The Steel Guitar Forum

From e-Bay listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=496061625

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The future belongs to culture. jaydee@bellsouth.net

It's a cool guitar, but you really can get more out of a 26 string tuning than you can with a now-obsolete 24.

I tune mine to E6.



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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages

I don't have enough lap to play that one!

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www.dougbsteel.com

Very interesting indeed.

A bit of Trivia. Back in the 20's, 30's and 40's many strange steel guitars were built including this one on E-bay.

Of course the root of most of this I believe, is the need for getting chords that is so easy to achieve on our sister instrument, the Spanish guitar. The ultimate of course is the PSG.

I know of a steel guitar that had 6 necks. Yes, 6 necks. But NOT in the fashion of the Fender multi-neck steels.

These 6 necks were built on the top of a large wooden console on four rollered legs lika a Marimba.

There were two vertical rows of 3 necks each. With the top two necks having only 4 strings. And were all bass strings.

The other 4 necks were 6 strings each. The lady that invented the guitar was Latritia Kandel from chicago. She played this instrument in the ole Paul Whiteman orchestra in the "heyday" of big bands. She also played regular lap steel with Paul, when the "hawaiian" guitar pervaded big bands. Most of the bands had them back then.

She dubbed the 6 neck steel Guitar "The Grande LeTar. Check out her first name and you will see why she did this.

Letritia was a serious music and theory advocate and expert. She could sight read better than anyone I ever saw. Even down to fast 32nd note sax and clarinet practice books. She was incredibly good. She strictly played the notes that were written and NO ad-libbing was ever permitted at all.

She could jump from one neck to the other with lightning speed and never miss a note on this steel guitar; "The Grand Letar".

I have NO idea what ever happene to her. Back in the 40's she co-owned "Modern Guitar Studios" in downtown Chicago. Sure wish I knew what happened to her.

I can still hear her "fussing" at me for my wanting to use the E7th tuning and play "hillbilly" music. Which of course she abhored both, and had no inhibition about lecturing me on this either. To her, there was only ONE tuning and ONLY one way to play the steel guitar.

You used A major (Hi-bass) and you bought the sheet music and played the notes that were written. Nothing more and nothing less. And if I didn't do this, she would lecture me until I felt like I had committed a grave sin.

Oh well, it is now many years later, and I do my thing now

God bless her wherever she is,

carl

The guitar is quasi-religious looking. Sort of a Ten Commandments, dual-tablet motif.

I seem to recall a 1955 movie in which the spirit of Sol Hoopii descends Diamondhead after receiving this instrument.

Sol looks upon his followers at the base of the mountain cavorting with a golden instrument. An instrument that in a time of weakness they built themselves. An instrument with pedals for the feet and levers for the knee. In anger, he casts the 26 stringer at the non-believers. It shatters at their feet. His followers are remorseful but they go on adding more pedals to their golden idol.



Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Page <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER><FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 14 November 2000 at 01:24 PM.]</p></FONT>

Looks like you could put 3 different tunings on this guitar.That would be two eight string and one ten string tuning, get a quart of Jack Daniels and just have a ball.I'd crank up the volume just to annoy the neighbors with the all night barking dogs.

you guys missed the whole thing its a commercial cheese slicer.