Steel Guitar Museum/Hall O'Fame

Charley Dickason · Post by **Charley Dickason** » 21 Jun 2010 12:31 pm

Just my 2 cents. When I was 19 yrs old, some friends of mine and I went to Reno just on a whim. We stayed at one of our friends sister's house and had plenty of time to browse around town; we went the Harris Auto collection. It was COOL; I saw the Bat Mobile and the bullet-ridden car that Bonnie and Clyde were killed in. (fast forward)

My second wife and I drove from Hayward CA to Sacramento to Actually see the train museum there. Way Cool!

My(now)wife and I were in Huntsville AL looking for work (we wanted to get back down south for her, and me being where I belong for me.
We had the time to visit the US Space and Rocket Center. Now that is a place I'll never forget. There was a full scale shuttle display using the USS Pathfinder, which was the steel mock-up NASA used for retrofitting all other equipment for the transfer and launch equipment. It was sitting on a real external fuel tank and real and possibly active solid rocket boosters. you could walk under and all around it. The Apollo 16 capsule was there (parachutes and all) on display where you could walk right up and look into the window and see how cramped the were. The Gemini capsule was worse (CRAMPED). They had a display of and actual LEM, Moon Rover and the space suits from the era. There was a Saturn V rocket replica in front and an actual Saturn V in individual stages out back. There's so much more I could add, but there's not enough time.
As cool as it was, I had to already be in Huntsville to go there.
I live an hour away from the Evergreen Aircraft Museum. They house the HK1 (Spruce Goose) along with an SR71 Blackbird (that sits under the right wing.
I've been there twice. Once with my son on his 21st b-day and again when My son-in-law when he came over from NY. That time they had a Titan II missile between the blackbird and the HK1 --WOW! Amazing place. But, both times I was there,judging by the folks that were there, they could not have collected enough $ to pay the illegal Mexicans their wages for keeping up the grounds for the day.

With all due respect Ray, unless you are a very rich man with this as your hobby, it couldn't pay for itself. 'If You built It I Will Come,' because I love your idea! And you're 2 hours from me.

BTW, on our way to Huntsville, we drove right pass the Gateway Arch --and I never even saw it! Damn

Ray, have you been to Evergreen Museum? They just may end up with one of the Shuttles one of these days.

Your idea is still cool and I'd pay to play! You Bet!!!
Just my perspective.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 21 Jun 2010 12:35 pm

I went to the "Air and Space Museum" in Houston... it was an empty room!

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 21 Jun 2010 12:38 pm

What about a travelling museum, like in a Winnebago or something?

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 21 Jun 2010 12:42 pm

The mobile museum has been discussed.

Ron Whitfield · Post by **Ron Whitfield** » 21 Jun 2010 12:44 pm

Mike Neer wrote:What about a travelling museum, like in a Winnebago or something?

Kinda like Ray's 16 wheel thot, crash and burn comes to mind...

After the Nashville floods, nothing seems safe any more. Lord help us if we lose the S&P shaker museum!

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 21 Jun 2010 12:49 pm

I thought the same thing. The salt and pepper shaker museum is in a popular tourist setting and they have a lot of items for sale. I've never been, but we're saving up to go when I get a few days vacation time. I don't want to be rushed through it.

Mitch Drumm · Post by **Mitch Drumm** » 21 Jun 2010 12:55 pm

Hard to come up with anything with less appeal to the public.

Every geek on this forum would love it, me included. Signifying nothing.

Can you imagine talking to a bank loan officer and trying to get him to loan you money on this?

He would have you locked up.

You'd have just as well pitched him your idea for that putty knife repair bidness that you came up with after the 14th Budweiser.

Get out your Rolodex and look under "wealthy benefactors who love steel guitar". Not many entries.

Charley Dickason · Post by **Charley Dickason** » 21 Jun 2010 12:59 pm

Herb, I guess that's why they called it "Air & Space" ha!

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 21 Jun 2010 3:22 pm

Mitch Drumm wrote:Hard to come up with anything with less appeal to the public.

Every geek on this forum would love it, me included. Signifying nothing.

Can you imagine talking to a bank loan officer and trying to get him to loan you money on this?

He would have you locked up.

You'd have just as well pitched him your idea for that putty knife repair bidness that you came up with after the 14th Budweiser.

Get out your Rolodex and look under "wealthy benefactors who love steel guitar". Not many entries.

Have to agree. I'd love to see such a museum...as long as it was within a day's drive...very, VERY few others would be interested. I mean heck...the Musicians Hall of Fame was in Nashville and that place was quite empty the couple of times I went in there....and there were instruments for EVERYONE in there (well...everyone that likes pop and/or country....no clarinets in there!)

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 21 Jun 2010 4:13 pm

People like good hospitality and an abundance of good food.
Every Casino-Hotel operator in Las Vegas (or the world, for that matter) knows this.

Here's a "might work" approach:

Contact Buffet's Inc. in Eagan, Minnesota and inquire about a plan to set up a new Country Buffet with a steel guitar theme.
And, this would be with the condition that in the same building and across the hallway the Steel Guitar Museum and Music Store would be set up.

Steel guitar based music would play in the dining area on the speaker/inner-comm system.
Some of the steel guitars could be displayed at various places in the dining room, also.

The sign outside would read:
Country Buffet & Steel Guitar Museum

The buffet and the steel museum attract and share each others patrons.

Nashville or Branson would be the best locations __ possibly St. Louis.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 21 Jun 2010 4:30 pm

I think a museum for steel guitars, which, presumably, would have the instruments behind glass cases to keep grubby fingers off, should include a pedal steel guitar, set up ready to play, connected to an amplifier, which the general public would be invited to play on.

Maybe then they would realise how smart steel guitarists are.

Mitch Ellis · Post by **Mitch Ellis** » 21 Jun 2010 4:42 pm

Herb Steiner wrote:I went to the "Air and Space Museum" in Houston... it was an empty room!

FUNNY, FUNNY!

I'll have to remember that one!

Mitch