The Steel Guitar Forum

Here's my two favorite guitars.

Jackson Blackjack Custom, and a Gibson J-200 jr.


.

This is my favorite electric:


my favorite acoustic:


my favorite steel:

Hey Ted,

Remember this SXL you built for me 06/01.
Love it. It's a keeper.

Thanks,

John

Thanks for noticing the phonograph, Ray. It is actually an Edison Disc Phonograph Model LU-37. LU signifies "London Upright". It was built circa 1922 and plays well; It just needs the speaker grill replaced - It's been in the family its entire life. I'm glad you didn't mention that the light switch above it needed a wall plate!! That has since been taken care of!! Regards, Dan

I have had access to this early 20th century hollowneck lap slide guitar for over a decade. My friend Miranda Pope owns it but doesn't play slide. It is not as full toned as my Brauchli Blackwood, but the crystalline overtones at harmonic points on the fretboard are deliciously ethereal.
Notice the unusual bridge: it combines the dynamics of a floating bridge and a fixed bridge. Daniel Brauchli explaines on his website: The fixed bridge guitars have a huge sustain and full bass. A floating bridge and tailpiece version of the guitar can be used in situations where higher string tension is desired. The sustain of the floating bridge is not as loud as the fixed bridge sustain. This results in a sound that is less full, but still sweet and loud with strong dynamics.

As far as steel guitars go, my '47 Gibson BR-4 7 string with a True Tone pickup is just perfect.


My main standard guitar is a '44 Epiphone Zenith with a Kent Armstong slimbucker mounted on the neck. It really nails that '40's western swing sound.


My other main axe is a 1919 Gibson style A mandolin. It just flat out sounds great!

GREAT guitars!!

Love Hoff's Stringmaster and the the Martins and Gibsons!

That is a great SXL model John with those Lawrence pickups - probably one the best models we ever built.

The National collection was awesome!

Some fun stuff.

Well as most of you people, I have had a number of guitars and some of them I was glad to be able to sell and some I wish I still had. But when my hands could no longer fret a regular guitar I decided to try a lap steel. I can only use a flat pick but thought well hey, thats what I have always used, be orginal. Then after picking at a used lap steel I decided to build one. I live in an area that grows Myrtlewood, only one other place in the world that does. So I had a guy that sells it rough cut a piece I picked out and I got started. The one piece is what I started out with and then the finished guitar. It is pure luck but what I ended up with will only belong to someone else after they rip it from my cold dead fingers. It sounds as good as it looks and as I said, that is pure luck because I know nothing about building guitars. Don

Don!
Beautiful guitar! Great job! You might want to check out Loni's bridge for your axe. Gonna get one for my Redneck Tele. It's on the is page;
http://www.lapdancerguitars.com/news.html

Thanks for the kind words John. Thats a good idea about the redneck, as there is a Tele hanging on the wall that could be put to work. Keep picking. Don

Jim Brobeck

Your friend's hollow neck guitar was made by George La Foley in London UK in the 1920's. It was labeled to be sold by Barnes and Mullins, a chain of music shops.

I have one and know of one other, so that makes 3!

A bit of information:

http://www.harpguitars.net/knutsen/foley.htm

My favourites, Electric Aiello #1, a 7 string, and acoustic is my 1929 Style 4 Hawaiian National Tricone.