The Steel Guitar Forum

What a cool picture! Sol looks like he's about to put his guitar in the guitarist's face if he's not careful.

Where'd you get this, Andy? Thanks for sharing!

JBoyShyne posted it on the Acoustic Guitar forum. Somebody please get the lady some clothes!

If you look carefully at the pic you can see that Sol has something wrapped around the nut. There doesn't appear to be any strap or anything. I wonder if Sol used it as a damper of some sort. I've done some very detailed transcription of 12th Street Rag and I discovered a few very interesting little details about the way he played it. This could be a good explanation as to why and how!

Mike, The picture appears to be studio quality. It might be worth asking JBoyShyne for a blow up of the tricone's neck area. But what a strange choice of compostion elements: Symmetrical subject on a symmetrical setting. Greek statue and roses? There ain't no accounting for taste!

To me, it looks like they were on a gig and afterwards someone snapped a pic. Any decent photographer would have arranged them so Sol's guitar wasn't covering the guitarist.

Anyway, I was able to blow it up. Here are my observations: Sol has a piece of fabric tied around the neck over the nut. I also see he is using a round bar with a flat end. Knowing his style and after observing carefully how he played 12th Street Rag, I can imagine it would be extremely difficult to play that style with a flat nose bar as close to the nut as he got.*** Let me explain: Sol doesn't actually use the open string in that lick--he slides the bar from the 1st fret marker to just above the nut, so the bar never leaves the strings. Using a flat nose bar would have made that more difficult--perhaps that is why he uses the fabric there. Maybe he just used it as a damper because the open string rang too harshly...one can only speculate.

*** OK, I tried this with the flat end of a bullet bar and it didn't seem to causes any problem. Must be for damping purposes.

Mike,I love old photos and I always like it when people see stuff in them that I would overlook. Anyway, I dug out my copy of Sol Ho'opi'i Rounder Vol.1 and gave a more focused listening of 12th Street Rag. And with a view to clarifying what you have pointed out, I pulled out the tricone which hasn't been getting much attention lately. After several attempts at simulating what Sol was doing I have to admit I thought- "I wonder if there is some way I could weasel a copy of that transcription out of Mike Neer?"

A low-tech version of a George Van Eps string damper?

On the blown up picture, I see Sol's name engraved on the side of his guitar. I bet he had to spend a lot of time shopping before he found one with his name on it. I can't tell if they got the apostrophes in the right places either.

David, down the road 12th St. Rag will be the subject of one of my mini-videos.

Sol received the first Tricone from the Dopyeras in a special presentation. This is probably that guitar.

Mike, I'll look forward to that.
Craig, I read somewhere that there were two of those named guitars and Sol pawned at least one of them.

I agree Mike, I never used the open notes in that riff always played it as you said,,The open strings never sounded right!!!

Another fascinating aspect of that picture is the arrangement of what appear to be holes in the body on the right side below the cover plate. The first thirty-something serial-numbered Tricones generally had seven trapezoidal "diamond" holes in the top, three of them being in this area, which were eliminated in later production. This instrument, which may have been an un-numbered prototype, seems to have a field of holes resembling the upper bout grill areas. Those early hand-hammered bodies used thin soldered strips to form the upper grills.

In Bob Brozman's book it is mentioned that Sol Hoopii was given two Tricones by the fledgling National Company, at least one of them engraved with his name as in this picture. John Dopyera was upset to find out that Hoopii had pawned one of them soon after, and vowed not to give away any more guitars.

This instrument should still be out there somewhere; whose bed is it under?