The Steel Guitar Forum

I just received my new TradeWind double six cuswtom lap steel. It's a real winner! Light, very playable, great sound and very, very well made. It was made by Elva West in Anaheim, California. His e-mail is:
elvawest@hotmail.com if anyone is interested in contacting him. Picture of guitar is available by e-mail from me:
jlmccoy@comwerx.net

I highly concure with Jim's response to Elva's TRADEWIND guitar. I have 4 of them and each is excellent. They are not Canopus or Fender, (nor do they have their high price tags), however he builds a very nice attractive guitar which, for me has a great Hawaiian tonal quality. If you are looking for a quality guitar at an affordable price, I highly recommend the guitars which Elva West personally makes in Anaheim CA. If you wish to e-mail me, I'll e-mail you a pic of the custom double 8 he built for me which I played in NZ, the Cook Islands and Hawai'i this year, and use constantly. (Ian McLatchie, when visiting me, played my single neck (8) TRADEWIND guitar and seemed to be quite impressed with it). Incidently, Elva is a prince of a guy to know and he stands behind his work.<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by George Keoki Lake on 24 November 2001 at 11:22 PM.]</p></FONT>

I was indeed impressed with George's Tradewind (a single eight), and have thought seriously about ordering one of Elva's instruments. That's been put back by the purchase of a couple of Fenders, but I still hope to own one someday. A very sweet tone, ideally suited for Hawaiian music.