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Topic: Video For First Annual Lap Steel Guitar Show |
J. Wilson
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 27 May 2010 5:48 pm |
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I apologize if someone has posted this link already... but it's worth the eight minutes! I just stumbled across it by accident. There are some beautiful instruments here. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr6S-8IXAL0
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If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On. -Shakespeare
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1941 Ric B6 / 1948 National Dynamic / 1951 Bronson Supro / Custom teak wood Allen Melbert / Tut Taylor Dobro / Gold Tone Dojo / Martin D15S / Eastman P10 |
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Don McGregor
From:
Memphis, Tennessee
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Posted 28 May 2010 5:51 am
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| NICE! |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 28 May 2010 1:20 pm
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I arrived to late to get my 3-necked "Barder" Steel built for me in 1945 (one of a kind} in the Video, but here is a picture of it. I received the award for the most "Unique" Steel Guitar. The pickups are Rickenbachers. This was the Guitar I used in 1948 to record the song "Sunflower" with Frank Sinatra when I was 19 years old.
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Paul DiMaggio
From:
Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 28 May 2010 1:34 pm
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| Wow!!! That puts the old drool factor over the top! Had to push back from my keyboard to avoid shorting it out! What a sweet guitar! |
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J. Wilson
From:
Manitoba, Canada
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Posted 28 May 2010 2:01 pm
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| Billy Tonnesen wrote: |
I arrived to late to get my 3-necked "Barder" Steel built for me in 1945 (one of a kind} in the Video, but here is a picture of it. I received the award for the most "Unique" Steel Guitar. The pickups are Rickenbachers. This was the Guitar I used in 1948 to record the song "Sunflower" with Frank Sinatra when I was 19 years old.
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I can see why you won! That is absolutely beautiful! Congrats! A real gem.
_________________
If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On. -Shakespeare
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1941 Ric B6 / 1948 National Dynamic / 1951 Bronson Supro / Custom teak wood Allen Melbert / Tut Taylor Dobro / Gold Tone Dojo / Martin D15S / Eastman P10 |
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Steve Branscom
From:
Pacific NW
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Posted 28 May 2010 4:07 pm
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19? Frank couldn't have been a whole lot older than that. Just how old was Frank when you did the recording?
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Steve |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Barney Roach
From:
Del Mar, California, USA
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Posted 28 May 2010 6:30 pm
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Billy- your triple neck is just SO COOL!
The judges that day were the guys that performed-
and besides being a really cool instrument, each of them that voted for you was doubly impressed that you
are the original owner- with photos present taken back then- to just blow their minds! This was a vintage LAP STEEL SHOW- and you had every base covered! Thanks so much
for bringing it down to San Diego for us to see.
Next year- I hope you will also play a tune or two!
Barney |
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Barney Roach
From:
Del Mar, California, USA
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Posted 28 May 2010 6:50 pm
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Here are a couple of pictures I took of your wonderful instrument Billy:
Last edited by Barney Roach on 28 May 2010 9:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 28 May 2010 7:06 pm
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| That is a beautiful guitar and I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Billy at the show. What is also very interesting is the tuning on the bottom neck, if Billy would be so kind as to post it here. |
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Barney Roach
From:
Del Mar, California, USA
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Posted 28 May 2010 8:13 pm
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Chas- I was getting to you next- you brought the wildest array of instruments to the show- bar none.
But your Joaquin Murphy-owned Bigsby Dual 8 String Lap Steel was the instrument that got the most votes in the show for any single instrument! And you were very generous in letting some of the players try it out.
Thank you SO MUCH for your show-stopping display! ( Literally folks- )
Barney
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 28 May 2010 8:38 pm
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| I have bumped up my old post about recording with Frank Sinatra in 1948 due to some interest by several players. Look under "STORIES" and the post titled "Possibly Frank Sinatra's first Country Recording". |
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Barney Roach
From:
Del Mar, California, USA
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Barney Roach
From:
Del Mar, California, USA
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Posted 28 May 2010 11:22 pm
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( See below- w picture )
Last edited by Barney Roach on 28 May 2010 11:37 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Barney Roach
From:
Del Mar, California, USA
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Posted 28 May 2010 11:34 pm
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| Barney Roach wrote: |
This great picture of Billy and his 1945 Barder from the show just came in from author Robb Lawrence- who also
had a great vintage display at the show- as well as being a featured performer!
Thanks Robb!
Barney
PS- I'm not super good at math- but I estimate that Mr. Tonnesen is about 81 or so- which is so hard to believe! |
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Ray Shakeshaft
From:
Kidderminster, Worcs, UK.
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Posted 29 May 2010 5:02 am
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There should be a law against videos like that..... 
Many thanks for filming it though. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 29 May 2010 1:57 pm
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Barney:
Thanks for posting gthe photo. The Band picture was the Ole Rasmussen Western Swing Band taken about 1950 at the McDonalds Ballroom in Compton, Calif.
You got my age right, I turned 81 on May 3, 2010. I started playing with Ole when I was 16 years old and still in High School.
Can't tell you all how much I enjoyed the get together with all you guys ! |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 29 May 2010 2:30 pm
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Billy, I would never guess you were 81 based on that photo. Thanks for sharing your steel guitar with us!
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Mike Maddux
From:
Cerritos, CA
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Posted 29 May 2010 7:55 pm
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More video of the event here.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrTDRjuNhU4
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President - Southern Californa Steel Guitar Association
Regular Rig: Twin Reverb, Sho-Bud LDG |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 29 May 2010 10:17 pm
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And those are the original Bigsby strings, on Billy's guitar, installed by PA himself.
Barney, thank you, I had a great time. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 30 May 2010 1:04 pm
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Chas.
Yes the strings were last put on by Paul Bigsby. Everytime I changed strings I would let Paul do it for me. The wrapers in my case were from the last strings put on. I would hate to change those strings at this point in time as they are as historic as the Guitar. Back then I think Paul would supply and change all the strings for about $20.00. |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 30 May 2010 1:26 pm
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Chas.
The tuning on the inside neck is as follows. I got it off Herb Remington when he was playing with Bob Wills sometime in 1947.
Top to Bottom.
G#
E
C#
B
E (wound)
B flat (back up scale)
E Flat " " "
F# " " "
The first five strings are a C# minor tuning and great for 3-note slants. The bottom three strings used in combination with the upper strings mainly for fills or extensions of passages played on the upper two necks. I jumped necks a lot when looking for broader chords for melody and fills.[/u] |
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Joseph Meditz
From:
Sierra Vista, AZ
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Barney Roach
From:
Del Mar, California, USA
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Posted 30 May 2010 3:53 pm
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This should be Billy playing live in 1951-
how about telling us about this clip Billy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aALOrHwXP8M
"Shorty Joe & His Red Rock Canyon Cowboys-
Tracey Gardens- San Jose, CA 1953- per Billy."
Last edited by Barney Roach on 31 May 2010 10:46 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Billy Tonnesen
From:
R.I.P., Buena Park, California
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Posted 30 May 2010 9:39 pm
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This was a film clip when I was playing with Shorty Joe in 1953. The year of 1951 was in error. I was drafted into the Army in 1952 while playing with Ole Rasmussen and was permanently assigned to Fort Ord, Calif. (near Monterey). Bobby Black had been playing with Shorty when he left to play with Blackie Crawford back in Oklahoma. I had gone up previously on the week ends to see Shorty and the Band so he knew I was at Fort Ord. He asked me to take Bobby's place if I could get away on the week ends. It was no problem getting away. I played for the almost two years I had to serve in the Army. Larry Black was playing lead Guitar and we had a Ball every Saturday night. This is one of several songs in the film clip. This was at Tracy Gardens in San Jose, Calif.
Another film clip I played on which has been on the Forum is with Ole Rasmussen with Tommy Duncan playing "Stay A Little Longer". I was playing the 3-necked Barder, around 1951.
Last edited by Billy Tonnesen on 30 May 2010 9:53 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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