The Steel Guitar Forum

Well here's a rare one I just finished restoring for Rick McDuffie. Rare meaning; There were no Marlen Single Finger pull-release Guitars that were a single neck on a Double Frame(not that I know of)...as the single necks were single frame.
But this 1970(give or take) Marlen was a Double neck at one time...but someone gutted the C side and put a long rectangled pad on it...yuk....So I redid the pad and cut out for the switch....and added 2 knees....and a 710 pickup; and of course took her all apart and cleaned and polished ever single part....and she is a Dream.

She plays and sounds as good as anything I've played and Heard(Just like a Marlen Should) and on lives the legacy of the great Leonard Stadler("can you see this Leonard?You were a truely gifted artist/designer/Man)God Bless and RIP.

There's a few more pics on a little slide show here at this link>Click here for slide Show
Rick; I'll get her back to ya after a couple gigs and nothing falls out from underneath...ha.. >thanks for trusting me with your new love....and you can go ahead and sell all your other guitars...as none of them can touch this baby...
Ricky

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Ricky Davis


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

esta linda.

WOW -- great job on the pad too! that thing is gorgeous...

Mr Stadler sure knew how to treat beautifull wood,it is hard to beat clear/stained natural wood,great job Ricky.

Bill

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Bill Ford

Beautiful work, Ricky.

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GFI S-12 extended E9

Very nice, Ricky. Keep 'em coming. I don't get tired of looking at those gorgeous hunks of wood.

At this rate, EVERYBODY'S gonna want a Marlen! Thanks, Ricky- I'm looking forward to gettin' her.

Rick


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Rick McDuffie
Tarheel Jazz Q-tet
Debbie Elam Band
www.tarheelmusic.com

Ricky, you genius. And to think I can see you play at Ego's whenever I want. Spoiled. CH

Beautiful work, Rick!

What are the fretboard graphics? I can't quite tell from the pix.

-GV

Thanks guys...
Greg; thanks pal....and the graffics on all Marlens are white and red Musical notations; but to get the whole guitar in a picture....makes for a glossy distant view of the fretboard....which they are Stunning on the Marlen.....So I have a close up of it if you e-mail me, I'll send it.
Ricky

...but someone gutted the C side and put a long rectangled pad on it...yuk....

Someone did that to my guitar as well, and ruined a beautifull green Sho-Bud Baldwin crossover

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Steelin' Greetings
Marco Schouten
Sho-Bud LLG; Sho-Bud Pro III Custom; Guyatone 6 string lap steel; John Pearse bar; Emmons bar; Panther amp

Hey Greg here's the Fretboard pal...
and a couple underside for those that inquired.



Ricky

Dig it! Never knew that's what's on a Marlen fretboard. Very cool. Thanks for those pix, Ricky. -GV

Hey Ricky,

On these single-finger guitars, do the E's "float" in the E position (with a spring) and get tuned at the keyhead in the D# position?

-GV

This is Beautiful!
Could you send us a pic of your golfclubs?

And here are a couple of photos of Ricky playing MY guitar *last night* at a gig in Austin. Thanks for sending these, Ricky.

I tell you what, boys, when Mr. Davis works on your guitar, you get the first class treatment.

And how 'bout the so-cool Fender Stringmaster??
http://www.tarheelmusic.com/rickyonthemarlen.jpg
http://www.tarheelmusic.com/ricksmarlen1.jpg

Peter; pictures of my golf clubs are in your E-mail..ha....
Greg; glad you asked.
Well when a string is raised and lowered on these old single fingers...what you need is a rod with a hole in the other end...so put a spring to hold it on that opposite end of the guitar. This rod is set on the other end with a nylon tuner...and has constant pressure holding the finger in an idle position.....than the rod is affixed to the puller on the crossshaft bottom..to push the rod...to release the pressure for the lower...and the lower as well as all lowers are stopped by the stop screws behind the changer tops. Than to raise that string..you have rods in the above holes of the finger to pull the finger and are stopped by the stops on the pedal or knee lever...and you adjust/fine the knee raise by a nylon tuner..but the pedal raise has to be tuned by the tuning key ; thank the open note is tuned by the distance of that idle postion with the nylon tuner that the lower is holding.
Yes it's long and complicated..ha...but after the guitar is set up properly....it NEVER goes out of tune at the stops...only adjust the strings at the key head as they stretch and do whatever they do.
All other raises are tuned at the key head...and open string at the tuners stops behind the changer...it's a perfect mechanism to play dead on...as long as you have the right springs and tension and stops in the right place.


OH and that Fender StringMaster is one I just fixed up for John Troutman...and it was the second one made in 1955..and is long scale(26")and just plays and sounds great...and I put a .012 for the top G on the C tuning...and no problem with breakage...wanna know why?? ha....because I polished the nut and bridge so there is not the drag tension that is inharent from these very old Hawaiian steels....
Ok I'm outta breath.
Ricky

Thanks Ricky that's cool stuff. Sounds like a very efficient changer mechanism.

Hey is the Sho~Bud volume pedal a new item in your rig?

-GV

Greg the ShoBud pedal is a new item for me; as I got it with this Shobud pictured below; but sold the Shobud to Joe Henry and kept the pedal..ha.....because this old ShoBud pedal has the Allen Bradley pot in it and is as clear/responsive sounding as my Hilton and active Goodrich.....so it stays under my foot as the others are collecting dust...ha

Ricky

Groovy gear, man!

-GV

Ricky's Refurbished Relics -- Roadtested!