dekley guitars

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 18 Aug 2006 7:11 am

just wondering. who still plays a dekley p.s.g these days and why. had one for a short time back in the 80's had good tone but,traded it for a shobud. i, know jim smith still does. let's here from you all...

paul wade

Dan Beller-McKenna · Post by **Dan Beller-McKenna** » 18 Aug 2006 7:52 am

I got back into palying steel last year following a 20+year lay off. I picked up a used Carter Starter to make sure I really was inetrested again, then went looking for something more substantial. I picked up a Dekley S-10 on Ebay and couldn't be happier with it for my needs. It stays in tune, has pretty good tone/sustain, and is easy to work on. I've ordered a new Fessenden beacuase I would like a lacquer finish, modern mechanism guitar, but I will hold on to the Dekley if I can. Don't want to be posting in fifteen years saying, "I ownded one a while back and wish I'd held on to it."

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Dan Beller-McKenna
Big Red
Durham, NH

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 18 Aug 2006 8:44 am

This was taken a couple years ago, before the haircut, at a Burning Man decompression concert. I'm playing with a rock/metal/noise? band.

The guitar has had a lot of modifications.

johnopsg · Post by **johnopsg** » 18 Aug 2006 9:42 am

I too have a D-10 like the one pictured....it is heavy, but it has been reliable, and with no mechnaical issues for a very long time. Mine has 9 pedals, and 6 levers...I changed out the levers, as I machined all new ones that fit better, and worked out for me. It is my outdoors guitar.
I have/use other lacquer, all wood steels, but I keep them out of the dust, and rain, etc. I've owned three Dekley steels, and I liked them all.

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John E. O'Neill

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 18 Aug 2006 9:54 am

Dekley Student (3 & 4)
Dekley Model 001 S-10 (3 & 4)
Dekley D-10 (8 & 4)

Been flailin' away at the D-10 since Christmas.

Also have the Emmons LG II SD-10 (3 & 4) but I keep it in the case and only bring it out for "special occasions".

Bill Stroud · Post by **Bill Stroud** » 18 Aug 2006 10:08 am

I have a double 12 9 floors and 9 knees, it sounds great and plays well also. On the heavy side, but it's all there.
Jim Smith built it I beleive when he was working with Jim Gurley.
It is coffee Sunburst, solid birdseye maple, inlaids and all, anyone wanting to see this steel email me and I'll send some pictures.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 18 Aug 2006 10:31 am

Played a Dekley D-10 for around 16 years and sold it because I wanted something new.

Bought another a couple of years ago as a project and completely rebuilt it. It had a great tone,easy to play,good sustain but too dang heavy to gig with so I sold it.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 18 Aug 2006 10:46 am

Yeah I've got a D12 10+6 which is now my main guitar. It sounds as heavy as it is. I'm really getting in shape schlepping that thing around.

Chas...It looks like you took the Paka Wood necks off yours. How else did you modify it?[This message was edited by Rick Schmidt on 18 August 2006 at 11:49 AM.]

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 18 Aug 2006 11:02 am

chas yea ,how did you change that dekley??

bill, i like to see some of your pix's on that dekley d-12

p.w

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 18 Aug 2006 6:41 pm

This D-12, #212-0023, guitar has a lot of mileage on it. I bought it around 20 years ago from Herb Remington. The first thing I did was make aluminum necks, change the changer to be more of a "bolt-on", weld the bridge to the key head bars and tie them together, then bolt them into the ends of the neck, so that the entire neck and keyhead are an integral unit. I welded the endplates to the corners and on the changer end, welded a piece across the bottom to make it an integral unit. I played it for a number of years until I got a D-11 pushpull.

A number of years ago I started working with a metal/noise band and the traditional tunings didn't work very well. I added Carvin active/passive electronics to the George L 5-way pickups.

And since I didn't need pedals or knees on the C-neck, it's mostly C's and G's with the bottom 2 strings .090 each, I filled in the end plate for the electronics.

I still have the E9 changes available, on the top neck, but it is going to get another tuning setup, probably and E diatonic for 8 or 9 strings with "power chord" stuff for the other 3 or 4. I glued fender washers to the wood top plate and used hard washers to secure the necks to the top plate.

[This message was edited by chas smith on 21 August 2006 at 10:21 AM.]

Mike Baldwin · Post by **Mike Baldwin** » 18 Aug 2006 8:58 pm

I just started playing PSG this year and now own two of them. Tone,sustain are great and they stay in tune forever.

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 18 Aug 2006 10:09 pm

I still play my S-10 "Slimline" to this day! The ONLY thing I replaced on it,since I got it new in '78,was 3 nylon pedal tuners! (& occasionally,a set of strings. the key word being "occasionally".) Its an amazing piece of machinery! Too bad they went outta business. It seems that,when Jim Smith,& Jerry Fessenden left,the whole damn place went to hell.

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

[This message was edited by Smiley Roberts on 18 August 2006 at 11:19 PM.]

Geir Arne Boska · Post by **Geir Arne Boska** » 21 Aug 2006 5:22 am

Hey guys,
I have a Dekley SD-10 3+4. The history tells that his guitar was originally built for Sarah Jory, and owned by Egil Skjelnes here in Norway. Nice guitar.. solid as a rock ... and ditto havvvy

I don't know exactly what year it was built, and if someone knows... I would be really happy to hear.

Best regards
Geir

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Dekley SD-10, Fender Steel King, Peavey Tubefex, Peavey Classic 120/120, 2x12 Peavey Cabinets, Goodrich 120

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 21 Aug 2006 5:44 am

geir,

acorrding to the dekley catalog that i have :

A: model 110-0007

b: 110s-0007 a: model numbers until 12/31/79

b: model numbers after 12/31/79 s= slimline.

hope this helps.
p.w

Geir Arne Boska · Post by **Geir Arne Boska** » 22 Aug 2006 2:21 am

Paul,
Thank you very much for that info

I've been trying to locate the serial no, but I can't find it. Do you know where it's placed?

Geir

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Dekley SD-10, Fender Steel King, Peavey Tubefex, Peavey Classic 120/120, 2x12 Peavey Cabinets, Goodrich 120

Bill Moore · Post by **Bill Moore** » 22 Aug 2006 5:10 am

Chas, that is some beautiful work on your Dekley. I love the neck/fretboard. Thanks for sharing the photos.

Jimmy Gibson · Post by **Jimmy Gibson** » 22 Aug 2006 6:08 am

I have D12 Dekley,plays great sounds superb,and is the most trouble free steel i have evar had...BUT IT IS BL#';DY heavey.hope the pictures come out ok..

JG[This message was edited by Jimmy Gibson on 23 August 2006 at 01:54 PM.][This message was edited by Jimmy Gibson on 23 August 2006 at 01:55 PM.]

Barney Y. Miller · Post by **Barney Y. Miller** » 22 Aug 2006 5:34 pm

I have recently optained a Dekley one owner single 12 with the numbers SK103-2 on it. One of my students is currently using it until I finish her guitar. She says it stays in tune and is easy to play and she hasn't broken a string yet. I have to admit that I did modify the guitars knee levers and pedal placement. The guitar is very easy to repair or change without much machine work. Every note on the guitar is perfect and the tone is fantastic. As many of you already know a strong bodied guitar will stay in tune without any detuning to speak of. They are heavy but they don't move around when playing which is a plus. It is sad that most of todays pedal steel guitars will detune when 3 or more strings are pulled because of their weak body construction.

Wade Branch · Post by **Wade Branch** » 23 Aug 2006 8:42 am

Here's my double neck 8/4,as you can see I dont hook up the pedals to the back neck,there's a reason for that, I dont play it yet,haha
I love this guitar,I have owned it nearly a year,and play it everyday come hell or high water,Ive yet to break a string.BJ's bars,Jagwire strings,Evans FET 500 and Peavey nashville 400 ,Hilton electronic pedal and Dekely steel guitars have all made a difference in my equipment issues and have helped me find a tone that I love.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 23 Aug 2006 10:06 am

That sure is a pretty guitar you got there. Now go to the blackboard and write DEKLEY 1,000 times.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Paul Wade · Post by **Paul Wade** » 24 Aug 2006 5:26 am

wade,
nice looking dekely. i had one like that in blue. just, got another one like yours same color!!. does the beer come with the guitar

p.w

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 24 Aug 2006 7:53 am

DEKLEY, DEKLEY, DEKLEY, DEKLEY.....

Not Dek_e_ley!

Wade Branch · Post by **Wade Branch** » 24 Aug 2006 9:49 am

Thanks,Dick for catching my error in spelling

.The hooked on phonics course unfortunitly does not cover brand names

Ronnie Green · Post by **Ronnie Green** » 25 Aug 2006 3:53 pm

Hey Wade, Who's the ugly geetar picker? Tell Chuck hello for me. Nice Deckilly U hav thar.

Doug Rolfe · Post by **Doug Rolfe** » 26 Aug 2006 4:43 am

I have a 12 string uni(4x7) on a double neck body and it weighs just short of a semi truck, but I love it. It stays in tune and is solid. It does not move around on the floor as some steels do. The tone is great and it is more that I will ever need.
I built my on locking system for it which works great. I would like to add a vertical knee but that is it.
It is disappointing that they are not being made today.