A Poor Man's Stringmaster - Guyatone D-8

[Eddie Cunningham]

Congrats Doug , the Gods have not only given you extreme natural talent but also dropped that beautiful Guya D-8 steel into your lap !!! & God bless your wonderful friend !!! I wish I lived closer so I could see and play that guitar !! Good luck with everything in your future !! -- I was very happy with my D-8 DW-16 Rick till I saw your Guya !!! the olde geezer - AKA Eddie "C"

[Doug Beaumier]

Thanks Eddie! I saw and heard your Rick D-8 at the Rhode Island steel show a few years ago and it's a beautiful guitar. Those guitars have a unique sound, very warm. A lot of players like them more than the Stringmasters. I remember you had a very rare changer mechanism on yours. Something like the Rowe Stringtone, but bigger and more complex, as I remember. Cheers... GO SOX!

[John RJ Wilson]

John, it sounds as if you're prepared for the worst instead of expecting the best. Wait until you have the instrument in hand and have played it a while before deciding whether to upgrade or replace any part of the instrument.

Hi,
All seems well with the Lap Steel.I'm really impressed. The pots both work despite being bent!!!. I think it is caused by the legs.bumping the guitar in the case. I will try and get my tech to carefully straighten them, because they seem like good pots, gradually increase in volume on the volume pot, not nothing till 8 then everything to 10, and the tone control actually has an effect on tone! A bit scratchy on the tone, but nothing a small terminal cleaner spray wont fix. The knobs will have to go though, no slot locator and loose. The thing sustains for ever. Nice stable string platform, I like them pretty tight. Tuned to slack G DGDGBD. Don't think one of the pickups is reverse wound hum cancelling, because there is some hum, but only really a problem at full volume. The only thing I do not like is the switch arrangement. Looks like the pots are only on or soft, but there is no off. I might add a switch, Anyhoo, really just wanted to say all was well and should be good when I really get down to a good cleaning. Need to make a case though, stop those legs moving about in the soft case. Plenty of small dings, but shows a history, however the zip of the really tightly shaped case has formed a zipper mark in one corner. I'm well pleased. It is much heavier than I tought it would be.
Somebody please correctly explain the switch set up, and a manual would be handy.
Cheers.

[Doug Beaumier]

John, glad to hear that you got the Guyatone and you like it. What you have is basically a copy or a "reinterpretation" of a Fender Deluxe 6. I had one of those about a dozen years ago. A nice sounding guitar with a very cutting tone. I played it on a few of my gigs and it played very well. The switches seem to be the weak link in those guitars. They're kind of light-duty, kind of flimsy. As I remember they are just on/off switches for each pickup. If they are not working properly try lifting the switch plate and spray some cleaner on the underside of the switches and flick them back and forth about 50 times. That usually does wonders!
The soft case is not original. It's too bad the seller didn't wrap the legs in bubble wrap to keep them from scratching the body. Regarding the "bent" pots...? If you mean that the shafts are bent, I wouldn't try to straighten them. They might snap off or you might otherwise damage the pot. If it works I'd say leave it as is. Enjoy your Guyatone!

[John RJ Wilson]

Thanks Doug, i'll take all that under consideration

[Doug Beaumier]

I just picked up a nudder one. This would be a "poor man's Deluxe 8". Probably 1950s. I love the color!
The pics were taken before I did any clean-up on the guitar.

[Dennis Smith]

Doug, nice guitar. The string spaceing looks wide for a 8 string, is it?

[Doug Beaumier]

Yes, Guyatones have wider string spacing than other 8-string steels. That's one of the things I like about them. The spacing is noticeably wider than the Fender Stringmaster.

[Alan Brookes]

Me too. I have wide fingers and, to me, the spacing of strings on most steel guitars, especially pedal steels, could do with being wider. According to an earlier post from Buddy Emmons, that came about when they switched from 8-string to 10-string pedal steels and decided to keep using the same neck width.

I have the same problem on regular guitar. I wish they would build Jumbos and Solid Electrics with classical-width fingerboards. I think I'll build one. The solution I've used so far I got from Chet Atkins; a classical guitar with a piazzo pickup played through an amplifier.

[Stephen Abruzzo]

Doug...I love the white switches on your new Guyatone 8. Everytime I see those switches I think of Hound Dog Taylor...he had a non-descript Japanese made git that had 4 switches on it I think.

I'd love to hear your new Guyatone 8. Maybe post a clip? What tuning do you have it in.?

[G Strout]

Doug,
Just as a curiosity what is the sting spacing on the Guyatone? Remembering the one I purchased from you a few years back..... it was very wide....and comfortable once you got accustomed to the grips.
Gary

[Doug Beaumier]

Gary, it's 3/8" at the bridge and very slightly under 3/8" at the nut. There is no noticeable taper from bridge to nut. It's very comfortable for bar slants. When I went from my D-8 Guyatone to a Stringmaster I was surprised at how close the strings were at the nut on the Stringmaster. Eventually I got used to it though.

Stephen, the tuning is C6 (with high G). That's my favorite tuning nowadays, and that tuning was on the guitar when it arrived! So it was just plug in and play. I'll probably do a video with this guitar in the future. I have some other projects to finish up and I'd also like to record a video with the D-8 G'tone I recently acquired. So many guitars, so little time.

[John RJ Wilson]

Congrats, nice to see another colour other than buttermilk. Have you had the control plate off yet? If so are any of the wires shielded? Do you have any microphony or earth hum? my 6 string is very alive.

[Doug Beaumier]

I haven't explored inside yet, but the sound is very lively, bright, clear, a voice-like quality. Hard to describe, but when I played it for the other teachers at the studio they loved it!

[Doug Beaumier]

Here's a quick, short demo I made today using my 8-string Guyatone lap steel. It's a nameless BIAB shuffle. It's not perfect, but it gives you an idea of the tone. No amp, recorded direct.

CLICK on the PICTURE to watch the Video!

[Stephen Abruzzo]

Fabulous tone on that Guyatone.....real nice playing Doug.

[Doug Beaumier]

Thanks Stephan. It's an interesting tone, that's for sure. Different. thanks again.

[Alan Brookes]

I think that posting shows once and for all that you don't need processors to get a good sound if you have the talent in your hands.

[Andy Volk]

Some guitar seem to lose steam in the upper register but this retains its sparkle (in no small part due to Doug's impeccable technique).

[Doug Beaumier]

Thanks for the kind replies. Yes, this guitar has a unique tone, a lot of highs, but not in a shrill way. And kind of a nasal tone, if there is such a thing.

[C. E. Jackson]

Doug, enjoyed the video.

C. E.

[Doug Beaumier]

Thanks C.E., the video is on the Guyatone facebook page now --> Click

[Alan Brookes]

...the video is on the Guyatone Facebook page now.
https://www.facebook.com/Guyatone

I didn't even know there was a Guyatone Facebook page.

[Doug Beaumier]

Yes, just what the world needs... another facebook page.

[Jim Williams]

I'm strongly considering buying a six string guyatone but it has some differences than the 8 string has above. It does not have the gold foil type pickups, or if it does it has a cover over them or something. The pickups have squares underneath each string.

Also the fret markers are roman numeral type and not the Guyatone "G"

Is this likely older or newer than Doug's? Would sound be as good? (Considering I can't play anything like Doug