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Author Topic:  Info on Gibson Electraharp steels
Ernie Pollock

 

From:
Mt Savage, Md USA
Post  Posted 22 Jun 2003 5:19 am    
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could these gibsons raise & lower the strings or only raise them?? I think the Multichords raised & lowered, but I am not sure about the gibson electraharp, any electra harp players out there know what tuning they used on the 8 string models??

Ernie

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Al Marcus


From:
Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)
Post  Posted 22 Jun 2003 7:59 am    
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Hi Ernie, the original Gibson Electra-Harp, I had Pre WW II, could raise and lower any string any number of raises and lowers. Just like the MultiKord , which came out much later on the market. Also the Fender PS-210 had the same type changer in 1972. But they never marketed it.Too Bad.

The New Gibson Electra-Harps , that were portable , and went into a case, had a weird changer in them. I hated it.I told Gibson too.

When you lowered a note, it raised the whole changer somehow. It was not smooth.

No wonder Fender took over the market, with a better system.

That was the end of Gibson's trying to make a Pedal Guitar....al
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Ernie Pollock

 

From:
Mt Savage, Md USA
Post  Posted 23 Jun 2003 3:19 am    
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Al: thanks for your reply, I have one here that belongs to a local fellow, I had not seen this one before, and I can see no possible way to lower a string with this system, raises fine, but lowers?? It has 8 strings on it, I will try & take a picture of the changer area for your inspection & email them to you.

Thanks

Ernie
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Billy Easton

 

From:
Nashville, TN USA
Post  Posted 23 Jun 2003 8:36 am    
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In the late 1950s I had a triple neck Gibson MultiHarp, all black wood (ebony?). Anyway it was a three neck 8 string with 6 pedals that worked only on the center neck. The middle neck only was strung backwards to what we do today, with the tuning keys at the right end of the guitar and the changer at the left end. To accomplish a lower, ALL the strings were lowered, and the ones you did not wish to lower were raised in the same operation. It was very clunky. I liked the raises, but the lowers were always a pain. That old guitar was sold to someone in Illinois in the early 60s when I got my first ShoBud; my name was painted on the front of it. Anyone seen it?

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Billy Easton
Casa Grande, AZ
Southwestern Steel Guitar Association


[This message was edited by Billy Easton on 23 June 2003 at 09:38 AM.]

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Ernie Pollock

 

From:
Mt Savage, Md USA
Post  Posted 24 Jun 2003 4:08 am    
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Well fellas I found the part that makes this thing lower, but there must be missing parts on this guitar, there is no mechanism to make the lower happen, short of getting under there & pushing it up with your finger!! I agree with Al, this is a very poor design in comparison with the Fender steels. Guess we'll just put a C6th tuning on this one & be done with it!! Thanks for you input, & again thanks Leo Fender for saving us from these Gibson steels!!

Ernie http://www.hereintown.net/~shobud75/stock.htm
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