The Steel Guitar Forum

My good friend from the UK Jimmy Gibson just got a Dekley D 12[ouch]in MINTY cond... He says its not pakkawood but maple.. my question is this.. DID Dekley ever make all wood guitars??.. I thought they were all pakkawood, but my good bud Jimmy thinks its maple, and he knows steels as well as anyone I have ever known..any comments??... bob

I sold it to him Bob and I don`t have a clue what its made of, but it sure looks pretty and plays nice.......

I have a Dekley S-10 3+3, and there is no wood at all, just naugahyde glued onto the metal.

I know someday I'll have a 'wooden' one, but at least I'm learning how to mash the pedals!

In the late 70ís and early 80ís I played on first a Dekley S-12 string and then on a S-10. They were not packawood, it was Maple in the body of the guitar! A friend of me still play the s-10, the guitar still sounds great!
Regards
Ulf Bertil "Uffe"

I had a Dekley "glue and sawdust" model back in the late 70's.. Jimmy thinks his guitar is an 84.. maybe the later guitars were maple?... I don't know the brand very well, but I guess at least some were wood bodies... bob

I have a double 12 9 floors & 9 Knee levers it is solid birdseye maple and Mr Jim Smith help build that steel and it plays and sounds great. Anyone wanting to see pictures of it email me and I'll see if I can send you a few.
Bill

Bob, I've played and owned a couple of D-10's and I completely rebuilt one and the necks are Pakkawood but the bodies are maple with mica.

I seem to remember seeing an all wood body Dekley S-10 once years ago.

Jim Smith could give us the best answer.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

The early Dekleys had Pakkawood necks, tops, and sides. The newer SlimLine models, that Larry Hilt and I designed, retained the Pakkawood necks, but used maple tops with either thin Pakkawood veneers or Formica on the tops and in the channels of the aluminum frame.

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Jim Smith jimsmith94@comcast.net
-=Dekley D-12 10&12=-
-=Fessenden D-12 9&9=-
-=Emmons D-12 push pull 9&9=-
Stereo Steel rig w/Boss GX-700
IVL SteelRider w/JV-1080

Don't even think about disputing Jim on this, he is the Dek-lee King and I remember it exactly as he has stated it to be.

No sure if i got this picture up ,but this is the beautiful D12 DEKLEY.that Bob C is on about.


Sorry i still aint got the hang of making the pics smaller. try again

JG.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jimmy Gibson on 08 June 2006 at 12:32 PM.]</p></FONT><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Jimmy Gibson on 08 June 2006 at 12:35 PM.]</p></FONT><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by b0b on 16 June 2006 at 10:49 AM.]</p></FONT>

Gordy,
Is that guitar a Push Pull?

It's push or pull cuz they're too heavy to pick up.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Well, I had never thought about exacly how my Dekley 3+3 was built, but I just looked and it is all metal construction, with a very nice tan curly maple formica on it. That wipes clean nicely, and would hold up in the tropics where I took it in 2004. (Belize) Here is a picture. http://belizenorth.com/rix_place.htm
I guess it's an 82, 83 or 84, just because of what I've read here. It stays in tune, doesn't seem to have much cabinet drop.

RZ

Bruce,
All Dekleys were built "all-pull". I've had my S-10 "Slimline" since '78,& the only thing I've ever replaced on it,was 3 nylon pedal tuners,& that was just very recently. LOVE that ol' guitar.

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mm if it ain't got that twang.</pre></font>

Not being part of the pedal steel "scene" in the '70s/'80s, I have always been curious as to Dekley's place in the market.

Were they viewed as a top guitar, or a mass-market 'so-so' guitar? (note...I am not asking what they "were"....I am asking how they were perceived).

I am also curious as to why the company went out of business. I have heard.....things.....but it doesn't appear the reasons were ever put to text here on the Forum. Rather than spread what could be false information, it'd be interesting to know if the company just closed for lack of profit and/or interest? Was there a legal problem?

Joe

Joe,
You might wanna contact Jim Smith,directly,on your inquiries. He,perhaps,would be the best person to answer them. Here's his link:

jimsmith94@comcast.net

I,personally,loved the guitar when I first got it. Its one of the most trouble-free guitars I've ever owned.

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<font face="monospace" size="3"><pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.</pre></font>

<SMALL>Were they viewed as a top guitar, or a mass-market 'so-so' guitar?</SMALL>

IMHO, "no" and "no". They were a well-built, but heavy guitar, sort of along the lines of the old MSA's, but they weren't anywhere near as big an operation as MSA once was.

Smiley....I used to own a Dekley and loved it! Jim has always been a great friend to help me with any questions I had.

I posed my question to the general public as I am just curious as to the perception of the brand during it's heydey. Jim might be a bit biased as he built these guitars



As to the decline of the company, you are correct in that Jim might have the answer, but I don't know that I'd want to put him on the spot, so to speak. I thought perhaps one of the Forumites might have some knowledge as to the cessation of Dekley production and could share. (Besides....was Jim with the company until the very end??? I seem to remember he may not have been....)

Oh cmon....if a ZB thread can go 800 pages long, why is it so hard to get more than a one-page discussion going on Dekleys?

Being the previous owner of this beautifull guitar I had already enquired of Jim Smith as to the year and he reckoned it was a 1980 Slimline a great instrument to play and I might have kept it if I could have found another like it so I could have one set up to practise on and one to play, having 12 instead of ten does open up a whole new can of worms........but its seems Dekley are not as common as my old push pulls......

I currently own and play with three Dekleys. One is an S-10 "student" model, with plain black end plates and nothing fancy about the neck, but solid underbelly, and uses screw caps on the cross shafts. The 2nd S-10 has a woodgrain finish with formica sides, and doesn't use the little black "screw caps" for the cross shafts. Again, rock solid in performance. The 3rd Dekley is a D-10, and it too uses the "screw caps" on the cross shafts.

Do the little black plastic screw caps imply "slimline"?

I bought a brand new D-10 Slimline around 1982 and played it for 16 years and I bought another D-10 a year ago which I completely rebuilt.

Both played great had good tone and rock solid tuning. To change a pull or two requires time and patience but it is a good guitar although hard on the old back.

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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

"Do the little black plastic screw caps imply "slimline"?"

I don't think so Ray; my S-10 has them but is an older pro model (pre-slimline, that is). Although I am saving my pennies to buy a modern, lacquer finish instrument, I will probably keep the Dekley. It is a great guitar, albeit HEAVY. (But, then again, so am I. So who am I to talk?)

Dan

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Dan Beller-McKenna
Big Red
Durham, NH

I might add that to make life less miserable, where I can, I'm replacing those bellcrank socket head set screws (itsy bitsy #6's) with stainless socket head cap screws 3/8 inch long.

<SMALL>...some knowledge as to the cessation of Dekley production...</SMALL>

Okay Joe,
Here's what I know,or at least,what I've heard.

FACT: Dekley was owned by Bob DeKam,(who was the "DEK" in Dekley) & Jim Gourley.(who was the "LEY" in Dekley.) Several years ago,Bob DeKam passed away.

SPECULATION: Jim Gourley was,<u>allegedly</u> involved in some illicit drug trafficking,& was "busted".

Hence,the end of Dekley guitars.

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<font face="monospace" size="3"><pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.</pre></font>