronger than it was last week, and even my high tech foam & scotch tape on the camera mic didn't cut out all the wind noise.
In fact, the wind guard on my vocal mic was only partially successful.
But without these precautions, the wind noise would have been intolerable.
The tent was not an option, the wind would have likely blown it down.
And instead of the usual bevy of bikini babes there was a bachelor party that had been going strong since the day before. About 14 dudes were partying intensely when I got there at 11 AM.
I was getting requests for Free Bird and Bob Marley.

They were real interested in the Steelmaster though, one feller even wanted to touch it - a big no-no.
He asked what it was and his friend said: I know, it's a steel guitar!". I was impressed for a second, but then he said: "But where's the stick? You know, the stick you play it with!".
But in all fairness, they were friendly and appreciative.
Quite a few people showed up for the latter half of the gig, and it turned out to be a lot of fun.

And Faith the bartender was pretty cool.
Here she is demonstrating her admirable skill of opening a beer with her teeth:

Here are a couple of video clips from the gig - the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing but you can hear everything.
ROCKIN' ROLLIN' OCEAN
HAWAIIAN WEDDING SONG

There aren't too many things I'd rather do.
This Steelmaster is a joy to play . .

Billy Gilbert · Post by **Billy Gilbert** » 19 Apr 2009 9:19 am

Hey Rick, it sounds great, but you were almost upstaged by the girl with the baby having a confrontation with a guy on a bike in the background.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 19 Apr 2009 10:34 am

Rick Alexander wrote:...I was impressed for a second, but then he said: "But where's the stick? You know, the stick you play it with!"....

Well, a tone bar is just a steel stick. At least he knew you had to use one.

Gary Boyett · Post by **Gary Boyett** » 19 Apr 2009 10:50 am

Great video's Rick. I dont know how you don't get side-tracked. Do you have bliders on?

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 20 Apr 2009 8:01 pm

Thanks Billy, yep there's never a dull moment on the Broadwalk!

Alan, you have a point there buddy - it's just semantics after all.
So pull out that stick and play some lap slide . .

Great videos Rick. I don't know how you don't get side-tracked. Do you have blinders on?

Thanks G-man!
Well not exactly, but my eyesight ain't what it used to be . .

Jeff Strouse · Post by **Jeff Strouse** » 23 Apr 2009 6:42 am

Nice pics, Rick! I especially like the one with the ocean in the background. As long as the weather conditions are calm, it's the perfect place to be. Reminds me of the sitting at the Halekalani hotel in Hawaii.

Congrats on the guitar! I like the black/gold contrast, and it sounds great...it has awesome tone and sustain. That harmonic at the beginning of You Belong to Me was clear as a bell!

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 23 Apr 2009 4:34 pm

Rick Alexander wrote:...pull out that stick and play some lap slide...

...sounds like a good way to get the joint closed down.

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 26 Apr 2009 6:18 am

Well it was pretty windy yesterday - not enough to present any real problems, except that the wind noise on the camera mic was extreme.
Even with my high tech foam and scotch tape device.

Most of my gigs and shows for the past 2-3 years have been either in country bars or Steel Guitar conventions, so I tend to forget that a lot of people don't know what a steel guitar is - in fact have never seen one.
But on Hollywood Beach there are many people from all over the world, and many folks who have just never been exposed to it.
So a lot of people come up to ask what it is, and seem fascinated by it.
Sometimes I feel like a novelty act or something.
It's pretty cool, because there are a million guys who play regular guitar and sing - everybody has seen plenty of that.
No matter how good you are, it's just not that remarkable.
I mean, who is going to go home and say: "I just saw a guy playing guitar and singing, it was so amazing!".
But when they see someone playing a beautiful instrument they've never seen before, it makes an impression and they remember it.
People take photos of it, and make videos.

This is part of the tiki bar and courtyard.
It's what I'm looking at when I'm playing.
You can see the video camera there . .

In this video I took a stab at Herb Remington's "Ricochet Rag". Even with the wind noise, you can hear it pretty well. Remember, the noise is caused by wind on the camera mic - at the time it didn't sound at all like that.
RICOCHET RAG
You could even turn off the sound and it's kind of a neat video - the beach, the palm trees, the waves and the people going by. And you can see the band that plays after me loading in - Curbstone. They're an excellent group, a good bunch of guys.
I rented a little beach pad from a buddy of mine who rents beach pads.
It's less than a half block away, and it's on the second floor with a porch that looks out over the ocean.
Once the van is all packed up I go there and chill out.
After I have a shower and something to eat I sit on the porch for a couple of hours, watch the waves and listen to the sounds of the ocean and the distant revelry of Curbstone playing at the tiki bar.

It's a far cry from the stuff I used to do after a gig, but I like it a lot - it's therapeutic.
Then after a while I drive home.
It's become my little ritual since I started this gig . .

Jason Dumont · Post by **Jason Dumont** » 26 Apr 2009 7:35 am

Rick that sounds a lot like heaven to me!

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