The Steel Guitar Forum

Why is the Fender sound and tone of the 60's so different than the other models of today?

Well...

Could it be the same reason the Stratocaster sounded so different from a LesPaul?

Leo Fender tended to lean in the direction of a somewhat twangy plectrum sound. Rather than the more mellow bell like sound. At least that is my feelings.

You will get plenty of different opinions. This forum is like snowflakes falling.

carl

Because so many things were unique about the design of the guitar! For one, that piece of ash wood that was about 3" thick. The neck wasn't screwed or glued on, like most guitars, it was a routed-out part of the main body. The finish they used was more of a coating...it didn't penetrate very much. The necks were separate pieces of wood, and almost "floated" in the frame. The frame was a one-piece al-mag casting that went entirely around the guitar. The nut and changer assembly were very light, and the changer fingers were "separate" (not being mounted on an axle), so the mass of the other fingers didn't tend to cancel out the vibrations of the strings that were being picked. Nothing was mounted to the center of the guitar body, so resonances there weren't dampened by other hardware (brackets, knee levers, and such). The entire guitar was held to the frame by only a few wood screws). The guitar itself was quite large, and the strings were closer to the body than any other guitar made before, or since. Since the pedals pulled down on the frame, and the body wasn't rigidly fastened to the frame along the front of the guitar, cabinet-drop was non existent, and none of the pedal pulling apparatus was fastened to the body, only to the frame.

The list just goes on and on, but these were a few of the reasons for that "unique" tone quality.

If you ever want to hear that tone in Nashville go see Jimmy Clark at Roberts with the Brazillbillies. He nails the Ralph Mooney tone with a six string steel and a guitar pick-up mounted on the body. He only uses two pedals. I thought I was listening to Mooney!

Get out your ohmmeter and measure some Fender steel guitar pickups then measure some other popular steel guitar pickups. Also, anyone who has replaced his Kluson tuning gears with Grovers or Schallers on an electric guitar will understand the big tone change various tuners can make on a steel.

Bob M.

That's true, Bob. Back in the '60s, most all of the pickups were single-coil, including the Fender, and they had a lower impedance than most used today.

The tuning-key issue is much more significant on straight guitars than it is on steels, though.

I owned/restored/sold a Fender 400 back in the 80's. Without a doubt, that big slab of ash wood combined with those Fender pickups gave that distinct tone.

Regards,
HH

I miss those old Fender steels a bunch. They were a unique instrument for sure. I remember a good steelman in LA named Carl Walden (Who's also a Forumite) who had a Fender 1000. Now what was unique about Carl's guitar was the fact that he had the front neck totally out of the guitar so where the front neck used to be it was a tray. He could sit an ashtray, three or four beer bottles, extra picks and strings, and all kinds of good stuff. I always thought that was a good way to do it. Carl, if you see this, do you still have that guitar?

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

Sometime in the future (or maybe, it's already been done), someone's gonna convert a Fender steel from cable to rod operation. The preservationists will scream bloody murder but I'll bet it'll be a really popular retrofit. I'd buy one then.

Bob M.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Bob Metzger on 07 June 2002 at 11:28 AM.]</p></FONT>

The pickup was mighty fine on the highs.

I've got a long term project in the pipeline - very near completion.And that is I'm doing a custom makeover of a 1964 S-10 Fender 800.The guitar came w/6 pedals and the old cable mechanism.What makes it a lot more usable than the 400/1000 series(8 stringers)is that the 10 string Fenders had double raise/double lower,so you can get a relatively modern copedant on there.I've added 6 scratch-built knee levers to it using stock Fender cable harnesses,yokes and pulleys.Today the UPS man delivered a pair of Jason Lollar 10 string Stringmaster reproduction pickups - replete w/blender pot already wired up - the same ones used by Ricky Davis on his SS Hawaiian non-pedal guitars.In short,I'm only days away from my West Coast fantasy guitar: A 10 string Stringmaster w/6 pedals(AND 6 knee levers) -MJ-

Ok Michael; your FREAKING me out my brother. WOW; really??? Man this should be super awesome and I will be exceptionally jealous.....and please snap some shots and I have to see this; and hopefully play it.
For one; those pickups Jason made me are KILLER...and you already know that cause you got to hear them....but to put them on a Fender pedal steel with blend.....WEll your dream will come true for the ultimate sounding pedal steel that plays modern.
Too cool for school man.


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Ricky Davis


My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com

Just got a Fender 2000 today. The string mutes are giving me a problem. I want to take them off, but then there seems to be nothing to keep the string from laying right on top of the pickup, as it's doing now. It came without strings, so I have nothing to compare it to. Can anyone help me out?

I will say, in keeping with this thread, that even without strings on the guitar, you can tell the pickups are really hot. I can't wait to get it set up and start playing.

Clinton<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Clinton Kirby on 11 October 2002 at 07:39 AM.]</p></FONT>