How many own a Remington non-pedal steel ?

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 9 Dec 2013 7:37 am

I have been looking around at non-pedal steels and those sure are nice looking...remind me alot of the old fenders. I wouldnt mind finding a good used double neck, but you dont see them come up for sale often...probably a good sign...people get one and hang on to it. I was curious how many of you owned a Remington steel and if so, if they would post pictures. Has there been a thread about showing us your Remingtons ? Thanks in advance.

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 9 Dec 2013 11:18 am

I love my 1991 Double 8. I bought it from Gruhn's website a couple of years ago. It came with a letter in the case from Herb Remington, himself.

Frank Welsh · Post by **Frank Welsh** » 9 Dec 2013 3:32 pm

I got this new from Herb about 2 years ago and play it every day and have recorded with it a lot. With a 22 1/2 inch scale and George L's E-66 pickups, it sounds great through my Roland Cube 60. It has a powerful thick tone with a complex edge to it and can get very bright if the tone control is turned all the way up but I generally tone it down for Hawaiian music. I have a C13 on the inside neck and a B11th on the outside and frequently leave both necks on to jump around a bit during the course of a tune.

Its funny, but this guitar "invites" me to play a lot of pop and jazz standards in addition to my normal Hawaiian repertoire, noticeably more so than other non-pedal steels I've owned. I attribute this somewhat to the almost horn-like fat sound you can get with the right touch and amp settings.

A wonderful instrument, very sturdy, and it was good to chat with Herb when I ordered it...he is a real gentleman.

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 10 Dec 2013 5:24 am

I have one, and it's the best sounding steel to my ears I've ever had, non-pedal or pedal. Sustain to die for and tone to the bone, and I've never had anything hold pitch like it does. I can't remember ever owning any instrument that was so hard to put down when I started playing it as my Remington--perhaps my Beard MA, but not sure if that even does what the Remington does for me.

Peter Graham · Post by **Peter Graham** » 10 Dec 2013 5:50 am

1st post as a new member and I am delighted it's about the Remington. Played lap for the 1st time this July, (National 6 string), went to the D8 Steelmaster after 2 months and was traumatized by the close strings!!
I thought the action on the neck was very nice but having little experience I'm not sure how it compare to other Steels. I really want to hear more about peoples thoughts on this Beautiful Instrument.

Joshua Clements · Post by **Joshua Clements** » 10 Dec 2013 9:14 am

I recently bought a single neck SteelMaster from another forum member and have been nothing but impressed with it. From the sound to the playability, it is incredible. Going from a 50's Teisco lap steel and Regal resonator, the string spacing took a little getting used to, but other than that, no complaints. Also, I have spoken with Mr. Herb several times and he is always helpful and a wealth of knowledge to a budding young steel player.

c c johnson · Post by **c c johnson** » 11 Dec 2013 3:10 am

I?ve had a Remington since they startd making them, excellant guitars. "Pake"

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 11 Dec 2013 7:05 am

I have to admit that my Remington is like a drug addiction to me. My office is in my home, and I have to keep my Remington in the case and far out of reach when I'm working or I won't get anything done. Even now, I'm having a hard time not getting it out and playing it, just thinking about it. The tone is so rich that I can't get enough of it, and I've had it since the beginning of June, and it just doesn't get old. I've never had that happen with any other instrument. It's pathetic, really.

Paul Seager · Post by **Paul Seager** » 11 Dec 2013 7:51 am

I'm looking at your photo's with envy but I also noticed that the pickup looks to be quite a distance from the bridge. I have a Ricky DW16 with horseshoes and those pick-ups are set way back almost on the bridge. Even photos I've seen of Stringmasters seem to have the back pickup set right by the bridge.

I've read comments from Forum members about other instruments where a commom "complaint" to their instrument's tone is that pick up is too far forward. Given all your enthusiasm I guess this is not affecting your playing or tonal pleasure zones but can anyone give me a written, descriptive comparison of "My Remi is like my Ricky", is it more of a PSG sound than a Steel, etc.?

Frank Welsh · Post by **Frank Welsh** » 11 Dec 2013 8:10 am

Webb Kline wrote:I have to admit that my Remington is like a drug addiction to me. My office is in my home, and I have to keep my Remington in the case and far out of reach when I'm working or I won't get anything done. Even now, I'm having a hard time not getting it out and playing it, just thinking about it. The tone is so rich that I can't get enough of it, and I've had it since the beginning of June, and it just doesn't get old. I've never had that happen with any other instrument. It's pathetic, really.

Webb, you have just described my response to the Remington perfectly. I have never had such an addictive instrument and it has caused me to neglect my standard six-string guitars which I also love. I have a very difficult time walking away from it when it's time to do something else.

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 11 Dec 2013 8:27 am

I think the pup position has a lot to do with the tone. It's not a screamer, just a very rich buttery tone, and very powerful. That and it's a heavy hunk of ash. I can strum it unplugged and it is still vibrating 2 minutes later--incredible sustain.

Frank Welsh · Post by **Frank Welsh** » 11 Dec 2013 8:36 am

Paul Seager wrote:I'm looking at your photo's with envy but I also noticed that the pickup looks to be quite a distance from the bridge. I have a Ricky DW16 with horseshoes and those pick-ups are set way back almost on the bridge. Even photos I've seen of Stringmasters seem to have the back pickup set right by the bridge.

I've read comments from Forum members about other instruments where a commom "complaint" to their instrument's tone is that pick up is too far forward. Given all your enthusiasm I guess this is not affecting your playing or tonal pleasure zones but can anyone give me a written, descriptive comparison of "My Remi is like my Ricky", is it more of a PSG sound than a Steel, etc.?

Paul, when I played Fenders primarily, I thought that the bridge pickups on the Stringmaster, Deluxe 6 and Deluxe 8 were much too shrill by themselves and I always used the blend controls to get some or all of the inner pickup to give more "body" to the sound. I understand that the placement of the Remington's pickup (mine came with George L E66 pickups) was carefully done based on trial and error and does give this guitar the ability to get a very full tone. I also have a Carter U12 pedal steel with a George L pickup and the Carter and the Remington do not sound the same tonewise even when I play the Carter in the Bb6 or A6th aspects of it's universal tuning to simulate a 6th type of Hawaiian tuning.

Frank Welsh · Post by **Frank Welsh** » 11 Dec 2013 8:47 am

Just for reference here is a picture showing the positions of the George L pickups on the Carter pedal steel and the Remington.

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 11 Dec 2013 8:55 am

Frank Welsh wrote: I understand that the placement of the Remington's pickup (mine came with George L E66 pickups) was carefully done based on trial and error and does give this guitar the ability to get a very full tone. I also have a Carter U12 pedal steel with a George L pickup and the Carter and the Remington do not sound the same tonewise even when I play the Carter in the Bb6 or A6th aspects of it's universal tuning to simulate a 6th type of Hawaiian tuning.

I had a GFI D10 that was the same. I can't say the GFI didn't sound good. It was a fine guitar, but I've always been a huge BL 705 fan, and I never connected with the George L's on the GFI. In fact, when I bought the Remi, I figured I would replace the George L, but there is no way I'm touching anything that sounds this sacred. It doesn't matter what I play it through either. I can run it direct to the PA and it sounds wonderful, but of course through my custom shopped 69 Fender twin with Altecs, I could probably destroy the world with it without much trouble.

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 11 Dec 2013 9:01 am

Frank Welsh wrote:Just for reference here is a picture showing the positions of the George L pickups on the Carter pedal steel and the Remington.

I never gave it much thought before, but that has to have a lot to do with the tone difference--solid ash aside.

Ron Taylor · Post by **Ron Taylor** » 11 Dec 2013 1:17 pm

New member here; hello to all! This is the D8 I bought used about 4 years back. Inspired by Leon McAuliffe, I wanted to learn how to play a couple of Bob Wills tunes. Seemed as if a guitar by Mr. Remington would be the way to go, and boy was I not disappointed! This has amazing sound, different to my ears than any guitar I've heard before (of course I am inexperienced). I've been playing it through this little Kustom 12Amp practice amp with a tube in the pre-amp, and the combination of the two has an unusual shimmery sound at times. Also sounds awesome through the much more powerful Roland Cube 80XL, but I like the sound with the Kustom (clean channel), using a Holy Grail+ for reverb, and George L's cables.

Sorry the photos are a bit blurry; wifey was trying to go without the flash on these (to minimize glare). Someone was selling one recently on the Forum for a very reasonable price, but there does not seem to be a lot of them that come available. FYI, only one Remington is made per month on average, and there are only a few hundred of these Steelmasters in existence, counting all different configurations. No living steel player, to my knowledge, has a pedigree going back further than Herb Remington (started with Bob Wills' Texas Playboys in 1947, a band in existence since the early to mid 1930's). Herb was a consultant to Leo Fender in the design of the Stringmaster, as I understand it. Herb's place in the pantheon of steel players is secure, and his non-pedal guitars are pretty rare (he also used to make PSG's too). I've never doubted this purchase; I'd advise you to get one if you can.

BTW, other brands of new high end non-pedal guitars include GeorgeBoards, Clinesmith, Sierra, and Asher. Also MSA I think. They all look very nice, but I haven't heard them; they are well reviewed and well loved, from what I can tell. And there are other nice new ones too. If you want a see a beautiful LOOKING guitar, check the Sierras (probably sounds great, too).

Peter Graham · Post by **Peter Graham** » 11 Dec 2013 5:40 pm

I knew I found a Gem with my Remington, but I didn't realize how many of you felt the same way. A week after I got it (Sept) I called a # from Herbs Site on a Saturday afternoon to ask about the "Fun Tab" CD, thought I'd get a voice mail, Herb answered the Phone,
we ended up talking for 45 mins. This man is a National Treasure.

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 12 Dec 2013 5:16 am

Mine came without a case, and I emailed the Remington site to see about getting one. About two hours later, I received a call from Herb, himself! What a treat that was.

The guy who builds the cases also now cuts the blanks out for Herb, as I don't think he is supposed to be around the dust any more. He said that Herb builds 10 a year and has been doing it, if I remember correctly, since 1985.

Just honor of owning a guitar hand built from such an icon is a privilege, but the fact that it sounds and plays this well is a tribute to his legacy as one of the great masters of the instrument. I honestly believe that if this guitar sounded any better, my head would explode.

Ron Taylor · Post by **Ron Taylor** » 12 Dec 2013 8:16 am

Webb, you're right about it being a privelege to own one of these instruments. National Treausure, indeed!

Peter, the the sound of these guitars is truly incredible. I have the Fun Tab sheets, and I was also the first to buy the CD that goes with it. I confess that I haven't used the CD as much as I might have, but I have worked extensively on the songs on the sheets. Its the basis of the little "repertoire" of songs which I've learned for my own amusement. The music of Bob Wills was my reason to start learning steel in the first place, and Fun Tab has a bunch of the classics included. I keep one neck on A6, per Herb's copedant; its basically like C6, with the same intervals (Herb told me that A6 is more useful than C6, but I can't articulate the reasons he mentioned). The front neck is set to the tuning for one of the Fun Tab songs, Boot Heel Drag (C # minor I think?). Boot Heel Drag is a lot of fun, sliding on the low notes. Its the only song I know for that tuning, but I try to play some of the others on there too, just to make me think about other ways to play songs. I definitely recommend the Fun Tab sheets, and the CD is great too. I just need to work more on coordinating myself with the guitar and the CD player, in order to play along with the desired track. I hope you get a lot of learning and enjoyment out of Fun Tab!

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 13 Dec 2013 2:54 pm

Well I can now add my name to this list. I dont have it yet, it will be here next week, but I am lucky to have found one. Here is a picture of it. I am pretty excited about it !!

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 14 Dec 2013 11:46 am

Larry Lenhart wrote:Well I can now add my name to this list. I dont have it yet, it will be here next week, but I am lucky to have found one. Here is a picture of it. I am pretty excited about it !!

That's exactly like mine. It's like a drug addiction. I can't leave it alone. You'll love it. My next will be a double, but I'll never sell this one because I can take it with me anywhere and play it. I even play it while watching TV.

Larry Lenhart · Post by **Larry Lenhart** » 14 Dec 2013 3:58 pm

Yes I could see wanting a double neck. I am down sizing my Carter D10 with 9/7 to a Zum Encore in a few months and will use the Remington for my C6th stuff.

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 14 Dec 2013 8:55 pm

Larry Lenhart wrote:Yes I could see wanting a double neck. I am down sizing my Carter D10 with 9/7 to a Zum Encore in a few months and will use the Remington for my C6th stuff.

This is all I am using now besides my Beard MA. I've always wanted to learn how to do it without pedals, and I think going retro like this, with the knowledge I've gained over the years as a pedaler is making it pretty easy. I'm a piano player too, and I put my Remi on my 2nd tier of my keyboard stand and bounce back and forth between piano and steel. There is very little at this point where I miss even my E9. I'm quickly learning to compensate on C6. It is far more versatile than I ever realized in all my years of playing pedal guitars.

I've never had people compliment me on the tone of my steel like I do with this one. I'm not even sure what other tuning I would use for the swing band. I like E13 and 9, and the B11 has some merit, but I think I would just go with A6 because I can seen its advantages in some keys. I'm going to have an 8 string reso built and it will be A6.

Frank Welsh · Post by **Frank Welsh** » 15 Dec 2013 7:06 am

Webb, A6th is, of course, only one note away from a version of B11 by tuning the 5th string (E) down to D#.

B11th is a chord and melody monster and I use it for about half of my current repertoire including accompanyments for a vocalist.

Herb, who uses A6th on his single neck, told me he occasionally uses B11th (e.g. for "Sand")and it's easy to see the advantage of A6th as your basic tuning for a single neck guitar.

Webb Kline · Post by **Webb Kline** » 15 Dec 2013 7:14 am

Frank Welsh wrote:Webb, A6th is, of course, only one note away from a version of B11 by tuning the 5th string (E) down to D#.

B11th is a chord and melody monster and I use it for about half of my current repertoire including accompanyments for a vocalist.

Herb, who uses A6th on his single neck, told me he occasionally uses B11th (e.g. for "Sand")and it's easy to see the advantage of A6th as your basic tuning for a single neck guitar.

That's interesting, Frank. I've been tuning my 6 string to B11 and experimenting with it, but it hadn't yet dawned on me that it was that close to A6, but I see that it obviously is. I guess that's all the more reason why I will go with A6, so I can quickly make that transition. I may just buy another single and use them together. After all, weight was one of my primary reasons fro trying to do this without a pedal guitar. Thanks for the tip.