The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi Adam
I talked with the owner at Subway several months back. He stated a friend of Ry Cooder owned the single neck. I am sure it is from a chopped up Bigsby, tho it looks altered. Yours is probably from the same console. Are there any numbers stamped on you guitar... by the bridge ? If you can send me some photos.
Todd

When looking at the picture posted on this thread by John Billings, it poses a question that has puzzled me for many years.

Notice in the picture:

The distance between frets 3 & 4 appear wider than between 2 & 3.

The distance between frets 6 & 7 appear wider than between 5 & 6.

The distance between 8 & 9 appears wider than between 7 & 8.

The distance between 10 & 11 appears wider than between 9 & 10.

Not only are some frets getting farther apart going “up“ the neck, it also appears the upper register fret distance’s are not consistent with the lower.

All these things defy the musical mathematical graduating scale that is necessary for accurate half step intonation relationship on any instrument. The thought occurred to me that possibly Paul placed them at those distances for visual reference which made the guitar “appear” to be more accurate, when in reality it wasn’t. But for whatever reason, it worked for me at the time.

Early in my career I owned a new triple neck 8 string Bigsby, and later owned a new single 10 Bigsby. Even then I noticed the fret graduation up the neck was not consistent and I never felt I was playing out of tune. At the time I remember thinking, it was a Bigsby, so it “had “ to be right.

Back in those days the tone of choice most wanted, was far more bassy and mid-rangey than today. Also when playing the style of that time, many used a wider and faster bar vibrado, which could further disguise intonation discrepancies.

It would be interesting if Bigsby owners were to check the fret graduations with an electronic tuner to see if the tuner shows the frets to be spot-on when the bar is perfectly over the frets, and post their findings.

My guess is, the guitar will play out of tune, IF the bar fret relationship is used as we have become visually accustomed to using it in this day and time.

It could be that Paul placed a high priority in seeing the bar/fret relationship when playing up the neck. IF that was true, what would a fret board look and play like if when playing, the right side of the bar was always positioned so the fret could be seen when playing in perfect tune?

Could it be Paul Bigsby believed the eyes are the physicological key to not only one playing their best, but how design and color can distort one's perception of tone and playability..

Sorry about the bad cell phone photos,but here's my Bigsby steel

Reece's beautiful Bigsby: http://www.gbase.com/gear/bigsby-3-neck-1956-natural#

Adam's guitar is very interesting and puzzling at the same time. Clearly it belonged to Lee Knight who was from north west and owned two or possibly three Bigsbys. One of them was a woodneck D8:


Hard to say from that photo if Adam's guitar is a neck out of that particular guitar. It also has some very interesting features; the serial # suggests 30th sept -60 with a neck number 1. The fretboard however is clearly from a guitar that was built before -54. The curved freatboard end is similar to Bud Isaacs Bigsby and I've never seen a bridge or the neck shaped like that on a Bigsby. The case looks like it was specifically made for this guitar and to me looks like a real Bigsby case. Maybe Lee's D8 was damaged somehow and Bigsby made a lap steel out of it?? All the workmanship really looks like PA made it, and not just someone ( Lee Knight himself? ) who chopped a neck off of a multineck.

Great pic, Jussi.

What's the name of that band, or is it Lee's own group?

Mitch, I have no idea of the name, probably Lee's group. Here's another, you will recognize some of the people in it:

Adam, I think you may have something even more obscure than a Bigsby.
It looks like maybe its part of a Knight guitar.
At some point Lee Knight was making steels, this could be part of an early one?.
The PU looks real, but the bridge assembly and nut, are not typical Bigsby.
BTW, how are you its been a while?.
I have also noticed the scale inconsistancies that Maurice is talking about, but I never noticed the guitar getting out of tune going up the neck?.
I wondered if there was some kind of built compansation in his scale.
His back ground as a pattern maker would make you think he could not make such an error, and surely all the great players that played the guitars would have complained about an inaccurate fret board?.
I think its deliberate, maybe an esoteric calculation, he was a travelling man after all.
Lee

Hey Lee,nice to hear from you.Looking forward to seeing you next time I get the chance.You raise some interesting points,as the bridge and nut do look a little unusual.Is the date stamp consistent with the time period that Lee Knight was making steels?Due to differences in some of the wood panels and the shorter heighth of the instrument I was wondering if there's a possibility that it is made from the front neck of a multi-neck console.
Jussi,thanks for posting those photos.They're really cool.Any more information anywhere on Lee Knight?

Hi Adam,
This guitar is not a neck off of a Bigsby guitar. The fret board has similar but different fret markings than Bigsby used. The bridge is a cool design too. Very Bigsby inspired tho,and I sure it sound excellent. Thanks for posting the photos. Way nicer looking guitar than the Subway instrument.
Todd

Lee Jeffriess wrote: scale inconsistancies...

This is interesting stuff. Has anyone measured the actual guitar? I held a ruler up to my PC monitor (unscientific measurement to be sure), and the frets appear closer moving up the neck as one would expect. Could this be an optical illusion due to the unusual raised frets and the prominence of the fret markers?

No matter what, it's a beautiful instrument.

Matt

Matt as I said, I think its a deliberate compensation.
Could be as Maurice says, visual??, but they sure play in tune.
Lee

I have two Bigsby guitars; one a genuine T-8 with post-'54 fretboards, another a PA Reissue 10-10-8, again with post-'54 boards.

Both show inconsistencies in fret placement above the 15th fret. I've wondered if Paul felt that, when playing in those registers, intonation was more aural in nature than visual.

Here is somethong laying around here, I should put it together

Was Knight related to Junior Blankenship in any way?

I doubt he was, Lee's son is a forum member btw. Lee was a great picker, I have a 45' vinyl Lee Knight & his Swinging Steel. He plays a note for note version of Noel Boggs's Alabamy Bound, and I also have a tape of him playing various stuff, including some note for note renditions of Joaquin Murphy solos.

As others have possibly already identified.....
the photo of Lee Knight at his Bigsby on the riser,
of course it's with Ferlin Husky and HECK HARPER with whom I played a number of years. The dark haired lady might possibly(?) be Lee's wife?