I got my new Remington Triple~10 Steelmaster!

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 18 Dec 2006 10:16 pm

My new guitar was delivered to my door at exactly 12-Noon today. 12/18/06 Andy Sandoval has agreed to post a few picture for everyone to see my ‘First of it's kind’ by Herb Remington. He did a great job and I really am ready to put some serious time on this in preparation for an up-coming Home~Video that I'm working on with a friend who is playing some great Rhythm for at least 15 non-pedal and 10 pedal tunes for our own amazement in our old age! It's the closest I'll ever get to the real-thing. I guess! Many thanks to Herb Remington for a superb job!

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“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment

Al Terhune · Post by **Al Terhune** » 18 Dec 2006 10:31 pm

Congratulations John -- you're an icon. Can't wait to see pictures of your new steel and buy your video (make it available on DVD, too).

Al

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 18 Dec 2006 10:38 pm

Here's John's new Remington, and what a beauty it is!

[This message was edited by Andy Sandoval on 18 December 2006 at 10:41 PM.][This message was edited by Andy Sandoval on 19 December 2006 at 04:07 PM.]

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 19 Dec 2006 12:38 am

The guitar is interesting looking but will you really be playing all three necks? Why do you need three 10 string necks? I'm sort of new to non-pedal steel so please excuse my ignorance. What are the tunings? Is each tuning designed for a different type of music? I'm very curious. Thanks, Don

Gary Boyett · Post by **Gary Boyett** » 19 Dec 2006 4:24 am

Way to go John!
I always knew you would come back to the dark side...

That is a real beauty. Have you decided what tunings you are going to use?

Put me on the list for the home movie. This should be a fun project.

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HSGA & RMSGC member
Play it with "Glass"
Boyett's Glass Bars

Rick Alexander · Post by **Rick Alexander** » 19 Dec 2006 5:34 am

Hey Big John - very nice! Looks like Herb has created another masterpiece. I hope you do some recording with it so we can all hear it . .

RA
BIG STEEL

Gary Lynch · Post by **Gary Lynch** » 19 Dec 2006 7:06 am

Your new rig will keep you out of trouble. As we age it's important to keep your mind working. This unit will certainly do that!

Winston Street · Post by **Winston Street** » 19 Dec 2006 7:47 am

Hey Buddy,
just looked to see if you had posted pictures of it yet. I was hoping you would post some details on it. For instance:
What kind of wood
Length, width,
How much does it weigh. [In other words could an old man like me pick it up and run with it]
George L pickups. What model.
Boy thats a beaut John, I know your proud of it. I'm proud of it for you, I know you've been patiently waiting for it. Actually for a custom job it wasn't that long of a wait. Nothing like having a guitar built especially for you. And by the Legend, Herb Remington too on top of that.
Looking forward to the video's.
To borrow you phrase,
I gotta go, . . . . I’m needed on Pump 5!

Winston

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 19 Dec 2006 11:10 am

Here's one more of John with his new Remington.

[This message was edited by Andy Sandoval on 19 December 2006 at 11:13 AM.][This message was edited by Andy Sandoval on 19 December 2006 at 04:08 PM.]

Frank Parish · Post by **Frank Parish** » 19 Dec 2006 1:35 pm

Johns having problems with his server and can't respond just yet. I'll let him tell you all about it because I'm sure he'd want to.

Bo Borland · Post by **Bo Borland** » 19 Dec 2006 3:19 pm

Sweet steel John... that'll keep all your parts working for a while..

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 19 Dec 2006 4:16 pm

Ok, now for the inevitable question that needs to be asked. What do you tune a T10 to?

I thought a D10 no pedaler would be enough but three necks? How often would you use the third neck?

Gary Spaeth · Post by **Gary Spaeth** » 19 Dec 2006 6:03 pm

quoting bob wills, "YES! YES! YES!"

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 19 Dec 2006 6:08 pm

Well, I'm finally able to communicate again! Thanks to all who helped with my problem. How is it tuned, why three necks and do I use them all? Yes, I use them all! That's why I ordered (3)-Necks! When I was playing my T–8 Custom, I found that I could increase the versitility if I had some additional strings to blend in with my 8-str. tunings. Of course, I suppose you could conceiveably(sp) add more, but; this should keep me busy for a long, long time! My T–8 tunings were as follows:
#3 E9/13 = E~D~F#~G#~B~C#~E~G#
#2 C-Dia. = C~E~F~G~A~B~C~E
#1 C6/A7 = Lo-A~C~C#~E~G~A~C~E
I discovered that each neck could use a few more notes in order to expand it's versatility and seem more complete, so; this is the idea that I came up with more than a year ago, but; I couldn't find a builder who would build the guitar with a short (22½”) scale, until Herb Remington agreed to do it for me! These are the additions that I made to my (3)-Tunings: [added]
#3 E9/13: E~~D~[E]~F#~G#~B~C#~E~G#
#2 C-Dia.: C~E~F~G~A~B~C~E~[D]~[F]
#1 C6/A7: Lo-A~C~C#~E~G~A~C~E~~[D]
The C6/A7 Neck is also the neck used for various temporary re-tunings, such as: E9, D9, A6, B11. Necks #2 & #3 always remain tuned the same.
Now I'll have to re-read the Replies to see any questions that I may have missed! Thanks so much for your interest and Replies! My Rhythm-Playing friend and me are rehearsing every Wed. in preparation for a DEMO Home-Video of Steel Instrumentals sometime following New Year ’07.
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“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment
[This message was edited by John Bechtel on 19 December 2006 at 06:27 PM.]

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 19 Dec 2006 6:44 pm

Winston; Here are the best answers that I can give for your questions. What kind of wood? The wood is the Standard Steelmaster (ASH) and the Standard Clear~Lacquer finish. The Body~Size is also Standard Steelmaster (14 1/8”x34”) According to Herb Remington, the shipping weight was 50#. I generally am not impressed with the Geo. L. E-66 for my PSG, however; due to the P/U~Placement and Scale~Length of this guitar, the E-66 seems to be a suitable choice, both for Tone and Sustain! I haven't and really have no immediate plans to compare them to any other model! If you really want to enjoy the full capability of the instrument's sound~quality, use either a Hilton-Pedal or a Pot~Pedal with a buffered pre~amp., such as Izzy+, Kleen~Kick or Match Box, or a cord direct to the Amplifier, w/o a pedal!

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“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment

Darryl Hattenhauer · Post by **Darryl Hattenhauer** » 19 Dec 2006 8:14 pm

Don,

I'm a greenhorn too, and I was also curious about the tunings.

A couple of guys on sgf have talked about non-pedal steels with 4 necks, each with 8 strings. And I believe it was John who said he once had a non-pedal with 4 necks, each with 10 strings.

This is all staggering to me, but i guess I'm learning because I recognized this wood as ash.

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"Most people's favorite music is from the era before they got married." --Earnest Bovine

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 19 Dec 2006 9:20 pm

Darryl; You remember correctly! I once had a Custom~Made Sho-Bud 4-Neck 10-string by Shot & David Jackson. I used a C6, C-Diatonic, Eddie Alkire EHArp, and the 4th-tuning escapes my memory at the moment, but; probably an E13 of some sort! It's been a long time ago, back in the 70's! This new guitar isn't going to get away this time!

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“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment

Gary Spaeth · Post by **Gary Spaeth** » 20 Dec 2006 9:30 am

3:10 AM (All Mine) must be your favorite time of day.

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 20 Dec 2006 1:00 pm

John, Do you play different types of music on each neck? Is that the reason for three necks? The reason I ask is because I watched Jerry Byrd, Reece Anderson and Tom Morrell all play single neck non-pedal steels and produce more music than I could ever play on a ten-neck steel. What are the different types of music each tuning is designed for? Thanks, Don

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 20 Dec 2006 2:56 pm

Don ‘Kona’; Two of my tunings are basically Jerry Byrd tunings: C6/A7 & C-Diatonic along with several variations on the C6/A7 neck, such as E9, D9, A6 & B11. Those two basic tunings were on Jerry's D-8/7 Sho-Bud, now owned by DeWitt ‘Scottie’ Scott (ISGHOF) and my E9/13 tuning includes several variations all in one! E~B~D~E~F#~G#~B~C#~E~G#. People with less than 10-strings use only the strings that suit their purpose! I'm a big JB fan and try to do the best I can on many of Jerry's recorded tunes. You might call me a copy~cat, but; who could be better to emulate? I'm working with a friend who's playing Rhythm for me on a (2)-hr. Home~Video intented to demonstrate my abilities, which should be finished near the end of Jan. ’07 to share with anyone interested, who is willing to supply the T~120 VHS-Blank Tape! How cheap can I get? ha~ha! It's my first Video attempt ever! ‘Can't afford a full-blown production job’! [Just Non-pedal, PSG & the fine Rhythm~Guitar playing of my friend Richard Dennis (also retired) of Tusculum Music Inc. Nashville, TN!]
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“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment
[This message was edited by John Bechtel on 20 December 2006 at 02:58 PM.][This message was edited by John Bechtel on 20 December 2006 at 03:01 PM.]

Jim Bates · Post by **Jim Bates** » 20 Dec 2006 6:53 pm

John,

Glad to see that your E 13th is exactly like mine that I play with pedals (and without) on my Emmons LeGrand.

Thanx,
Jim

Bernie Gonyea · Post by **Bernie Gonyea** » 21 Dec 2006 9:06 pm

John: A Really fine looking Ax, showing the expertise of a great builder of steel guitars, Herb Remington. I am looking forward to your Video, that you're working on. I will definitely provide a tape for you to send me, the end result of this grand production, thus, forth-coming in 2007.. Keep up the good work, John..Bernie

S-10 Sierra; Sho-Bro Resonator; A Six String Harlin Bros. Multi-Kord Pedal Steel [ 1953 ], a national Lap Six Sring Steel.

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 22 Dec 2006 7:31 pm

John-That is a beautiful guitar and interesting tunings. How much did it cost?

I had that E13 on my Vega D8 in 1938, but I couldn't have the Low E (which I really wished I could have) and I couldnt get a string up to that high G# anyway, so E was my top note.

In order to get more full chords I took out the middle E -This was the way I had it, played it for years- Low to high
G#-B-D-F#-G#-B-C#-E, I wish I could have had those 2 extra strings.
During the night I tuned the 2nd string C# to D and changed
the entire sound of the tuning, to get a nice dim , minor 6th, 9th,and play songs like Caravan, etc. a picture is on my website of it. Didn't need pedals in those days.
...Merry Christmas and I know you will have a Happy New Year with that new Remington guitar....al

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

Jody Carver · Post by **Jody Carver** » 23 Dec 2006 5:12 am

John,Its a beauty, and play it in good health,I still prefer my Fender although I have to admit that the Remington is an entirely different sound I like it as well. To All Of You, Merry Christmas.Merry Christmas Al, you are the Chairman of the Board here on this Forum and to my buddy Rick, thank you again, for the website and your email,Happy Holiday to everyone. This is a time of peace on earth Good will towards men, let there be peace in the Valley[This message was edited by Jody Carver on 23 December 2006 at 12:36 PM.]

Bill McRoberts · Post by **Bill McRoberts** » 26 Dec 2006 5:39 pm

John, That is one beautiful Guitar!
I have had the honor of Herb building me two Guitars.
One double neck 8 and triple 8 non-pedal.
I still own the triple 8 and just love it.
Enjoy!.....Bill