The Steel Guitar Forum

I recently aquired a D10 8x7 steel. It received some damage in shipment, primarily to the rear side of the metal aprons.

When I first unpacked and set up the guitar, I honestly was not very impressed. The body is plywood, though it is aircraft grade, it is plywood which caused me some consternation. After listening to both Herb and Bobby Bowman explain why they used this for the body, it makes sense. It is stronger than regular wood and will never warp.

Anyway, I got over it.... Ok, Bobby Bowman built this guitar and he did a fine job.
I spent about two hours rerodding this guitar and getting "under the hood". I then spent a few hours repairing the damage to the endplates and the back apron. I bought a Dremel tool, the polishing kit for it, and Mothers Maf/Alum Polish. It worked just fine and this puppy shines like it was made yesterday.

Construction.... This has got to be the most heavy duty construction on any current made steel. There is nothing dainty about the undercarriage on this steel. Everything except the rods themselves is highly polished. The lever mechanisms are stout... to say the least. Everything on the bottom just says "mass". The rear apron is a generously thick slab of highly polished metal adding ridgidity to the frame.

The guitar uses a different approach to attaching the pedal bar. There are no wing nuts. It uses the internal pipe in the leg as an integral part of the pedal board. This part is perhaps 4 inches long. You just slide it into the leg and tighten the clutch. Really kind of unique.

The changer is your basic triple raise/triple lower and is well done. This particular guitar is a 99 model and has a detuning device on both necks. i really haven't messed with it much. But I did note that the guitar has minimal detuning.

The body is covered in a black mica with MOP inlay.... quite regal looking (B. Bowmans quote). This guitar has BL 710 on the E9 and George L 10-1 on the C6 neck.

I have heard folks describe these guitars as "rough" or sub top notch in regards to finish..... Honestly, that was my first impression, but the more time I spend with it, the more I appreciate just how well it is built. It is different than any of my Emmons, and is certainly not the "precison machine" maded by Zum and Mullen. That's ok..... this is a Mans guitar. Sorta like the steel guitar worlds version of the one ton dually Powerstroke.

How does it play?.... Like butter. This is an extremely easy guitar to play. I love the pedals. They too are massive and highly polished.

The guitar sounds very nice with surprisingly good sustain. It has a very nice deep growl...


Good job Bobby...


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Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas

Bobby Bowman builds Remington guitars? I assumed that Herb Remington built them himself.

Jim,
I believe Herb has these built by a couple of different folks under his brand. I know that Bobby built this one. I don't pretend to understand the in's and out's of who does what, but I know for an absolute fact that Bobby built this guitar.

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Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas

I thought you were talking about the old Pierce Brosnan/Stepahanie Zimabalis show

Thanks for the compliment Steve.
I'm pretty sure the one you have is a "Fisher" Remington. That being, that Fisher Industries machined the metal parts. If all the metal work looks like it is CNC machined (really clean and smooth looking), then it probably is. If the parts are just a little bit on the rough side, and I do mean just a "little", then they were probably made by Big Al Winters on a conventional Bridgeport machine. There was one other prominant builder quiet a few years back in Tennessee and his name was/is Gary Rittenbury (sp?). I think he, with and or Ed Naylor, made the Nashville LTD guitars. There were a couple of other guys involved way, way back, but I think they mostly made a few prototypes and either gave them away or sold them to some local friends.
The aircraft plywood, which is very expensive by the way, is the standard body. Should someone prefer another type of body wood, such as maple, it can be ordered that way. I don't get into that end of the business for Herby at all. (the ordering, that is)
The new Remington 2000's (not meant as a year designation, only as a model name) are, in my opinion as good as any or better than most other all pull guitar on the market. The tone and sustain are close to being unbelievably superior.
I must say this with caution and hope it is not mis-construded or mis understood,,,,,,, Herby is getting old, both physically and mentally. He is just not able to keep up with the pace of manufacturing on his own. He still, however, wants to put out the very best guitar that he can. I basically am the man that puts them together (assymbly) and that's about all I have to do with Remington Steel. I am in no way a partner or holder of any other position with Herby and Remington Steel.
Hell, I'm still trying, along with Earl Fisher, to get the American Steel, a double changer push pull guitar, on the market. Along with all my repair work, putting Herby's guitars together, playing gigs, doing all the "honey do's" around the house and keeping my butt out of trouble, I've got about all I can handle right now.
Mr. Fisher's pump business is going great guns for about the last year and looks like it will be for at least the rest of this year, so we havn't been able to give a lot of time to the American steel. BUT, it'll happen! I just know it will.
BB
As usual, I should have checked my spelling before posting.
BB
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If you play 'em, play 'em good!
If you build 'em, build 'em good!


<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bobby Bowman on 06 August 2002 at 09:28 PM.]</p></FONT>