Question on repair of Marlen pedal steel.

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

Hi everybody, I am new here and have a request. I just purchased a 60's Marlen double eight string for a rebuild project. It is a 7 pedal instrument and the linkage underneath has been, to put it mildly, slaughtered. I would really like a picture or any information on how it was originally constructed. Pedals and change mechanism all there, just the rods are messed up. Also, if there were knee levers at one time they are gone now. I am equipped to build what I need if I only knew what I needed. Personal information: I couldn't play a pedal steel if my life depended on it, I just like this type of challenge, being a retired eguipment mechanic and all. Thanks for any information. Don

David Collins · From: Madison, North Carolina, USA

Take some really good digital pictures and post them here. Once we see what you have, someone can surely help. Might be me, might not, but definitely someone.

Scott Howard · From: Georgetown, TN, USA

Is it the one that was on ebay last week ? Here are some pics of a Marlen .

_________________
"The Oddball" A MSA Keyless with pedals to the right.

David Collins · From: Madison, North Carolina, USA

This one is very early 60's. Never had knee levers at all.

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

The information from David Collins and Scott Howard is very helpful. This is more on this old Marlen. Most of the rods appear to be made of 1/8" welding rod, bent in different shapes on the ends, some threaded ( maybe original), springs of all shapes and lengths, mounted at all kinds of angles. Davids old Marlen is real close to what I think this should be but this one has casted end plates with the legs screwing direct into them. I intend to make all new rods and pieces as needed so Davids picture really helps. Under the head it had a #SA-5 and on the end of wood body it ha LS 4256 if that tells anybody anything. Heres pics. Thanks for all help. Don

richard burton · From: Britain

I've recently refurbished a 1966 Marlen D10.

It is now a padded rear neck SD10.

It is a pull-release mechanism, see sketch

I had to make all four knee levers, as it didn't have any.

Scott Howard · From: Georgetown, TN, USA

I only wish it had been mine. I have only seen one Marlen for just a few minutes. I have saved tons of underhood pictures of various makes and models seeing the for ideas and different ways of doing things . I watched it on ebay but I have plenty of projects now and limited funds. Is this the creature ?

_________________
"The Oddball" A MSA Keyless with pedals to the right.

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

Walter Bowden · From: Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

Hey Don, FYI, I think the LS in the serial # you mentioned stands for Lenard Stadler (I think that's how it's spelled) who built Marlen steels in Reidsville, NC. I met him one time and he was a very nice guy who took pride in his work. Good luck with the re build and you can definitely get some good advice here on the forum.
WB
_________________
Emmons S10, p/p, Nashville 112, Zion 50 tele style guitar, Gibson LP Classic w/Vox AC30, Fender Deluxe De Ville and a Rawdon-Hall classical

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

I was really impressed with the response to my plea for help with this old Marlen. David Collins, Scott Howard and Richard Burton all sent pictures. Great job on yours Richard, the padded rest area looks like it would be appreciated by a player by the end of a long night. Thank you guys very much. I was going to post some pictures but didn't have any luck, maybe try again later. I did learn the date this was made, it's 4-2-56. I thought it to be a id# of some kind but a gentleman by the name of Mike Callaway, who used to assemble these for Len Stadler, informed me of what they meant. With all this help how can I go wrong? (Talk about tempting fate). Thanks guys, Don

Bobby Burns · From: Tennessee, USA

Were the serial numbers on that guitar hidden when the guitar is assembled, or are they stamped on the underside. I've had a couple of very early Marlens come through, that I could find no numbers on at all. Maybe I just didn't look in the right places. I just assumed that if they were early enough to not have the Stadler Music plaque with the model and serial, that they had no number.
I drooled over that one on Craigslist, and then on Ebay. If I didn't already have a couple of Marlen projects, I'd have been all over it. Good luck. I know you'll end up with a guitar to be proud of.

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

Hi Bobby, yes the number was located on the end of the wooden body. You have to disassemble the guitar to find it. Mine had Len Stadler's initials and the number 4256 in black paint stamp. I was told that was the date 4-2-56. Thanks for the encouragement, I probably won't get to play it but I want to make a real nice instrument of it without taking all the vintage out. Don

Stan Schober · From: Cahokia, Illinois, USA

Yup, I bid on it, too.
I got a thing about 8 strings.

I guess we all wanted it !
_________________
Emmons S-8 P/P,DeArmond 40. Slowly drifting back towards sanity.

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

Richard, thats a real nice Marlen, but it needs more springs.

Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

This is one of the very early Marlens, as evidenced by the two nuts jammed together at the end of the rod behind the fingers. Leonard was building them in his basement around this time. This one looks very familiar and may be a joint project between he and Marvin Hudson. I was a Marlen endorsee and had three in the early sixties. He was making improvements as he went and no two of the very earliest will be alike. Once he went to his all pull system, the quality dramatically improved. Later Marlens are among the most stable, tuning wise and can be had very reasonably. They are also quite heavy which may be one reason they don't suffer from cabinet drop.
_________________
LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro

Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

Also, notice the over and under bellcranks. This had led to some confusion calling this a push/pull type guitar. There was a thread on this a while back. The proper term pull/release had not yet been coined and push/pull was referred to by some as to the motion of bellcranks, when in fact they were pulling both ways. (Hope I didn't make that more confusing than it already is.)
_________________
LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro

Don Riffle · From: Oregon, USA

Clyde, boy did you get my head going, I can see why there was some original confusion with those bell cranks. It finally dawned on me what L.S. was trying to do with those bell cranks. I think I can forgive myself for being confused though as this is the first pedal steel I have seen in person and have wondered what the pedals were doing. This was the reason I bought it was for the challenge and it is going to be fun. I am sure I will never learn to play it when it is finished, but what the hey, I can make some cat screaming noise come out of a lap steel so not all is lost. Thanks for the wake up. Don

Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

Don, Chris Lucker e mailed after my second post and rightly pointed out that the bellcranks COULD have a push function. If you'll notice in the photos,the under half of the cranks work in two different configurations. In one, the finger is held against the stop by a spring at the finger end of the guitar and activating the pedal releases the tension there and lets the string tension lower the note. In another photo, the springs are attached at the keyhead end of the guitar, holding the bellcrank back. Activating the pedal pulls against the spring,
letting string tension take the note down. I see it as essentially the same thing, but it can be a source of confusion.
_________________
LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro

Raymond White · From: Georgia, USA

Could some one please help me out?i am soon to receieve a D 10 All pull Marlen,and just wandering what years the all pull guitars were built,and if they are still being buit if so,by whom.many thanks,Ray White,Byron Ga. Please E Mail me at (steelmanplayer@yahoo.com)

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

They started in the early 80s, and continued through Len's death.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

At Scotty's in 1981, the Convention celebrated its 10th anniversary. Jeff Newman printed up some real nice books and gave a free C6th seminar that year. He was playing a white S-12 E9/B6 Universal all-pull Marlen. That was the first all-pull I had seen.
PRR

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic