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Topic: Mystery Pedal Steel |
Mac Knowles
From:
Almonte,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 3 Aug 2018 10:26 pm |
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Hi folks...
I haven't been on here for several years. However now I have a question. I fell heir to an old pedal steel recently that I really hope to find out more about before rippin' it apart. It's a pull/release D11, 8 pedals, no levers. Changer has chrome steel fingers, very well made. End plates are chrome steel (plated). Body is nice maple, green in color. Wood neck in very nice striped maple, fretboards are rosewood with actual ivory inlaid frets and real MOP markers. Nice sets of Kluson machine heads on cast keyheads. 11 string humbuckers that work. Really nice stuff! Underside is a mess, most is welded together....and all in the wrong places. The guitar was bought on EBay about 12 years ago and came from China Grove NC. The only markings on it is the logo Twin-Bonanza which looks to have been commercially made. Anyway....sorry for this long story, but I'm so curious about who made this guitar. Any info that any reader of this posting can give me would be most appreciated. Thanks for your time....Mac
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Homebuilt SD12 keyless, always several new steels in the works, Custom Gretsch I bought in '59, Regal Dobro, MK acoustic, several other acoustics & electrics, Session 400, Peavey Bandit etc. etc. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 6:55 am
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Better pictures of those plates on the front might help.
And maybe shots of the underside.
Those imitation 'gumbys' say it's someone imitating Sho-Bud.
It looks like early 60s vintage, so I'd bet the underside looks like a Permanent.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Mac Knowles
From:
Almonte,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 7:31 am Mystery Pedal Steel
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Hey...thanks guys
Didn't want to open a can of worms on this guitar but just curious before stripping it down for the machine heads etc. This friend of mine bought it off EBay 10 or 12 years ago. He's not a "fixer" so I ended up with it for a paltry sum. The EBay seller sent him a box of the other original changer and a couple of really bad all pull changers he had made. I'd be surprised if there was more than one of these guitars. Here's a picture of the underside....anyway not to worry over this too much and thanks again for your help.....Mac
_________________
Homebuilt SD12 keyless, always several new steels in the works, Custom Gretsch I bought in '59, Regal Dobro, MK acoustic, several other acoustics & electrics, Session 400, Peavey Bandit etc. etc. |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 7:51 am Re: Mystery Pedal Steel
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| Mac Knowles wrote: |
| I'd be surprised if there was more than one of these guitars. |
Did you check out the link I provided?
It may or may not be the same guitar referenced in that old post. |
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Mac Knowles
From:
Almonte,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 8:08 am Mystery Pedal Steel
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Yes I did check it out Lee, thanks for that.
Anyway.....ain't sure what I'll do with it, maybe just look at it for awhile....Mac
_________________
Homebuilt SD12 keyless, always several new steels in the works, Custom Gretsch I bought in '59, Regal Dobro, MK acoustic, several other acoustics & electrics, Session 400, Peavey Bandit etc. etc. |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 8:14 am
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It could be fun to revive, if you're conversant with the vagaries of the pull-release mechanism.
By all means, just start over. I'll see if I have pictures of the clever reverser mechanism that was on the circa 63 Perm that lived in my work room for a while. It allowed the open notes of lowered strings to be tuned back under the keyhead somewhere.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 8:19 am
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I'm with Lane. Make a nice pull/release guitar out of it.
When you have a chance, post a photo of the name/emblem/badges on the front. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 6:49 pm Re: Mystery Pedal Steel
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| Lee Baucum wrote: |
| Mac Knowles wrote: |
| I'd be surprised if there was more than one of these guitars. |
Did you check out the link I provided?
It may or may not be the same guitar referenced in that old post. |
"Twin Bonanza"? I know Bobbe Seymour was both a pilot and plane owner. Could be he was involved at some point, as the Beechcraft Twin Bonanza was pretty popular.  |
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Lee Baucum
From:
McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier
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Posted 4 Aug 2018 7:46 pm
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Donny - The plane is the first thing I thought of when I saw that name. I've been looking at interior images of Twin Bonanzas, thinking maybe that guitar has a namebadge from the inside of an old airplane. I hadn't thought about Bobbe being connected.  |
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Mac Knowles
From:
Almonte,Ontario, Canada
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Posted 5 Aug 2018 8:48 am Mystery Pedal Steel
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Yeah...I'm well acquainted with pull/release as I've made about 20 steels with that system. Still like it the best with tone, ease of adjustment, simple to build changer etc. I use over and under bellcranks so don't have a problem with making reversers. Anyway, thanks guys, Mac
_________________
Homebuilt SD12 keyless, always several new steels in the works, Custom Gretsch I bought in '59, Regal Dobro, MK acoustic, several other acoustics & electrics, Session 400, Peavey Bandit etc. etc. |
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