The Steel Guitar Forum

I bought this totally unlabelled pedal steel in Chicago about three years ago. Some of the components look to be hand-built (aka "home-made"), but all of it seems to work.

Might anybody recognize this?

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

The back-end of the changer is somewhat different than the Millers I've seen, but the headstock and knee levers are Miller. I suspect it's some later model of a Miller. Could be something bult by a person who bought parts from Mr. Miller? I doubt that though. JMHO

Any pictures of the underside?

The Fretboard is Sho-Bud.......

Thanks, gents.

I wasn't aware of MILLER, but I did recognize the Sho-Bud fretboard plate (which is screwed-on with slothead screws).

Here are some pics of the underside, hope they can help shed some light on the subject.

s-10 miller

It kinda looks like the Millers I have seen..maybe like stated, it was built by someone based on Miller parts.

I would take it totally apart, clean all the metal parts, get the paint off them, refinish the bottom...re-assemble...probably take an entire weekend...

I wish I had more useful info, but I'll have to dissent about this being a Miller. The keyhead casting, changer, pedals, bellcranks all differ substantially from the Miller I recently sold, and my collection of other Miller guitars gathered from here on the forum. I owned that guitar for about two years and studied pix carefully while working to upgrade it.

I'm willing to be corrected.

Here's a correction: My "collection" is not Miller guitars, but photos of Miller guitars.

Hey all, thanks for the info and opinions.

Tony- I wish I had the know-how and skills to do a refin/restore like you recommended.

Gary- Thanks for your take; it's good to hear from an actual Miller owner.

All in all, the steel seems to be reasonably workable mechanically. It isn't smooth or especially accurate, but I think it'll be good enough to get me started. The electronics, on the other hand, are problematic. The hum is almost as loud as the signal (likely just a bad ground), but it turns to a loud, annoying BUZZ when any of the levers or pedals are engaged.

I think a part of me secretly wished it was some sort of collectable that I could trade for a decent starter model that was already "good to go."

I have an old Walker pull/release and ended up having to have the p/u rewound. Sounded great, but when I started messing with the KL's, took a screw that stuck through the endplate off and it buzzed so bad I couldn't play it. Rigged it up with a longer screw and the buzz stopped. May be grounded through the body or something. Cant tell from the pics if yours passes thru the endplate, tho.

Just a suggestion

I doubt that this guitar is a Miller, attached below are some photos of the underside of the Miller that I own. Similar in concept but still quite different.










Also all of the pullers and knee levers can be changed around to any configuration, they are not the welded together type that you are showing.

Bob,

Your Miller is exceptional. In fact it looks like a different brand of guitar compared to the Miller that I used to own. I mean to say that yours has better bellcranks and nice strait pulls and isnt too cluttered. Mine was a very early one, but not welded like the really early ones. Really, most don't look as nice as yours!

I would agree with Gary. I changed my mind after seeing the underside. But, will say that the keyplate is like my old Miller...that I wish I still had! And the profile of the knee levers is about the same, but the work isn't as polished or sculpted as the guitar I had.

Also, I see the clips that hold the pull rods are totally different than Miller...

Still, with TLC, it could be a cool guitar.

I am sure that the guitar that Steven is showing could be built into a very nice guitar. It will however require a good bit of time and effort, if you finish the job though you will have learned a lot about the way the guitar works when you're done. This could be invaluable experience to you later. The Miller that I am showing in the photos was my first PSG and restoration project. Mostly it's just time and work, you can figure it out, and you will know how it works by the time you're finished. I believe mine is a 1969 model if I remember right. The top side key heads and bridge on mine are separate pieces, the bridge can move independently of the key head. I'm not sure if anyone can positively identify every old guitar, as there were a lot of variations, homemade projects, and changes made along the way. I just don't think this guitar shown above looks like most of the Miller stuff that I have seen, however some of it is similar so who knows?

Guys, yet again; great info. Thanks!

I imagine this old gal could be turned into a real "player" with some time and effort (and perhaps a bit o' $$$). I'm just unsure of my ability to be the guy who does it...

Maybe I should consult a pro? Of course, that could get REALLY pricey. Hmmmm...