Rittenberry "Islander" model

[Jim Hollingsworth]

After years of playing D-10 guitars & lots of country & swing music I moved to Hawaii.... which created the need for a different guitar. It became my "Islander" model.

It had to meet these criteria:
1. Under 50 lbs in the case
2. Have all of my C6 changes
3. Capable of playing country, jazz, blues, Hawaiian, reggae & swing
4. And it had to be a 10 string so I could transition between my D-10 guitars & the new guitar.








Gary Rittenberry just finished it and I am amazed! It meets all my criteria perfectly - plays great, sounds fantastic, and looks KILLER! I can transition from C neck styles to straight country instantly.

I couldn't be more pleased - thanks again Gary - you made a dream come true.

Jim

[Wally Taylor]

Gary is the bestest!! Tell him what you want, how you want it and presto, there is is!
The man is a monster steel maker!!!
Your steel is a beauty!

[Alan Bidmade]

Can you post up the copedent on the new steel?

[Jim Hollingsworth]

Hi Alan,
My copedant is for 7 pedals & 5 knees - C6 tuning with a D on the top.

P1 - raises the G string to A (equals "A" pedal on E9)
P2 raises the E's to F ( "B" pedal on E9)
P3 raises the F string (9) to A natural, A (8) to C natural, and C (7) to D natural
P4 thru 7 are standard C6 setup

LKL raises the C's to C# (standard C6 change but also serves as the "F" lever on E9

LKV is the standard C6 "Reverse pedal 6"

LKR lowers the A's to G#

RKL lowers both C's to B natural Standard C6 - also equals the E to Eb change on E9

RKR - raises both A's to B natural with half stop at A#

This setup allows me to get all the A, B, C, pedal & E & F lever changes of the E9 but pitched in the key of C.


I had Gary install a Wallace Truetone with a coil tap so I can get lapsteel/slide guitar tones as well as modern steel sounds.

The front apron is a blue burst lacquer finish with black mica elsewhere.

The guitar sounds really really good & has virtually no cabinet drop.

It enables me to get ALL of the C6 sounds & about 90% of the country stuff. I spose if I get a gig where they want 100% country stuff I can bring my Ritt D-10. But over here I tend to alternate between country, ragtime, blues, jazz & Stevie Wonder R & B.

It is a great guitar!

Jim

[Stuart Devenish]

Hi Jim,

sounds interesting. Is it based on a C6 tuning or an E9 with all the options you mentioned?

Can we hear what it can do?

I'm interested in the 10 string shortened universal.

Thanks

Stuart.

[Stuart Devenish]

Hi Jim,

sounds interesting. Is it based on a C6 tuning or an E9 with all the options you mentioned?

Can we hear what it can do?

I'm interested in the 10 string shortened universal.

Thanks

Stuart.

[Roger Crawford]

Hey Jim, good looking guitar my man. Ours are almost twins!

[Carl Kilmer]

Jim, that's a beauty for sure. Gary sure is a master
when it comes to making a custom steel to fit your
own needs and desires. I'm sure you will love yours
as much as I do mine. Enjoy it for many years.
Carl "Lucky" Kilmer

[Tom Wolverton]

I like this. It's sort of a Uni type tuning, but based on C6th instead of off of E9th. If I ever did something like this, I'd be tempted to pitch it all up a full step to D6th like what b0b did with his S-8 Desert Rose. Just to brighten it up a bit. Great guitar!

[Jim Hollingsworth]

Hi Tom,
bOb and I discussed that and I may eventually do it, but I prefer to leave it in C because of it's similarity to my D-10's. Besides - it sound like a very full E9 guitar as it is.

Yep Roger, they are almost twinds .... I had Gary make mine a little lighter & less sunburst on the edges.

Stuart, it is fully universal but C6 based as opposed a 12 string E9 uni that requires you engage a lever to "change tunings". You just select the "country" pedals or the "6th" pedals as you feel.

Jim

And yes, Gary builds fantastic guitars!
!

[Bill Dobkins]

Welcome to the club Jim, Great looking axe and yes Gary is the best.

[Hans Holzherr]

LKV is the standard C6 "Reverse pedal 6"

Jim, what's the "Reverse pedal 6"?

[Jim Hollingsworth]

Lowers the 2nd string to D# and raises the 6th string to F - the exact opposite pulls as pedal 6.

Jim

[Lane Gray]

I wonder if you'd given thought to takin C6, add a lever to raise both Es to F, and have the A pedal raise the Cs and the B pedal raise the Cs.
That way you get the E9 scale stuff of having the 2 of the G string, let off the F lever gives you the analog of the D# lever, the C-B lever is like lowering the Bs. The only thing you miss is the "F"lever.

[Jim Hollingsworth]

Hi Lane,
I am not sure I follow you... the way it's setup right now I have the equivalent of the A, B, C pedals & E to F & E to Eb levers. Using the usual C6 pulls I can duplicate the D# second string notes too.

Jim

[Lane Gray]

Think of it as raising the Es to make F9, I guess. An awful lot of my E9 playing and thinking uses that 7th string as a melodic device as well as a chord tone, so my habits influence my thinking.

[Jim Hollingsworth]

My Pedal 3 on the "Islander" has the Paul Franklin change that raises F (9) to A, A (8) to C, and C (7) to D - it gives me an A minor/C major pentatonic scale with whole tones just like the bottom notes of the E9 neck. And my pedal 2 (B pedal) does raise both E's to F giving me an F major chord.

Similar thinking - trying to get as much E9 stuff on a 6th tuning as I can.

Jim

[Johnny Cox]

Just beautiful.

[Jim Hollingsworth]

Thanks! And she sounds flat out AMAZING!
Jim