The Steel Guitar Forum

Hello, another newbie here.
I have sat on the sidelines of this forum for the last 18 months and have gladly accepted the many crumbs of steel guitar wisdom that have fallen from the tables of all of you steel gurus out there.
My interest in the lap steel was developed about two years ago when I finally managed to pull off a reasonable version of Santo and Johnny's 'Sleepwalk' on my Telecaster.
I thought Mmmmm....I wonder?
My children heared my musings and, as a retirement/birthday present, gifted me an Industrial Rail from Mr. Chris Fouke (a very nice chap who was most helpful).
That was it!!!! I was well and truly hooked.
Since then I have gone on to acquire a 'project' Cat Can which I have revitalised with advice direct from Mr. Duane Marrs himself, (another very nice chap) and now happily, am learning some Dobro as well.
Having fallen headlong into the bottomless pit of tunings, strings and their guages and configurations I am truly amazed at some of the musical links from posters on this forum and would dearly love to emulate their efforts. I have had some success with Sleepwalk and regularly Jam with anyone from Jerry Lee to The Eagles and even Roland Peachey sometimes. I do hope they don't mind.
I have recently been acquainted with the music of the late JB, Bud Tutmarc, Sam Ku West, Roy Smeck and many others and have been absolutely blown away by the sheer expertise and shown by them all.
I had foolishly thought previously.... Huh!, steel guitar, that's just for people who can't fret barr chords. Oh, how the scales have been lifted from my eyes.
A new adventure has begun.
Being quite attracted to the Hawaiian sound, both 'tourist' and 'traditional' and hoping to manage to learn a little myself I have recently acquired, via eBay, an eight string lap steel that I was told was bought in Hawaii by a merchant seaman.
I will try to add pictures but may fail so I will try to describe it in the hope that a more knowledgable member will kindly help me to identify its true origin.
The lap or table steel is branded WySeaKi, presumably rhyming with Waikiki. No numbers. It is definitely 'hand made' and certainly not 'homemade'. It has a 'lyre' shaped peghead with eight separate tuners branded JHS, presumably John Hornby Skewes, a UK supplier of music equipment. It is made of a 3 stage lamination of what looks like mahogany with a light band running through. The body shape is similar to a 1950's Gibson, but more angular.
The eight pole pickup is very strange. The body is made of wood and the top is covered in blue leather with philips screw heads as the poles.
The scratch plates and fret board are really well machined from a 5 stage plastic laminate in black-white-b-w-b and the name plate is machined to expose the white second layer forming the name.
I have done a Google search for the name WySeaKi but have only come up with a Japanese crab soup.
The bridge is wooden and a groove has been machined in the top to accommodate a 4mm. metal saddle.
It has a nicely moulded clear Perspex (Plexiglass) bridge cover/handrest which neatly finishes it off.
This steel is really well crafted and is in excellent condition. I almost forgot......it sounds nice too. I'm currently experimenting with tunings and strings etc. in the seemingly never ending search for the 'tone'. n.b. those Jagwires b0b sells really do make a difference and are better value than anything available here in the UK.
I do hope that someone out there can help to identify this rather unusual guitar.
Many thanks.
Robert.
http://photobucket.com/albums/wyseaki

Robert, your link is invalid so I can't tell what type of steel you have. Since it's a steel guitar in the UK, it's unlikely it's something with which I'll be familiar, but I'll give it a try if you can send me the pictures directly.

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Brad's Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars

Please try.....

<http://photobucket.com/albums/wyseaki two>

You forgot something in the URL. This one worked for me: http://photobucket.com/albums/e31/wyseaki/

Looks pretty cool to me!



Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com


<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 17 January 2006 at 07:02 PM.]</p></FONT>

Close up of the bridge and pickup:



Never seen anything remotely similar to this guitar before, but it sure is nice..

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Man, that REALLY looks like it was crafted from an Ovation solid body electric that they had produced in the 80's. The knobs, the pickguard material and obviously the peg head shape. They had the Deacon model and Preacher, I forgot what others. It screams Ovation to me although I'm certain they didn't make one, at least here in the states.

Steinar: Thanks for the pics and the input.

Jason: I had thought Ovation from the peghead but what's with the WOOD and LEATHER pickup?

Robert.

Hi Robert, a very warm welcome to the forum from another U.K.member. That pick-up looks exactly like one I had made in the 50's by a chap called Cyril Proctor. He lived in Leeds at the time and used to sdvertise in B.M.G. He would make you a pick-up to any spec. you sent him.So that might help to date that steel of yours.

Unfortunately I lost my guitar with his pick-up on it in a robbery in the 60's and have never seen one since. Don't know if he's still in business or not.

Regds..........Patrick

Hi Robert. Welcome on board.

Your guitar was made in the UK by Polish Luthier Z.H.Wyszecki. I've seen a few of his guitars on UK ebay.

If Basil sees this he can probably tell you more.

Cheers, Colin Brooks

Cool. looks like you're well and truely hooked on steel.
Congratulations!

Wow, very nice looking steel!

welcome to the forum. my experiences with this forum and slide guitar echos yours.

that is a nice looking lap steel. you are set now.

I knew that I had come to the right place!!

Many thanks to all for the warm welcome and info. and help provided and particularly to Colin for cracking the mystery of the WySeaKi.

I did a Google on the name of the maker Mr. Wyszecki and found just one link. Guess where it led.....yup! that's right....SGF and further confirmation from Basil regarding Mr. Wyszecki. Job done.

Now where was I?.......2nd. string E, bar fret 7, little finger joint chime and slide to fret 9 and on to fret 16 and back to fret 11.......How nice does that sound?

I'm on my way!

Many thanks.

Robert.

That's pretty Baz. Yours?

When I brought my Wy-Sea-ki to Brecon a couple of years ago, the late Mr. Sam Tomlin, a friend of 'Henry' Wyszecki the maker, was most interested and informative and kindly sent me a few copies of advertisements from the B.M.G Magazine featuring the Wy-sea-ki.

As per your pic, the late Kealoha Life endorsed Wy-sea-kis and spoke highly of them.

I still have mine but haven't used it for a while (intermittent p/u fault), I'll have to get it fixed one of these days. I still have my B6 though.

Hope to see you and the gang at the next Aloha Dream shin-dig.

At last a thread on these little-known Wyzecki guitars! Have an S8 and a D8 pictures to follow by the weekend, both picked up via Ebay UK over the years, one directly and another indirectly.

The S8 has a single one-off style pickup wrapped in a blue tape IIRC, the D8 has more conventional looking single pickups with individual pole pieces, and a tiny height difference between the necks. Maker's plate reads custom made Z H Wyzexki Bradford (city West Yorkshire), near Leeds (an adjacent city) where Cyril ? was making pickups.
They both use see-through plastic or perspex handrests or covers.

Have now seen pictures of 5 different models, some single, some twin pickups, are they from the 1960's period when imported instruments were expensive and difficult to source, or even earlier? Can the catalogue be scanned please, so few references to hand?

Was Kealoha Life a singer or steel player or both?

Lot of questions here, a rare opportunity to find out some more about these guitars, pictures to follow as soom as I can.



Kealoha Life too, can find very little reference to him, after the Felix Mendelssohn & Hawaiian Serenaders.

I'd never heard of Wyzecki guitars before, although I have to say that the whole time I was living in England (1945-1980) I came across very few Hawaiian Guitars at all.

That double-necked instrument of Basil's looks very attractive.

Welcome to the Forum, Robert.
I have to warn you, though; it's addictive.

Neil Cameron wrote:At last a thread on these little-known Wyzecki guitars! Have an S8 and a D8 pictures to follow by the weekend, both picked up via Ebay UK over the years, one directly and another indirectly.

The S8 has a single one-off style pickup wrapped in a blue tape IIRC, the D8 has more conventional looking single pickups with individual pole pieces, and a tiny height difference between the necks. Maker's plate reads custom made Z H Wyzexki Bradford (city West Yorkshire), near Leeds (an adjacent city) where Cyril ? was making pickups.
They both use see-through plastic or perspex handrests or covers.

Have now seen pictures of 5 different models, some single, some twin pickups, are they from the 1960's period when imported instruments were expensive and difficult to source, or even earlier? Can the catalogue be scanned please, so few references to hand?

Was Kealoha Life a singer or steel player or both?

Lot of questions here, a rare opportunity to find out some more about these guitars, pictures to follow as soom as I can.



Kealoha Life too, can find very little reference to him, after the Felix Mendelssohn & Hawaiian Serenaders.

My Wy-sea-ki was also an eBay find, bought, for not a lot of money, just on the basis that it looked nice and that it may have improved my playing. I'm still trying.

Zybygnyev(sp) Wyzecki was a Polish luthier who specialised in archtop jazzers and, to a lesser extent, deveoped his clearly individual style of Hawaiian guitars. The pick ups were custom made by Cyril Proctor who, apparently, made custom pickups for a variety of instruments. I particularly liked the wooden casing and blue leather casing top on mine. Cool, or what?

To the best of my knowledge, Wy-Sea-Kis are from the late 50's and early 60's due to, as you say, the difficulty in obtaining imported instruments.

Kealoha Life was a singer as well as a fine player, in a style that I would dearly love to emulate. We can but try.

Felix Mendelssohn used a number of different players at differnt times, including Roland Peachey and Harry Brooker, Procul Harum's Gary Brooker's father.

Hopefully, Basil may step in with some further info. He is the "Daddy", in such matters, after all.

Alan Brookes wrote:I'd never heard of Wyzecki guitars before, although I have to say that the whole time I was living in England (1945-1980) I came across very few Hawaiian Guitars at all.

That double-necked instrument of Basil's looks very attractive.

Welcome to the Forum, Robert.
I have to warn you, though; it's addictive.

The first Wy-Sea-Ki that I knew of was the one that I bought. Since then, I've probably seen another dozen or so on eBay.

Thanks for your Forum welcome. My original posting was in January 2006 and your warning of its addictive nature is well noted. I've already accumulated eight steel guitars and can hardly play half a dozen tunes recognisably and please don't start me on ukuleles, I've got a dozen of those. I'm hooked!

Just what is it about these Hawaiian instruments?

Perhaps this is the right time to offer a vote of thanks and a big 'shout out' to our addiction therapy facilitator and coordinator, Mr. B0b, without whose good offices and kind attentions many of we addicts would be lost.

Link to photo album of Wyzecki S8 and D8 steel guitars built in UK circa 1960. Go top left to select slideshow, then full screen. Pictures are a mixed bag, need daylight to show them better.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1000142260 ... qqGz9qDsCg

Hi there.
Allthough this is an old thread I hope someone might be able to help me please.

I've been loaned a WySeaKi 6 string and had to do some minor repairs on this beautiful piece of kit. I will post some pics in the next few days. I've read the comments in this thread and will be having a look around to see if I can find out any more info.

I've thrown a set of strings on it for now that I have some spares of in my case: 42, 38, 30, 22, 16, 11 as a temporary measure just to see what I can get out of this, some of these are Wound strings. I have found a link in someone posting above reference tunings etc. I want to try this eventually with a USA Southern Rock/Country Rock band I'm putting together, Skynyrd, Blackfoot, 38 Specials, Georgia Satellites. Any ideas of tunings for this from you people that know would be a help please, and suggestions on string choice. I dont know if I should be using Wound strings????

Many thanks.
Mick
mick@g6asj.net

Whereabouts in the UK are you Mick ?
Ernie Ball are as good as anything, I usually change my strings on my lap steels once a month and on my pedal guitars once a fortnight and on my 6 stringers once a week.
And my acoustics after every 3 hour session.

For Steel Guitar I use:-
All wound strings just plain old fashioned 'Nickel Wound', NOT Stainless.

Fender Stringmaster 26" Scale
E13th neck (NEAREST TO PLAYER)
1= E .013
2= C# .015
3= B .017
4= G# .022 PLAIN
5= E .032 WOUND
6= D .040
7= B .046
8= E .054

C13th neck
1= E .013
2= C .016
3= A .019
4= G .022 PLAIN
5= E .032 WOUND
6= C .042
7= Bb .046
8= C .068

B11th neck
1= E .013
2= C# .015
3= A .019
4= F# .022 PLAIN OR 24 WOUND
5= D# .032 WOUND
6= B .038
7= A .048
8= B .068


BASIL 23" Fender 1000, for the Fender PS-210 (Keyless) add .002" to all gauges
A7th neck
1= .015
2= .017
3= .018
4= .022 PLAIN
5= .036 WOUND
6= .042
7= .048
8= .054

B11th neck
1= .015
2= .017
3= .019
4= .022
5= .032
6= .038
7= .048
8= .068

These are other gauges I use for 22.5" Scale non pedal.
D13th
1= D.016 OR .017
2= B.018 0R .020
3= A.020 OR .022
4= F#.024 PLAIN OR .026 WOUND
5= D.034 WOUND
6= C.038 WOUND
7= A.042 WOUND
8= D.068 WOUND OR .070 WOUND



A6th neck
1= E.014 OR .015
2= C#.017
3= A.018 OR .020
4= F#.022 PLAIN OR .024 WOUND
5= E.030
6= C#.036
7= A.042
8= G.048

Hi Basil.
Thanks for the prompt reply.

I'm in Portsmouth, and I picked this one up yesterday, the strings that were on it had been on there for around 20 years. My bands trainee sound tech (Rob) had it in a cupboard in a box/case. The strings were full of rust so had to be replaced, as was the machine heads. I had a set from a damaged Squire strat which were the same Kluson type, the holes even lined up for the screws on the rear of the head stock (someone up there likes me).

I thought I might have to change the control pots, but after a squirt of switch cleaner they seemed Ok, Will have to swap the jack socket tho, but I can use a soldering iron.

In my guitar case I had a bundle of spare stings, mainly Ernie Ball too. So I've put on: 42w, 36w, 30w, 22w, 16p, 11p,
w= Wound p= Plain.

23" scale length - Bridge to nut.

Temporarily tuned to:
1. d
2. B
3. G
4. D
5. G
6. D

Am considering trying other tunings. Perhaps open E? I assume that's an E chord when strummed open strings? Not sure which tuning to start of with as a novice.

I'm hopefully going to be learning basic stuff, slide intro to Freebird (Lynyrd Skynyrd) and a few similar fill in licks and short solo's maybe and see where else from there. Not sure how long it's going to take me to learn how to use it yet.

Will try and post pics over the coming weekend.

KR
Mick

mick@g6asj.net

For the bands you've mentioned, probably E tuning. Lo to Hi. EBEG#BE. However,,, The G tuning you have it in is a favorite of mine. And it's a good tuning to start learning in. You'll play most of your "lead" parts on the 4 high strings. Well the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings are the same as regular, standard 6-string. So you'll know scales and chord forms right from the git-go! You just have to remember that the first string is 2 frets low, and must be fretted with the bar 2 frets higher. Simple! Good place to start learning, and if it doesn't fit well with the music, then go to E tuning Have fun rockin' out!

Thanks for the correction John - G tuning, which I thought was D, and your suggestions.

I was thinking if I eventually tune it to open E, it'd be close to standard tuning. If my assumption that open E is in fact a E chord when strummed open. Thus It would be easier for some slide bits. But I'm no great Lead player, a few fill in licks etc so I could learn 2 different styles at the same time probably - Better Lead & Slide at the same time. Might have to re-tune one of my Strats, which defeats the object a bit, but might help as I only have the 1 lapsteel (at the moment).

I have been playing guitar on and off for 35 years, but had a big gap in the middle while not playing, since I restarted around 10 years ago I have caught GAS and have a collection of 13 guitars, Some genuine, some copies and some built from genuine parts. Plus a collection of 1970's H&H amps, (Used by Marc Bolan, Bryan Ferry & Wilko Johnson-Dr Feelgood and others) I'll be trying the lapsteel via an H&H amp over the weekend, when I have practiced a little via a smaller amp & headphones.

Still a long way to go, but thanks for your inputs.

KR
Mick

mick@g6asj.net