Your Feelings about the Multi-Kord ???

Ed Naylor · Post by **Ed Naylor** » 1 Jan 2005 12:42 pm

There are tons of issues on the forum, but, I wonder what the general opinion is about the old MULTI-KORDS. Probably many of you at one time owned or played one. I have several in my collection and at one time owned SONNY CURTIS old guitar.It would be interesting what tunings people used over the years. Maybe someone would do a CD of what a Multi-Kord could really do. Ed Naylor Steel Guitar Works.

Roger Shackelton · Post by **Roger Shackelton** » 2 Jan 2005 3:47 am

Ed, to the best of your knowledge did
Multi-Kord build any 10 string guitars?

Roger[This message was edited by Roger Shackelton on 02 January 2005 at 03:48 AM.]

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 2 Jan 2005 4:31 am

Ed I owned a Multi Chord in the late 50s. The thing I remember most about it was the cast metal body. If I brought it in from the cold outdoors, the tuning drifted A LOT.
I didn't keep it long. I traded it to Bobby Caldwell shortly after I got it (maybe that's why he rarely answers my emails.)
At that time, I did not know anyone who knew anything about pedals. I only used the B/G# raise (ala Isaacs)...........JD

Ed Naylor · Post by **Ed Naylor** » 2 Jan 2005 6:26 am

Roger- I don't think they ever built a 10 string.I have some 8's in my collection and also one of the METAL jobs.This may sound odd, but , I have never taken the time to set the metal one up. With all the metal it probably does have a lot of tuning problems. Anyhow- this is all part of the EVOLUTION of Steel Guitar.What is in the future???? nobody knows.Ed

Danny James · Post by **Danny James** » 2 Jan 2005 10:10 am

Ed, I have 4 Multi-Kords. One is an old cast aluminum that I've had since I was 10yrs old. Temperature does effect it. I also have 2 six string 6pedal, and 0ne 8string six pedal. I play one of the 6string 6pedal all the time. I started out at Harlins in Indy. in 1948. To the best of my knowledge they never marketed anything with more than 8 strings. Jay Harlin, the inventor, however did have a custom built 15pedal 6string that I have seen & heard him play many times.
Personally I like playing mine and I like the tone as do a lot of people. I use an open low bass A tuning, then for the pedals A6th--D7th with added 9th--C6th--Emi.--E7th---C#7th.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 5 Jan 2005 2:16 pm

My experience on them is very limited, but they did sound pretty decent. It was kinda sloppy compared to today's models, but since it was the first pedal steel, I made allowances for the mechanics. I'm sure a good player today, given time to adjust, might impress more than a few with it's capabilities.

Definitely not a good "beginner's guitar", though!

Danny James · Post by **Danny James** » 5 Jan 2005 6:16 pm

I certainly can't argue with Donney that they are sloppy compared to todays instruments. I have thought for a long time that they should have put their changer on the end and the pedals across the front with 3/16 rods instead of cables. A double neck 10 string with pedals on both necks would have been a great improvement too. They also needed a sturdier leg system.
In my opinion the best thing about them is the changer, in that any or all strings can be raised or lowered in any combination to a different tuning in a matter of minutes on each pedal. I don't know of any steels being made today with that capability. If anyone out there does know of a quality steel guitar being made today with that capability please let us know.
God Bless,
Danny

Farris Currie · Post by **Farris Currie** » 5 Jan 2005 8:28 pm

Multi-chord,man i could write a book on those things and my learning to play on them.i started in early 60s with home made 6string laps.then step up put legs on them.i was takeing lessons from a man MAURICE YAGLE who came from that part of the country somewhere up there.he knew the Harlins ect.they cost new at that time around 300.dollars.finally i was able to buy one,and a cracker box amp.i tryed everything to get that thing to sound like the records,and it just wouldn't!thats about the time Buck Owens came out with Together again.i went to my teacher with the record,and said how is Tom doing that.he said oh those guys are just good.i said bull Sxxt,theres more to it.my guitar ain't no good.so i ordered another multi-chord,mother pearl,6st.and 4 peds.same thing nothing.i could play Porter Wagner,and pretty Miss Norma Jean, Let go all the way.but not the other pretty stuff.not noing one thing more,i went to searching,found fender,but they wanted 800.for one then.and that was out of the question.so i struggled on.i quit taking lesson in 64,hell i was teaching the teacher and was paying 3.00 a wk.lessons!!in 1966 my dads house burned,so we were broker!!i went to Bradenton Fl.got a job in a machine shop.trained for 8yrs.on machinery all kinds.while i was there i built the first 10string i had ever seen.was it cruel,yes.3/16 steel end plates chromed,pipe legs chromed ect.didn't even know how to tune it when i got it built!i came up with the high g sharp string somehow,and thought i was a star.then i had to learn about split pedals.ect.finally a music store showed me a picture of a shobud in 1969.they said you had to buy direct.so i got the phone number.

I placed my first order in 1970,1600.00 dollars for volume ped.seat whole setup.went out on the job.next night after it came in!!hahaha what a noise that must have been!!!
OK,back to multicord,i tryed to tune that rascal.E tuning,and pull to A they won't do it,they lower fine,but would not pull up worth a darn.they were good in there day,but boys those days are gone!!no split tuning,just change chords thats all.well i'm not going on,but don't get involved for any country style playing!! farris

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 6 Jan 2005 7:09 am

I had one of those when I first got out of the army in '63. I bought it from an old man for 50 bucks. Mine was the 6 string, 4 pedal job and did that thing wiggle when played. The old guy I bought it from called it "The Galloping Goose" which just about described the thing. I was playing lead guitar all the time then and had played some lap steel so I just tuned mine to an open E chord and had the two pedals to make an A chord and I think one to lower the 3rds to make a minor. I don't remember ever using the 4th pedal for anything. I had it for about a year and did "Sleepwalk" and "Steel Guitar Rag" on the thing with the band. I finally sold it to a Left handed guitar player named "Lefty" Mayo out in Los Angeles who changed it around with the pickup and fret board and made a left handed steel out of the thing. I agree with the good things someone said about the changer's possibilities. I think the Fender PS-210 had something similar....JH

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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.

Danny James · Post by **Danny James** » 6 Jan 2005 10:49 am

The thing with the Multi-Kord is it was developed and popular when Hawaiian music was at it's peak. It was labeled as a Hawaiian pedal guitar, not a country steel. I don't know of Harlin Bros. the inventors, being in business beyond the 60's. Most of the developement of country steels as we know them today have been since then.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 6 Jan 2005 11:44 am

Danny-You are right about that, the Changer was the best part of it.

I bought a Multi-kord changer head from Jay Harlan in Indanapolisin around 1954 for $50.00.

Then I built a good guitar with the changer head in it. I made it 14 strings and the changer was used in the middle.

I played it for ten years on lots of jobs. It played real well and stayed in tune pretty good with the lock nuts on the tuning screws.

A lot better that my old pre-WWII Gibson 6 pedal 8 string Electra-Harp, same as the one Alvino Rey had and was playing it in 1942. I am pretty sure that was the first professional Pedal guitaar.

I had mine on a thick hard maple slab with a a sheet of steel screwed underneath it for strength. Solid pedals and Pedalrods.

Two staggered 6 string guitar pickups.[that's all I could get in those days]

I had it so I could disassemble it.

But all I ever did was take the right leg unit off and it fit in any trunk. It had a couple of bolts in the wood and use two removable knureled nuts.

You can see a picture of it on my Website, a black lean and mean machine....al

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My Website..... www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/

[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 06 January 2005 at 11:48 AM.]

Danny James · Post by **Danny James** » 6 Jan 2005 12:31 pm

Correction---Harlins Bros. & their Multi-Kord were in business until the early 80"s
Sorry!
I do want to say the changer on my Multi-Kord is capable of raising a string high enough it will either break or not come back to original pitch. When I go to a c6th tuning the most I raise any string is 3 frets. On the fourth string I raise from an E to a G and I have no problems either raising or lowering.

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 7 Jan 2005 6:33 am

Mine had a natural finish cabinet,w/ brown plastic covers on either side. I've seen pics of one w/ a "mother of toilet seat" finish,& red covers. Wished I coulda had that one. Mine was 6 strings,w/ 4 peds. The only couple of things that I didn't like about mine was the fact that it had cables instead of pull rods,(I think I kept them in business w/ ordering them) & that damn tuning tool. (screwdriver/nutdriver combo). I lost mine once,& had to order another. Couldn't tune the damn thing until it came. This was in the early 50's. I have one recording (78 acetate) w/ it,that we did at the local radio station we were performing on at the time. Overall,it was a fair piece of musical equipment for its time,except for the 2 items mentioned above. It was shortly after that,that I got the s-8 w/ 6 Gibson Electraharp. It had rods instead of cables,but they were about the size (diam.)of coat hangers.

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com</pre>

Danny James · Post by **Danny James** » 7 Jan 2005 10:12 am

Your right Smiley, about the cables and the screw/nut driver.
I replaced the crossbars underneath the changer with steel ones on my Multi-Kord, then made 3/16 pedal rods that just snap in place. That solved the cable breakage problem. I make the screw/nut driver assemblies in my shop now if anyone needs one. I also made aluminum cross braces on the legs on the pedal end which firmed things up a bit.

Ed Naylor · Post by **Ed Naylor** » 7 Jan 2005 11:46 am

Just received a tape of music of MULTI-KORD. Sounds great. I won't reveal the name yet, maybe they would do a CD. Do most Multi-Kord players use the pedals for a "CHORD CHANGE" ? Maybe we can have a International MULTI-KORD get together in Indiana sometime. Ed

Danny James · Post by **Danny James** » 9 Jan 2005 9:14 am

Do most Multi-Kord players use pedals for chord change?
I use pedals mostly to be able to coincide the chords with the melody note being played. ie 2,3,up to 6 strings played at once,--- melody note, and with the other strings as harmony notes within the designated chord.

Ed Naylor · Post by **Ed Naylor** » 9 Jan 2005 9:29 am

Maybe a Multi-Kord would be the perfect "Thumbpickin" instrument. ?????? ED

Armon Childers · Post by **Armon Childers** » 14 Jan 2005 4:10 pm

I baught a d2+6+4 in the earley 50th.i lived in mishswaka i.never did learn how to play it . some of the time BIG E would come over to my house play it boy he would make that thing sing. i played the bar's. i sold it about 40 years later.but i have a d8+4+2 now i still can't play but i love to try. Dannt boy i like that tape yosent me why don't you put it on a cd. ED Danny real good on that Wulti-Kod.i have a multi- kord; a fender400. a zb 10+3+2 Armon

Stephen Gregory · Post by **Stephen Gregory** » 14 Jan 2005 8:49 pm

I spray painted mine black and it sounded just like an Emmons.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 15 Jan 2005 7:43 am

Stephen, now that's funny!!!

i could play Porter Wagner,and pretty Miss Norma Jean, Let go all the way.

Farris, I wonder how many players (like you and I) thought that at first a pedal steel was playin' that stuff!

I was sorta surprised when I saw Buck Trent and his electric banjo were responsible for those "early pedal steel" sounds![This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 15 January 2005 at 07:45 AM.]

Armon Childers · Post by **Armon Childers** » 15 Jan 2005 4:21 pm

when i painted my buddy did not have one
Armon

Farris Currie · Post by **Farris Currie** » 15 Jan 2005 5:53 pm

yep,right Donnie,but wasn't it fun!!could fill the dance floors to.i still like to get my hands on another one.great days man
and a cracker box amp to go with it.
farris