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Topic: Keyless Emmons |
Carlos Polidura
From:
Puerto Rico
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 6:43 am |
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| Any hopes on keyless Emmons in the future? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 6:54 am
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Two chances: slim and none!  |
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Roger Shackelton
From:
MINNESOTA (deceased)
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 9:20 am
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Carlos, it would be a DIY=Do It Yourself project. LOL
Roger |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 9:27 am
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| There was a keyless tuner on the market some years ago. I bought one and installed it on a Sho~Bud LDG. It worked fine and even had a little storage box with a sliding cover for your picks and bar. This occupied the area where the tuners were previously located. |
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Dan Burnham
From:
Greenfield, Tennessee
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 9:34 am Emmons built 2
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Carlos,
Ron Lashley Sr. built 2 guitars keyless. 1-10 and 1 12. I have on many occasions tried to buy one or both of these from Ron Jr. but he wanted to keep them. Like the others, I don't believe there is enough demand for them.
Dan
_________________
BMI S12 Zane Beck's Tuning
www.danburnham.com |
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Roger Shackelton
From:
MINNESOTA (deceased)
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 11:17 am
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I guess that means more sales for GFI,Williams & Sierra, because they do offer keyless guitars for those who want one.  |
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Dan Burnham
From:
Greenfield, Tennessee
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 12:45 pm That's true
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Keep in mind that BMI offers keyless as well.
Dan
_________________
BMI S12 Zane Beck's Tuning
www.danburnham.com |
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Roger Shackelton
From:
MINNESOTA (deceased)
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 5:38 pm
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Sorry Dan, I didn't mean to leave out BMI.
I had a nice visit with Zane and his family, in the fall of 1977, at his farm.
Roger |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 2 Nov 2007 7:00 pm
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| Why doesn't someone design a keyless mechanism that could attach to the three bolt holes of an Emmons keyhead, so we could try out keyless without drilling any holes in the body of a classic push-pull? If a person didn't like the change they could just bolt the old keyed headstock back in place: no harm, no foul. I'd buy one if the price was reasonable. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 3 Nov 2007 2:25 am
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The add on keyless head mentioned in one of the above posts were custom made for whatever guitar it was going on. I had thought about putting them on my Franklin at one time but when I checked they were no longer being made. I think the person that was making them was in either Oregon or Washington.
Also, Excel makes keyless models. |
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Nick Reed
From:
Russellville, KY USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2007 2:53 am
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I certainly hope not. I hate KEYLESS guitars.
Nick |
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 3 Nov 2007 3:26 am
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So, would Emmons force you to buy one, Nick?
_________________
Olli Haavisto
Finland |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2007 6:15 am
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| I think the name of that retrofit keyless tuner was "Bela" if I'm not mistaken. I sold mine to a fellow Forumite a few years ago for a project he was working on. |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2007 10:33 am
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Yep, they were Bela keyless assemblies, Erv. I have one retrofitted onto an MSA Vintage XL that I bought recently. It functions well enough, but I'm not crazy about the looks. I'm putting the standard keyheads back on it once the refurb is done. I'll probably sell the Bella assembly at some point.
I will say that I find some keyless designs attractive and very effective and accurate. Owning a keyless guitar would be no problem for me.
_________________
Best regards,
Mike |
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Russ Tkac
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Posted 3 Nov 2007 3:36 pm
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Gosh Nick ... a keyless guitar is nothing to loose your shirt over...
Now you can put it back on ... please.  |
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Bobbe Seymour
From:
Hendersonville TN USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 4 Nov 2007 2:28 pm
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Olli, you are hilarious, where was all this humor on the way back from the St.Louis show?
Just kidding, enjoyed your company.
Bobbe |
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 5 Nov 2007 10:01 am
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Bobbe,
I enjoyed the ride very much,too.
You don`t get to talk steel guitar/steel guitarist history for four hours straight in a Cadillac limo with eleven pedal steels in the back seat very often in Finland.
Thanks !
_________________
Olli Haavisto
Finland |
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Henry Matthews
From:
Texarkana, Ark USA
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Posted 5 Nov 2007 2:15 pm
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I put a keyless tuners on a double-10 Zum that I had and it really made the guitar play better as far as pedal feel. I couldn't tell any signifigant change in tone. It made the guitar ugly but made a nice little place to sit your cup of coffee while playing.It stayed in tune and was really accurate on the pulls and lowers, especially like on the wound strings that can be raised or lowered. I later took them off to sell the guitar. I believe I got them from the Derby guitar maker, can't remember his name.
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Henry Matthews
D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes. |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 5 Nov 2007 3:12 pm
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Mike W....If that Bela keyless unit is a 12 string version I might be interested in buying it if you're interested in selling it.........JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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Carlos Polidura
From:
Puerto Rico
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Posted 7 Nov 2007 6:43 am
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It seems that there will never be a keyless Emmons although some of us would like to have one. I'll surely be one of the the first to get one if they start making them. I mean I'm speaking for myself. Thanks.
Carlos
Emmons PP...Lamar SU 12 keyless...Nashville 1000. |
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Jerry Gleason
From:
Eugene, Oregon, USA
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Posted 7 Nov 2007 3:48 pm
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This is a picture of the Bela gearless tuner referred to earler in this thread. They were made be Larry Cummings here in Oregon, and it has been out of production for quite a long time.
They were made as a retrofit for guitars with conventional keyheads. Shown here on a Mullen guitar, the extra length is used for a storage bin with a sliding lid.
I always thought it was one of the better ideas for a gearless tuner. It's hard to see in the photo, but each string rode over a cam, sort of like a changer finger, that would swivel with the adjustment screw. |
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George Redmon
From:
Muskegon & Detroit Michigan.
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Posted 11 Nov 2007 10:38 am
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I don't get to read the forum as often as i use to. But i came across this interesting topic. Carlos you can have just about any steel guitar you want remade into a great looking and sounding keyless steel guitar. Just contact forum member and master builder Paul Redmond. Look at the nice job he did on this sweet little BMI. Eye candy all the way. I may still try to pry this little sweet heart out of pauls hands.
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 12 Nov 2007 8:10 pm
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George, you're making me blush. Yes, I cut exactly 4" off the left end of the guitar. The one-piece unit is made of 2024 aluminum and slotted for each tuning arm and the rollers are gaged. I retained the original BMI roller housing. Had I not wanted to keep the 1st pedal exactly where it is on the rack, I would have taken off another 1-1/2" from the body. This guitar is a 1979 model and had the C-shaped extrusion for a changer. I milled the ears off of it and made new neck rails out of 3/8" material rather than the typical 1/4" used by BMI. Everything is screwed together...changer housing, neck rails, roller housing, and keyless unit. What you can't see without looking underneath is the two flanged sleeves that go into the underside of the top deck to attach the unit to the deck. I counterbored these for 1/4"-20 socket heads. There are also four #6-32 socket heads tying the outer edge of the unit to the top of the left endplate for additional rigidity and stability. I have added a 7th knee lever since this pic was taken.
The guitar has a 'short Uni' tuning on it (no D 9th string) and the new knee lever pulls the 7th F# down to E for SS stuff. I use this guitar for about half the gigs I play now. It has a G-L's 10-5 p/u and G-L's stainless strings. There are many other modifications that I did to it over the years, too numerous to mention here. I'll be posting additional pics of this guitar as soon as I get them on disc and into my PC.
PRR |
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 13 Nov 2007 5:15 pm
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Ron Bennett makes a superb keyless mechanism that grips the strings AUTOMATICALLY and DOESN'T need the string to be held with a screw ...
Pictures of the unique keyless mechanism.
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basilh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 13 Nov 2007 5:18 pm
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See this post :-
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=104813
The keyless mechanism grips the strings WITHOUT any screws, just by counter leverage force.
Ron's number is 0151-608-4562 from outside the UK int+ 151-608-4562 and his address is :-
Bennett Guitars
85 Derwent Road
Babington, Wirral CH63 2LD,
United Kingdom
Fax +44 (0) 151 609 0464
Voice +44 (0) 151 608 4562..
E-Mail :- bennettsteels@btinternet.com |
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