The Steel Guitar Forum

Very pretty guitar! Looks like its finished in "Mapleglo", if that was a thing back then, like my 4003 bass. Seems to almost have some figuring to it as well.

Nic,
I think you're right.
Erv

Mine is a triple 9. Same string spacing as the standard pedal steel. Pickups made by Bruce Zumsteg. Great tone.

Thiel, that is a beautiful steel...I am sure you are proud of it...you did a great job building it !

Here's a pic of my Fender Custom.

A previous owner seemed to have had some pedal installed. But then removed it. So there were some parts removed from the underside and a hole drilled through one pan. And it was changed from 3 to 4 legs. But it sounds very good, only one PU is a bit weak and thin, the other two sound fat and warm. And one tuner pan can only hold 6 strings – the two top string tuners don't hold the tension anymore. It was my first "real" steel and I like it very much.

Mine has two holes drilled through the center neck pan for pedals.

1956 pushbutton. 24" scale. Top down - E13 (Morrell style), G11 (G Dobro w/extra hi C & E at the bottom), B6/A13 (Joaquin's tuning except in B instead of C)

My first real steel guitar and it's a beauty, Tadeo Gomez build 1952
I use it only for studio recordings and and music videos.
I think I got real lucky.

Here’s an action shot from a house party I played last night.

Well, I know... but the TOP neck IS non-pedal.

I would say Bigsbys count, since the pedals were originally intended to be used as a tuning changer, before they became a melodic device!

Mine arrived yesterday!



Late 50's I think, finish obviously not perfect but sounds really nice (I'm getting a little hung up on the existing tunings, and haven't changed strings yet, so technically -I- don't sound nice yet). It's a mid-scale. Harmonics leap out in a way that my entry level Morrell lap (shorter scale I think) didn't manage.

I'd be tempted to pull the pans and try and date mine...but the screws on the lower/near neck look like they are either slightly stripped or thinking earnestly about the prospect of stripping out, so maybe I'd better stick with a little mystery for now vs exact dating...

(Thanks to Chris on the forum, former owner)

Well, I screwed up the courage to pull the pan:


So I guess May 1957?

Is that scrawl the builder's initials? If so anyone recognize it?

I got the front neck tuned up with the Alan Akaka custom set of John Pearse for C6. Couple things strike me...I've been using D'addario Chromes on my lap steel up til now and the roundwound noise...probably mostly from that low C...not my favorite. I guess I'll get used to it (or go back to flats!).

But more of a problem is the nut. That string set goes C, Bb, then low C with a giant 64 gauge low C, and the next string (7) is only 34 gauge. The bass string sits so much higher than the other strings...if I let the bar rest on the strings without mashing down, several of the middle strings make no contact whatsoever with the bar.

Any ideas on this? The ones that present themselves to me (get rid of that low C and do something higher pitched, or permanently modify the instrument so that you're all in for that particular tuning by lowering the string slot significantly) aren't ideal. But possibly the only options... I'd consider getting an additional nut just to modify for this tuning, I suppose, and keep the original for "conventional" tunings. Those don't appear to be cheap, and are mostly (all?) ones gutted from other vintage gear (there's part of me that doesn't want to financially encourage the vintage guitar junkyard folks to rip apart more guitars).

The 5-57 date on your guitar and the blade neck selector switch jives with my belief that '56 was the last year of the push-button selector system.

Nic Neufeld wrote:Couple things strike me...I've been using D'addario Chromes on my lap steel up til now and the roundwound noise...probably mostly from that low C...not my favorite. I guess I'll get used to it (or go back to flats!).

I'd consider getting an additional nut just to modify for this tuning, I suppose, and keep the original for "conventional" tunings. Those don't appear to be cheap, and are mostly (all?) ones gutted from other vintage gear

Regarding string noise, a new bar will solve that problem. The powder coated bars sold by Michael Hillman here on the forum are much quieter than a regular steel bar and very reasonably priced.

If you don't mind spending a bit more the Ezzee~Slide bars made by Basil Henriques here in the UK are just amazing - pretty much silent as far bar noise is concerned and the best I've ever played for tone/sustain and feel.
http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/html/e ... 20bar.html

Jimmie Hudson, also on this forum, sells replacement Stringmaster nuts which I believe are reproductions made by Jimmie himself.

If Basil could just make a bar that would make me play like him he'd have a definite sale!! Will definitely consider those, thanks.

And thanks for the lead on the nut repro, I'll contact him!

Here ya go ...

I have a Custom as well but no pictures right now of that. This one may soon be
“a guitar I used to have”. It sounds great.

Somebody said Bigsbys with pedals were ok... here’s mine.

ABE, is that a Standel S80 back of that steel?

Roy - it sure is! All tube goodness! I️ think it’s around a 1960? I’ve only ever seen a couple others. Do you have one?

Yes, I ]HAD[/b one I bought new back in the early 60's when I lived in Southern California. About 1965 I darn near cut all of my fingers off of my right hand and I quit playing for many years. I loaned my amp to a guy over in Norco, CA and he sold it to someone else. Never did get it back. I had replaced the rectifier tube in it with a solid state rectifier I had made when I worked out at the Navel Ordnance Laboratory in Norco. That replacement tube was encased in some white colored epoxy of that time frame. Sure would have liked to kept it.
By the way, I had a Sierra D109P (SN 00015) which was mated with the Standel Amp.