| Author |
Topic: What on Earth did I just buy? |
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 5:03 am |
|
I picked this up recently; it was advertised as a Vega, but one look at the pictures told me it was nothing of the kind. It's a cast Aluminum body covered in brown paint, with seven strings and a 22.5" scale. The pickup is not a Rickenbacker, but it is a very good copy of one. There are a number of small discrepancies that indicate it's a copy, but someone put a lot of effort into its manufacture.
The whole steel is very well-made; the casting design is cruder than a Frying Pan, but features like the bridge and fret design were clearly given some thought. It came with a case that must have been made for this steel, and inside it were a spare nut and bridge. My biggest complaint is that the tone knob is located right where my picking hand normally sits, so it gets a little awkward when I'm playing the low strings. I find I'm also having difficulty with the lack of fret markers, though that can easily be fixed with a few decals. The sound is a little mellower and more rounded than my A-22, but the pickup has a lot of output and the string balance is excellent.
I wouldn't hesitate to bring this to a show, but I'd like to be able to answer questions about it. Any idea who built this thing? The tuners seem to date from the late '40s or early '50s.
 
 
 |
|
|
 |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 5:36 am
|
|
That's a Trotmore.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
|
|
|
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 5:45 am
|
|
Hot diggity! Thanks Mike - now that I have a name, I've found a few old threads about them.
Dare I ask... any idea how much this thing is worth? Also, the other pics mostly show bare aluminum; is it likely that this paint job is not original? |
|
|
|
Steve Green
From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 6:40 am
|
|
Looks like yours was built as a left-handed model, judging by the way the note names on the fret board are written -- They would be upside down for a right handed player. That would also explain the knob placement.
Jerry Byrd is undoubtedly the most famous Trotmore palyer. Here's some info from Skip Montee's Jerry Byrd fan club site.
_________________
Some songs I've written |
|
|
|
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 6:48 am
|
|
| I noticed the note names and thought it might be a lefty, but I hadn't considered the tone control placement - that's a good point. The slots in the nut aren't obviously cut for one dexterity or the other. |
|
|
|
Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 7:19 am
|
|
deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 11:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 7:28 am
|
|
deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 11:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Michael Greer
From:
Ontario, Canada
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 7:49 am
|
|
Noah
Great find.....congratulations
Looks to be in great, unmolested condition.
Does it seem likely, possible, that the paint color is original to imitate a wooden guitar? |
|
|
|
Steve Green
From:
Gulfport, MS, USA
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 7:57 am
|
|
Considering the placement of the second knob on Jerry's guitar (closer to the pickup), versus the placement on Noah's guitar (further from the pickup), Noah's guitar looks more like Charlie's from the article.
The article states that Charlie added the tone knob later, so that could explain the placement further from the pickup, compared to Jerry's closer-to-pickup placement. Jerry's tone knob was presumably factory-done.
The guitar Noah has purchased may be the exact guitar in the article about Charlie Miller.
_________________
Some songs I've written |
|
|
|
Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 8:08 am
|
|
| Steve Green wrote: |
| The guitar Noah has purchased may be the exact guitar in the article about Charlie Miller. |
I would not bet against that assertion. Especially if only three were made, as stated in the GP column, and one of them was definitely Jerry's.
Great find and congratulations, Mr. Miller! |
|
|
|
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 10:46 am
|
|
| Steve Green wrote: |
| The guitar Noah has purchased may be the exact guitar in the article about Charlie Miller. |
Now that I see the article, I'm positive it's the same one. Mine included a bar with a watch band taped to it - and now I know why!
Michael - thanks for posting that article. When I bought this, I doubted that anybody would be able to ID the builder. I never imagined I'd see the exact instrument in print. |
|
|
|
Michael Lee Allen
From:
Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 11:08 am
|
|
deleted
Last edited by Michael Lee Allen on 21 May 2018 11:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
|
|
Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 12:03 pm
|
|
Don't want to interfere with Michael and Noah's dialogue here, but the Steel Guitarist magazine with the Trotmore article is still available from b0b in the books and magazines section of the forum store if you are interested in it. www.steelguitarshopper.com
It's in the Jeff Newman issue #3 from Sep 1979. I have all those magazines and I remember reading this article when I got the magazine and being impressed with Charlie's innovation and attitude. |
|
|
|
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 12:32 pm
|
|
| Michael Lee Allen wrote: |
| That and the Jerry Byrd article which came out of a cut-up C&W magazine are yours to go with the instrument if you want them. |
Thanks - I managed to clean up that pic in Photoshop, which is really all I need. |
|
|
|
Michael Greer
From:
Ontario, Canada
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 12:55 pm
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Scott Duckworth
From:
Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies
|
Posted 7 Jan 2017 1:50 pm
|
|
Remember, in the sale of antiques, promenance brings value. The guitar, modified bar, and article bring proof of the promenance. The right buyer would probably pay top dollar.
A good appraisal and insurance are probably in order.
_________________
Amateur Radio Operator NA4IT (Extra)
http://www.qsl.net/na4it
I may, in fact, be nuts. However, I am screwed onto the right bolt... Jesus! |
|
|
|
Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
|
|
|
|
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
|
Posted 9 Jan 2017 4:27 am
|
|
Interesting note: a bunch of sources, including the article on Charlie Miller, state that these were built of magnesium. I tested it at work using an XRF device (a non-destructive chemical test) and it's made of aluminum. I couldn't identify the exact alloy due to contamination from the paint, but it's definitely an aluminum casting.
I'm going to try and get a proper appraisal done next weekend. |
|
|
|
Mark Addeo
From:
New Jersey, USA
|
Posted 13 Jan 2017 7:06 am
|
|
| wow! as a lefty I am drooling! The article states he played it "half backwards". Aka "lefty strung righty". Like Dick Dale or Albert King...only on the steel. great find indeed! |
|
|
|
