The Steel Guitar Forum

This is a another question from my "computerless" long time friend Carl Dalrymple in Nova Scotia about his 1935 Ricky. He also has a 1937 same guitar with which he's asking this comparison.

The pickup magnet poles on the treble side of the 1935 Ricky are cut in a slant, whereas those on the 1937 guitar are straight across.....

If the question isn't clear, I'll ask him for pictures. Carl and I took Hawaiian guitar lessons together at the Halifax Hawaiian Studios in 1948 and we're both still picking!!!!!!

Thank you folks.

Geo

I have an early B-6 like your friend and mine is the same. The pole pieces are "beveled" as you describe. It is normal on the oldest ones.

Hi George,

Here's a thread that has a picture, second one down, showing an example of staggered pole pieces on a B6... In this picture the slant descends across all 6 strings, gradually tapering to the lowest on the bass side.

Rick Aiello contributes some thoughts regarding the whys and wherefores of these in the discussion that follows.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtop ... highlight=

PS: Happy Thanksgiving

If I'm understanding George's description correctly, it's not about the height of the individual poles relative to one another, but that some of the poles are individually filed (beveled)so that in profile they are not flat across the top, but are sharpened in a "saw tooth".

OK, on rereading, I see what you mean.
I had the wrong slant on it.

It would be interesting to hear 'why' they were built this way.