Domland

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 2 Sep 2002 12:42 pm

I've read (& participated in) previous posts about this steel. But I was wondering if anyone out there might have a pic of this guitar that they'd be willing to post & share with us.
I'd just like to see one. Never have. I've heard they're gorgeous.
Thanx!!

Martin Abend · Post by **Martin Abend** » 2 Sep 2002 2:25 pm

I used to have one but I can't find it anymore... Looked like a battleship...

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martin abend Pedal-Steel in Germany
s-10 sierra crown gearless 3 x4 | Regal RD45 | fender hotrod deluxe

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 2 Sep 2002 4:34 pm

Rex, as Martin has alluded, they were big, bulky, and heavy. But, after 40 years of looking at steels, I still haven't seen one as beautiful! They put even the old Sho~Buds to shame.

I've e-mailed you a photo from one of their brochures.

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 2 Sep 2002 5:00 pm

THANX, DONNY!! Yep, Martin's right; that's a LOT of guitar. Actually my e-mail interpeted it down to about a 3"x5" picture, not a close up, but gives me a VERY good idea what this guitar looked like. Scott Howard had a b&w shot of it that he was kind to send. 1st thing I notice is that HUGE pickup. Yikes. But you're correct. That is one beautiful instrument. Although I like the front of the gtr. clean, the artwork looks cool on this & not trashy, JMHO.
I can definitely see how the Domland was one of the major influences on the steel (IN LOOKS, OK? LOOKS) as we know it today. Very enjoyable! Thanx again, Donny![This message was edited by Rex Thomas on 02 September 2002 at 06:01 PM.][This message was edited by Rex Thomas on 02 September 2002 at 07:05 PM.]

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 2 Sep 2002 5:21 pm

Major influences on steel today? You are nuts! What? The cable pull system? This guitar has had NO anything to do with steel guitar today. Not one builder I have ever , ever talked to has ever mentioned this guitar as being anything to copy. Even Terry Bethel's guitar has no similar construction details , even after he owened and played a "Domeland steel guitar" for several years in the late sixtys. This guitar worked well and sounded fine, as I remember. It was way ahead for it's time it may be argued, but as far as influencing any other builders, you must be kidding or just not know any better. Tell me, what guitar did it influence Rex?

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 2 Sep 2002 5:32 pm

Goodness gracious, Bobbe! Are we on the warpath or what!!? I see this guitar slotted between Bigsby & Sho-Bud, ONLY in looks. I don't have the experience to know whether it was cable or what, although I read in earlier posts that it wasn't cable. But maybe you need to debate that with someone other than me as to the guts of the instrument. I'm saying looks as that's all I've got to go on & not your expertise.
Speaking honestly, to not make matters WORSE, I'll just say I don't know any better.
Goodnight Mrs. Calabash where ever you are.

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 2 Sep 2002 5:39 pm

Re-read my 1st post, Bobbe. It says I've never SEEN one. Let alone HEARD one. Wouldn't it be simpler just to tell me a little about this guitar as I only wanted to be further educated about it than to bite my dang head off? Peace to you.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 2 Sep 2002 6:34 pm

Pardon me but I'm just having a blast of a good time with you. As I always have Rex. I just love to see you on the defensive!
Rex, do you know a lady doctor that plays steel in Michigan named Elise Forrest? She asked me if I knew you yesterday. I think from a few years back. Call me if you remember her.
Your buddy,
Bobbe

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 2 Sep 2002 6:40 pm

As far as the Domeland being cable or rod, I'm not debating this with anyone . I know what it is , was, or whatever. It was cable. And it worked great. Debating this with someone, no, I'm correct and that's that. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong. Hardly a debate. ( here I go again,)
I personally prefer the carter starter though, the right guitar for the right time!

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 2 Sep 2002 7:23 pm

BOBBE, YOU RASCAL!! What a bubbahead. So I'm thinking after seeing the nice pic Donny sent me; "Well duh, I can see where the Fingertip might have taken some styling cues from the Domland, so yeah, I see the influence." Then here comes Dr. Beaker lighting a Bunsen burner under my butt. Hey, I'm talking fender skirts here, not torsion bars.
Ok, if you say it was cable, then it was. But it was switched later on as per this thread: http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/003639.html
So if Sage was wrong, then that must've been some pretty THICK cable under that Domland he saw.
I understand. They were cable in the beginning.
We'll talk, or I'll leave a message with Brandy if you're busy.
Nah, I'll stick with a Multi-Kord. Hoosier built. You want to debate that with me? When I worked & taught in a music store as a teenager, a guy brought in one of those BIG Multi-Kords as trade; double row pedals, had CASTERS, looked like they came off a Plymouth, too. You know, it sounded terrific. Looked like it should be a hot dog stand in an old Buck Rogers serial. Whew! A different looking piece.
Again, peace to you, Bobbe. You stinker!!

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 2 Sep 2002 8:02 pm

Whew to you too, I feel this discussion is a lot of fun since we are hashing up the wonderful old guitars of yesteryear. Yes, I was a Multi Kord junkie for a while, and I do remember them sounding very good.
As for Sage, He naturally may have seen a modified Domeland with rods. When I was at MSA, we even put cables on Tony Farr's Sho-Bud, so as you see, anything is possible to run up on. But 99 and 44/100ths of them were cable,like 100% from the factory.
Also, the fingertip Sho-Bud copied nothing in the changer department from anyone except the former employee of Sho-Bud that was on the payroll at the time, this guy named Zane Beck invented the all pull system while at Sho-Bud , for Sho-Bud. The first "all pull" built for public consumption came out as the famous , great sounding, fingertip model. Zane Beck knew he had an incredible idea at the time so he quit working for Sho-Bud and moved to Arkansas to build the fine guitar that still bears his famous name.
Domeland was just a quality copy of the Fender 1000, Don Edwards thought this was a good guitar to use as a pattern for a good quality guitar. Turned out OK too. I didn't think it was beautiful, by any stretch of the imagination, just an opinion here. I have bought and sold several over the past several years.
Don Edwards built the first light beam volume pedal, I believe, anyone correct me if I'm wrong.
Back to the cable pull guitar, It worked very well on Domeland and Bigsby. It was light, made NO noise, easy to adjust and tune, expantion and contraction was nil, someone could use this aircraft technology today and we may be better off. Now don't say how your Fender 1000 cable steel sucked, sure it did, but this was VERY low tech and used the cable in a totally different way and shouldn't be compared to these other great working cable steel guitars. Bigsby and Domeland worked great, (if Paul Bigsby, Bill Denison or Rudy Farmer set it up.).
Well, so much for history. [This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 02 September 2002 at 09:04 PM.][This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 02 September 2002 at 09:08 PM.]

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 3 Sep 2002 5:52 am

When I said "major influence" responding to Donny I meant in 1st impression styling, looks, curb appeal, etc. I'm sticking with that because when I saw that pic of the Domland, it LOOKED as if the Bigsby influenced Domland, & Domland influenced Sho-Bud in styling. Now that you mentioned Zane, I can see some Domland influence in ZB's. IT IS MY OPINION that Domland influenced the steel in styling. I myself am glad though that the styling cues stopped at the green necks, though. I don't care for those myself. Now you guys with green neck guitars don't be jumping on me now. Bobbe likes rope lights on his guitar, right Bobbe?
So, I learned nothing? WRONG Prof. Allen Wrench!
Zane Beck invented the 1st all pull changer.
(as far as you know) Don Edwards built the 1st light beam pedal.
Domland was a better Fender 1000. That's interesting to me as they look nothing alike at 1st glance.
Bigsby & Domland were cable guitars that worked well.
PSG's future might be back to cable, who knows?
Well, I wanted to learn more, & I did!

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 3 Sep 2002 2:00 pm

I have a few pictures of a Domland, even the undercarriage. I'm NOT sure if these are rods, but cables...I guess not.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 3 Sep 2002 3:16 pm

Come on now, Bobbe!

You gotta admit them Dome-Lands, er uh...Dome covers, er uh...Domlands were just a little-bit purty?

(Y'ur 'bout 'ta give 'ol Rex a complex!)

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 3 Sep 2002 3:54 pm

Too late.

Leonard G. Robertson · Post by **Leonard G. Robertson** » 3 Sep 2002 10:04 pm

My nephew purchased a Domland steel several months ago from E Bay. He aske me to string it up so he could learn to play it. It is a very heavy duty constructed guitar. It is also one of the later models made, and does have rods insted of cable. The fretboard is the prettiest portion with ruby looking material for markings.

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 4 Sep 2002 4:44 am

Thank you, LEONARD!! Now I can lose the therapist.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 4 Sep 2002 12:41 pm

The Domeland has rods? Another conversion. Any way he can get his money back? If I had any choice at all I would it want the way it came from the factory. Domeland had the cable system down well.

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 4 Sep 2002 1:02 pm

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 4 Sep 2002 2:27 pm

Rex, I have a Domeland here in the store now, because of all this discussion I 'spose,
It is natural hard maple, four inlayed strange "things" in the front,light green necks, cable pull system. Works OK, doesn't sound as good as I thought I remembered it did.
Got your message and didn't realized you actually knew her that well. You rascal Rex,

(I wouldn't argue with anyone that could carry a Domeland very far.)

Ed Webster · Post by **Ed Webster** » 6 Sep 2002 12:15 pm

I just recently caught up with the Forum again (after moving from Idaho to Oregon) and was interested to see the posts about
the "Domlind" guitar. They were built by Willy Doemeland in Denver, Colo. Willy was a student of mine in the late 50's,
when pedals were just beginning to take off and played a double neck Fender at the time (no pedals). He was fascinated by
the pedal guitar sounds so decided to build one. He was an extremely bright student and a diligent worker. I moved from
the Denver area without having seen one of his guitars but a few years later decided to get into the pedal thing myself and
bought a Doemland from a guy in Denver. Shortly after that Willy came to the west slope of Colo. where I lived for a visit.
He had an idea for a light beam pedal he was working on at that time. I had a Bigsby foot pedal and he liked the design, etc.
of it, (the solid way it was built, the bass and treble action, etc.) so he borrowed my Bigsby to make some castings and get
his light beam foot pedal put together. He sold that idea to Don Edwards of Lakewood, Colo. who produced and sold them.
I don't know any of the details of either the guitar or the pedal (and it was 45 yrs. ago but this is the way I recall it) but I remember talking with him
about the guitar at one point and he was trying to decide whether to use cables or rods, eventually using cables because he
figured they would be lighter in weight. Anyway, wanted to throw this into the mix. I played that guitar professionally for
many years and still have the brochure for it (tucked away somewhere). Willy still lives in Littleton, Colorado

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 6 Sep 2002 3:43 pm

Ed, a great touch of history on a great person,

Rex Thomas · Post by **Rex Thomas** » 7 Sep 2002 11:26 am

Thanx for your time, Ed!

bob grossman · Post by **bob grossman** » 8 Sep 2002 7:26 am

There was a guy, can't remember his name now, at St. Louis in '77 that had an "Edwards". It was a Domland with rod pulls. Tom Bradshaw has the pictures he later sent me in my former pedal guitar collection of literature/pictures.

Sage · Post by **Sage** » 8 Sep 2002 10:44 am

Bobbe, I'm going to take a swing at you on this one.

The Domland I saw in Denver was Dick Mies' guitar- maybe he can shed some light on this isssue. Anyway, it had a cross strap actuator that was very much like the old Rus-ler I had, which was in every respect (including the fretboards) a ZB custom. Even though they worked the same way on the Dom and the ZB, they were not the same parts. The Dom that I saw had turquoise necks as well. Would it not make sense that some Domlands were made in production that way, and that it would have influenced the design of the ZB/Rus-ler/custom that I had? Other than those two guitars, I have never seen a lateral pull strap system used. If they were conversions, wouldn't it be more likely that they would have bell cranks? Maybe you are right, but it seems odd that the rod pulled Domlands that are out there seem to be of similar appearance, presumably from the same time period. Are they all conversions or were some made that way? As was mentioned in the knowledgable post above, The Edwards had rods, and it was designed by Willie Doemland. Well, in a couple of months I'm relocating back to Colorado, and when I get the chance I'll look him up and ask him in person.

And Bobbe- I agree with you on the cable thing. I'd better get back to work on my cable pulls. Flat ground, pre-stretched, teflon coated braided stainless is great stuff.
T. Sage Harmos
Harmos Steel Guitars[This message was edited by Sage on 08 September 2002 at 12:03 PM.]