Fry'n Pan Question

T. W. Hatem · From: Northern Hemisphere

Watching a couple Youtube clips....I got to know:

Do they all sound that fat, sweet and silky smooth ?

Is the pickup responsible or magic tricks with amplification or effects ?

Man, they sound great....

Question

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

Good question!! Just my opinion, but the pre-war long scale types seem to be the best sounding. They are a hollow neck body type. The post war models are a solid neck type with a bakelite cover on the bottom of the round section. They mostly all sound good, with some being really good. The core shift during casting seems to be the opinion for the difference in sound between them. The pick up gets credit for the tone from most people. I don't agree with that myself. The body material seems to be the key.
Of course, the player is a major factor too!!

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Never played a long scale model......

But the short scale, hollow neck model I acquired from Mike Neer a couple of weeks ago.......is one that's hard to beat.

I've played a couple of solid body Fry pans and I was no where near as satisfied with the 'sound' as I am with this olde Rick fry pan.

Ben Rubright · From: Punta Gorda, Florida, USA

Hey Ray:

It's good to know that you are still in 'acqusition mode' and not just 'brokering'.

Best regards,

Ben

Mike Neer · From: NJ

Ray, boy do I miss that guitar! It's been about 2 or 3 years now, though. I guess that means you'll never sell her back to me. Laughing

I will have to add my $.02 and say the Fry Pans are the ultimate in lap steels.
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Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

Ray? Do you like it better than a pre-war bakelite?
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Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

To answer your question: I feel the Bakelites have a SUPERIOR TONE to anything else I've ever played. Even the one I got from Australia with the broken neck. Each time I listen to an olde 1940's tune with Jerry Byrd........I'm overwhelmed by that SUPERIOR TONE.

The Fry Pan definitely has a special sound all its own. It's an experience one wouldn't want to simply walk away from. Not knowing, is definitely a loss. The difference between that lil' Rick Fry Pan and the Shot-Jackson solid body Fry Pan is tremendous.

Mike Neer.......2-3 years ago you say? It seems like only yesterday that I parted with all of that loot.

No matter what the guitar body is constructed of, I feel as JERRY BYRD once did, that the 'strings' make a huge difference in what the player is going to hear. I use Jerry's old string set-up on the Bakelite and also the Volu-Tone amp. None of this makes me sound anything like JERRY BYRD however, I'm happy knowing that I'm about as close to his sound, as I'm ever going to be.

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

The bakelites, like Ray said, are the ultimate in tone, at least for vintage instruments. The hollow-neck early frypans have a sound all their own. If listening to the Dick McInyre (SP?) recordings, you will understand the frypan sound, and it's difference from the bakelites. It's been said the Dick hand-picked his frypans at the factory, and they sure sound like it. The ones I know about are long scale.
Not knowing much about the current guitars, the Sierra lap steels have wonderful tone from what I've heard.

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

Ray, tell us about Jerry's string set-up.

My Bakelite is an 8-string with the narrow pickup (I guess, post war).
It is the one with the big "T" on the keyhead (Rickenbacher, Electro).

Probably you wouldn't approve __ but, I removed the paint from the metal plates and had them chrome-plated.
It looks brand-new and with the Bakelite polished, it is beautiful.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Having owned each, I too prefer the bakelite tone/sound over the fry pans, but just barely as they are both tops. I also use the Byrd/Montee string set up and find the small gauge on the uppers to give a better tone overall, especially above the 12th fret.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

Rick......not side-stepping your question but......

IF you'll go to the jerrybyrd-fanclub.com/ site and then jump to JERRY's GUITARs you can find all of that information right there for you. Okay?

It's a great resource center.

T. W. Hatem · From: Northern Hemisphere

Time to do some more research.... I guess it won't be all that painful though, just listening to that good music.

Anyone care to give me a range of prices for one of those Hollownecks and Bakelite's that is reasonable to consider should one float by ?

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

It's been my experience these past couple of years that the Rick Fry Pans are going for $2,000 upward to as high as $5,200. Be careful tho'. Not all are jewels.

Pre-war Bakelites have steadily moved upward in selling price ranging from around $900.00 to more than $2,500. (The latter being a bit high, in my estimation!)

Two years ago I hooked a T-logo, post war Bakelie with white panels for $580.00 with hardshell case. Once the deal was closed, I was gifted with a Rick amplifier. The covering is pealing off and the amp needs some electronic tweaking but quite a bargain I'd say for the price I paid. This was from a small town music store.

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

I know the discussion is about Rick frypans; however, for comparison purposes, a new Excel Jerry Byrd frypan runs about $1,800 these days. I believe the wait is about 3 months after the order. I believe a used one went for $1,200 on Ebay recently.

Lee, from South Texas

seldomfed · From: Colorado

I would die a happy man if I owned a frypan - just once before I hang up my picks Smile

but... I do have a bakelite and it does have amazing tone! Tone**2! It's one of my favorite instruments.

In the mean time I am lucky to have a 'dustpan' and a JB frypan (shobud) with a true horseshoe mag, string thru pickup - so it's as close to a real ricky frypan as you can get.

for now - I dream of owning a pre-war frypan, cause I'd play the darn thing!!

chris
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Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

I'd bet you'd eventually say your Bakelite was the better guitar. Now you can retire happy!

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

For a long time I rarely played the frypan, except to take it to Hawaii, because it's lighter to carry on the airlines etc. But last year I started playing it all the time, and now the bakelite is mostly "resting"
Both are 7 string. I don't own six string guitars except a New Yorker that I bought new (and rarely drag out of the closet) It's all a matter of taste isn't it.

T. W. Hatem · From: Northern Hemisphere

Thanx to all for your input.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

It's just an aesthetic point-of-view, but I've never been too keen on the shape of frying pan steels.
Seems to me that the sound is a product of the pickup, the electronics, and the material of construction. You could probably get the same sound out of a better-looking shape. It doesn't have to look like a banjo.

T. W. Hatem · From: Northern Hemisphere

Heh, heh, heh... a big 10-4 on that one Alan !

I felt the same way for a long time, but funny how the looks of the bloody thing are starting to grow on me ? It's just silly looking enough !

But now that you have my ear.... what other steel has the "same pickup, the electronics and the material of construction in a different shape" ? Or are you thinking custom ?

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

I always thot their ergonomic look's as half the attraction. Iconic.

Then there's the sound they produce...

I also found them to be one of the easiest steels to play.

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

To me the fry pan steel guitar is down-right ugly.
They look much like an anorexic banjo __ afraid of gaining too many strings, when they already have more than a banjo.

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

Well, they have been ugly longer than any other electric guitar!! Very Happy

The bakelite is a much more aesthetic piece to look at.
Trouble is, after playing those two ya get spoiled, and the wood lap steels just don't do it in the same way.

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

Style is so subjective and even biased as to what you own (from my experience). I honestly used to think the bakelites were really ugly with those metal plates on them...seriously. Over the past couple of years, however, and now in owning one, I think they're beautiful. The fry pan's simplicity and bare necessities, in my eyes, is art deco in it's simplest form.
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Joshua Grange · From: Los Angeles, California

The frypan is certainly one of the most beautiful instruments ever made. A work of art.
The beauty lies not only within its physical form or in its history as being amongst the worlds first electric guitars, but also in its unique sound.
The fact that it doesn't have fancy inlays, marbled wood or bells or whistles but rather subtlety of style is also one of the beautiful aspects of these amazing instruments.
It's one of the rare instruments I've ever held that actually feels 'alive'.

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