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Topic: Miller Custom pedal steel |
Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 28 Sep 2013 9:30 pm |
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 This is my mid 60s Miller Custom pedal steel after I got it back. It had a lot of work done and lots of cleaning. When I first got it the pedals really didn't work all that well and now it sounds great and has amazing pedal action. It looks a lot better after all the parts were cleaned.I will post a few more pictures. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 28 Sep 2013 9:38 pm
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 I will try to get an undercarriage picture up tomorrow. This guitar is a whole lot nicer than it was a couple of weeks ago. I will also mention that it has no Rollers but it stays in tune and even after playing it a whole lot after I got it back I have yet to have to tune any of the strings. This is an amazing sounding guitar. |
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Jussi Huhtakangas
From:
Helsinki, Finland
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 1:31 am
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| Wow, that's gorgeous! Do those PU's slide? I noticed that there is room in the PU cut out, and I think some of the Millers had this option. |
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Micky Byrne
From:
United Kingdom (deceased)
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 2:21 am
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She's a real beauty...lovely wood ..nice fret board too. I bet she's heavy 
Micky "scars" Byrne U.K. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 6:57 am
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| Yes very heavy and I actually think the pickups do slide but I haven't tried it. |
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Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 1:23 pm
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That looks like a pretty early one to me. Nice find.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
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Russ Wever
From:
Kansas City
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 2:20 pm
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Several things point to it being amongst the earliest of Millers when he still built them in his residence:
Multi-color Screw-on Fretboards, Keyheads screwed on from the top, White-top Pickups, Black finish
integrated into the cabinet-top, String that is not raised/lowered is secured to the changer-mount rather
than to its own finger, the style of securement of the pedal-rods to pedal. Daniels doesn't appear to have
the 'Sliding Pickups' as that feature would have a considerably longer pickup cavity opening.
Here's a pic from the Miller brochure of one with the Sliding-Pickup.
~Russ
_________________
www.russface
www.russguru |
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Russ Wever
From:
Kansas City
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 2:21 pm
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Several things point to it being amongst the earliest of Millers when he still built them in his residence:
Multi-color Screw-on Fretboards, Keyheads screwed on from the top, White-top Pickups, Black finish
integrated into the cabinet-top, String that is not raised/lowered is secured to the changer-mount rather
than to its own finger, the style of securement of the pedal-rods to pedal. Daniels doesn't appear to have
the 'Sliding Pickups' as that feature would have a considerably longer pickup cavity opening.
Here's a pic from the Miller brochure of one with the Sliding-Pickup.
~Russ
_________________
www.russface
www.russguru |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 4:19 pm
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| If the serial number is the date then mine is a 1965.Does anybody know what year the Millers were first built. I don't know much about the sliding pickups so I wouldn't know if mine did or not but they probalbly don't. I know I have seen no other Millers that didn't have rollers. Mine just has a round bar with grooves in it but it does really well and don't go out of tune or anything like that. It just had one handle when I got it so it has replacements now but I do hope to find a match to the original one day to add so it will be like it was originally. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 29 Sep 2013 4:24 pm
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 This shows the round bar on my guitar that is in the place where rollers would be on most guitars. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 13 Jan 2014 1:30 pm
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| The above link is just a quick video I did of me playing the Miller guitar.I will do a better video in the next day or so.The song is Red River Valley.The guitar doesent sound real bright in the video for some reason but I was just going through an amp and ddidnt have my delay or anything turned on. |
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W. Van Horn
From:
Houston, texas
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Posted 13 Jan 2014 2:15 pm
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| Super cool guitar! Love the fretboards. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 13 Jan 2014 5:00 pm
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| Thanks Will. I really like this thing.Jerry Mckee did a super job making it work again after 40 years in its case because when I got it most everything was froze up on it and now it plays really smooth.If anybody has a Miller that doesent have rollers on it I would be interested in hearing from you because I have yet to see one just like mine as in not having the rollers at the nut. |
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Edward Rhea
From:
Medford Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2014 7:06 pm
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I thought your tone was kinda cool! Sounds like a vintage jazz archtop. Could have been your phrasing I suppose. Any chance we'll get to see underneath?
_________________
“TONESNOB†|
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Jack Harper
From:
Mississippi, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2014 7:46 pm
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daniell;
you amaze me by findin' the neatest stuff.
do you still have the bethel?
country jack..... |
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Billy Carr
From:
Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)
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Posted 13 Jan 2014 9:47 pm psg
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| Daniel buddy, you are laying the groundwork to be one of Mississippi's finest steelmen. Keep at it. Hey Jack H.! Great singer & entertainer. The Grand Ole Opry & Midnight Jamboree need to make a place for you. Yea folks, Mississippi needs another voice on the Opry and Jack is the perfect match, no doubt! See you guys down the road at Fulton or Gulfport. |
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Steve Waltz
From:
USA
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Posted 14 Jan 2014 10:33 am
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This one has the same keyheads without rollers and it's a bit older than yours.
a closer picture before the blue came off.
The older Miller style underside. Basically early 60's sho bud style rods.
The Bigsby type fret boards were as far as I can tell, the early ones. |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 14 Jan 2014 7:35 pm
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| Thanks everybody for the nice comments on my playing.Im glad somebody likes it.Steve Thanks for showing me thepicture of yours without rollers.I know for a fact your triple neck guitar is one of the coolest I have ever seen.I have some old undercarriage pics but I need to get a couple of it after I had work done and got it going again.I may do a before and after pic and post them tomorrow.Also I will add that yes I do still have and play my Bethel and its my main guitar.I just happen to run across this Miller and got a fair deal on it |
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Stan Schober
From:
Cahokia, Illinois, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2014 2:38 pm
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WHat a beauty !!! In looks AND sound !!!
_________________
Emmons S-8 P/P,DeArmond 40. Slowly drifting back towards sanity. |
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Edward Rhea
From:
Medford Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2014 4:25 pm new video
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Very nice! Tone is great! Nice right hand position too! How long have you been playing?
_________________
“TONESNOB†|
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 15 Jan 2014 4:48 pm
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| Ive been playing for about five years now. |
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Edward Rhea
From:
Medford Oklahoma, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2014 4:54 pm
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Wow! You make it look effortless. Great steelin!
_________________
“TONESNOB†|
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Daniel McKee
From:
Corinth Mississippi
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Posted 15 Jan 2014 5:12 pm
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| Thanks Edward.I have just spent many hours practicing. |
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