Steels/Wheelchairs

John Trigg · From: Vic. AUSTRALIA

JMaranville posted an item a little while ago about his friend who was in a chair and wanting to take up the steel.

I'm in a similar position - sitting down - in a wheelchair that is. I haven't played a guitar for something like 10/15 years - and I miss it. So recently I bought a Cougar Little Boss 6. (Still waiting for it to arrive - but it's got to get across the Pacific)

My problem is this, my arms and hands are weak, so what I intend doing is running a couple of 'rails' down either side of the Boss' neck, and putting a small 'trolley' on the rails to support my hand over the strings - THE PROBLEM is, using a bar that can bridge the neck, play individual notes and slant.

I'm just wondering whether anyone has a bright idea on how I could achieve this.

Kind regards

JT

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

john,
i admire your strength

you might look on the shubb website or one of the dobro sites.....check out the shubb dobro bars..i use an SP2 which has nice big contours to grip and a wide bottom for stability

John Trigg · From: Vic. AUSTRALIA

Thanks Chris, I'll look at the shubb sight

JT

Ron Stroud · From: Ft. Worth, TX

I can't help you much with your original question. However, regarding your wheelchair friend interested in steel, I can tell you that Gene Fields built a fantastic wrist lever "pedal" steel for me. I'm a quadraplegic with no leg or foot motion but Gene's design gives me four "pedals" operated with my wrist. Regarding your problem, I have good arms & wrists but bad fingers. I mount sort of a ring on top of Shubb-Pearse bar and slide my 1st finger into it to help me hold onto the bar.

John Trigg · From: Vic. AUSTRALIA

Thanks Ron, that's a pretty good idea regarding the SP with the ring attachment. I'll need something like that.

Thanks for your idea!

John

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

There's another steeler here on the forum who uses some form of attaching the bar to the hand because of grip problems. Perhaps he could add some knowledge here.
I believe I saw photos of your guitar, Ron. Gene does some sweet looking work. I believe Bruce Zumsteg has also engineered some ingenious guitars for custom requirements.
Your ideas in your initial post, John, got my imagination going but it's ultimately well beyond my limited engineering chops (chewing gum and rubber bands).

John Trigg · From: Vic. AUSTRALIA

Maybe the chewing gum and rubber bands might be a god alternative Jon

I don't think it needs to be anything too complicated. The rails and trolley are the easy bits - it's just figuring out the bar, and how to raise and lower it, and be able to bridge all strings, or individual strings, etc, as the case maybe.

But once again, thanks for your thoughts Jon

JT

Mike Dennis · From: Stevens Point WI.

John.. maybe Melobar guitars could set you up a sure grip bar...

The sure grip bar has plastic wings that wrap over the top of your first and second finger and enables someone to pick up a heavier bar faster.

It's not the greatest for bar slants... but I think you would be able to raise your hand and still hold on to the bar.

[This message was edited by Mike Dennis on 11-27-99]

Mike Dennis · From: Stevens Point WI.

PS... I think they only have sure grips for the 6 and 8 string lap steels .... so if you have ten strings you may need them to set you up with a custom sure grip on a longer bar.

John Trigg · From: Vic. AUSTRALIA

Thanks Mike. I'll look into it. I think the solution might well be a combination of a whole lot of things, but the Sure Grip sounds like a great idea.

Thanks once again.

JT

Mike Dennis · From: Stevens Point WI.

Here's a link to the Smith Family website (Melobar Guitars) and a picture of the sure grip bar...

www.melobar.com/store/accessories/slidebar.htm

Mike Dennis · From: Stevens Point WI.

PS. and click this to their home page catalog... web site

www.bigskytel.com/~melobar

Lucky Oceans · From: Fremantle, W Australia, Australia

Dear John,

Without knowing your situation, it's hard to imagine the solution(s) but here are a few ideas. Have the trolley rails separated by compression springs, so they will spread to different widths to allow for straight and slanted bar configurations. The rails could also be spring loaded in the vertical dimension, so applying force downwards would bring the bar in contact with the strings. As to contacting individual strings, that's a little harder. Steel players do that by picking up the back of the bar, holding it at an angle, and contacting one string with the bullet end of the bar. To do this, you'd have to have only the back of the bar mounted in a rail which could move back and forth (closer to and further from your body), tipping it down to contact individual strings, or pressing down evenly to contact all the strings.

Alan Emons, who lives in Falcon, W. Australia (a suburb of Mandurah) once kitted Melbourne guitarist Paul Cummings up to a guitar played lap slide style after Paul had an accident that put him in a wheelchair.

All the best,

Lucky Oceans

chris ivey · From: california (deceased)

far out! good to see lucky oceans on here......the original asleep at the wheel steeler! don't you live in hawaii, lucky?

John Trigg · From: Vic. AUSTRALIA

Dennis & Lucky

Thanks to both of you for your individual suggestions. Like I said ealier, it will be a matter of cobbling something together. The guy over in the west seems interesting Lucky - for a number of reasons - not necessarily to do with my situation, but from a doco point of view.

I've got a Cougar Little Boss 6 on its way - so that's what I'll be dealing with. The reason I chose it (apart from the various things I'd heard) was it's shape. It seemed like the easiest to fit things to, or around. It's a plank - but beautiful... (didn't Hendrix say something like that?) So all of the ideas with the rails and springs (which is very much along the lines of what I was thinking) would be easy to install on/around the Little Boss.

It's getting the bar sorted which is the hassle.

The sure grip sounds like its heading in the right direction Denis, and maybe it'll work with some 'attachments'. My problem is a lack of dexterity in my hands - I can't grip small things, or make a fist - and I can't hold my hand above the strings, which means I need the 'trolley' idea... Hmm, maybe I can play it with my teeth... Whatever! There must be a way around it. I just want to play! It's been too long.

But thanks to both of you for your input.

JT

Lucky Oceans · From: Fremantle, W Australia, Australia

Dear Chris,
No - I slept through the plane stop in Hawaii and wound up in Fremantle, W. Australia.

Dear John,

Keep me informed re developments on the bar/steel.

All the best,

lucky

Rob Segal · From: New York NY

JT:

In order to hold the bar, I suggest using the extremely sticky double-stick tape that 3M makes to fasten velcro strips to the bar. You will find that when the bar is clean, the tape sticks incredibly well, and the Velcro provides a flexible adjustable way to strap it on. Depending upon the shape of your hand, you can fashion something which will work for starters. The 3M tape I suggest is their VHB (Very High Bond) line. I have used several and would suggest in particular #4926 which has a thing foam interliner between the 2 sticky faces. If you need more rigidity, you can fashion something out of sheet metal--try 20 ounce copper- to fit your particular needs. If you would like to discuss this further please email me. I have dealt with something like this with some success.

Rob Segal

[This message was edited by Rob Segal on 11-29-99]

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