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Topic: Super Bro Guitar |
Chris Allen Burke
From:
Signal Hill, CA
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Posted 17 Sep 2006 1:30 pm |
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The Super~Bro Guitar
This is a very special and wonderful sounding guitar. I have been working on the design idea for several years, and now it is a reality. When I met with Duane Marrs and Marv Pfluger, during the summer and fall of 2005, the final elements came into place. It is not wholly original, or completely new in concept, but I feel my final design is right where it should be. The result is, I have married a double neck professional quality pedal steel guitar with a Dobro. This guitar I started with is a late seventies Sho Bud Super Pro. It is a fully reconditioned E9th pedal steel with wooden necks. I have refinished the body and rebuilt the under-carriage. To the front neck, I have added updated features such as; John Coop super finger changers, angled left knee levers and a flocked underside. This also includes 5 pedals (pedal 1 is the Franklin change), and 5 knee levers. This is a very unique and comfortable guitar to play. (For more features, see the list below). Both necks are summed through the one output jack as in a typical double neck guitar.
The rear neck started out as a Marrs cat-can 6-string resonator guitar. No pulls, just a straight Dobro tuning. My first proto-type had raises and lowers on the Dobro but it became complicated and I personally did not feel it sounded as good as the traditional slide Dobro. So in the final I opted for the simple non-pull resonator design. It is a completely electronic guitar. Fluger guitars of Buffalo, New York designed the circuit board and the routing for the electronics. It sounds as close to a Dobro tone as I have ever heard coming off a live stage. And, you can play this at any volume. Absolutely no feedback! In addition there is a toggle switch on this neck that reshapes the tone to get a lap steel sound. I have this presently tuned to a standard G, Dobro tuning. But any tuning is compatible.
I have just purchased another guitar and am going to do the same retrofit as this one. I hope to make several of these and will have them available for sale to interested parties as they are completed. For anyone that has always wanted that Dobro sound to complete his or her set-up on stage, this is the way to go. I have taken this to a dozen gigs and a couple of studio dates and the results are overwhelming. My only regret is that I don’t get to play C6th. Ah, but in life we must take the bitter with the sweet.
[IMG]     [/IMG]
FEATURES:
PEDAL STEEL
Ø E9 10 string tuning
Ø 5 floor pedals and 5 knee levers
Ø 22 pulls in all, including 3 compensators
Ø Franklin change on pedal 1
Ø Emmons pedal set-up, Sho-Bud knees (see copedent for complete set-up)
Ø Angled left knee levers for comfort fit
Ø John Coop super fingers in the changer
Ø Underside is flocked in pool table green
Ø All mechanism parts underneath are new or have been refurbished and upgraded
Ø Re-finished lacquer top. I left a few history marks, overall the body finish is a 9 out of 10
Ø Refurbished Sperzel tuners
Ø New stainless pins for the changer and roller nut
Ø George L E-66 pick-up
Ø Tone control with bypass switch
DOBRO
Ø 6 string wood neck resonator design
Ø Fluger active electronics
Ø Dual coil humbucker pick-up
Ø Resonator / lap steel tone shaping selector
Ø Intensity and tone controls for resonator sound
Ø Tone control lap steel
[This message was edited by Chris Allen Burke on 17 September 2006 at 03:03 PM.] |
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Bari Smith
From:
Spartanburg SC USA
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Posted 17 Sep 2006 1:42 pm
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| Pics? price? |
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Chris Allen Burke
From:
Signal Hill, CA
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Posted 17 Sep 2006 2:05 pm
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Here are the pics
I'm working on a price ~ right now, I'm just showin' off.
CAB |
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Stu Schulman
From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
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Posted 18 Sep 2006 8:46 am
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| WOW! |
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Johnny Baldwin
From:
Long Beach, California, USA
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Posted 19 Sep 2006 7:46 am
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| Wow! What an incredible guitar. Pedal steel and dobro without leaving your seat. How much? I'd give a million for that fine guitar. Well, maybe half a million. |
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Chris Allen Burke
From:
Signal Hill, CA
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Posted 19 Sep 2006 12:29 pm
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I might be interested in selling this one after I make another. The next one will be ready near the end of November. A 1/2 millon might just convince to step it up some.
CAB |
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Russ Tkac
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Posted 19 Sep 2006 6:28 pm
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This is a picture of Jeff Surratt with his Marrs with Cat-can on the back neck. Looks like a good use of the back neck for those that don't play C6 or need a dobro.
 [This message was edited by Russ Tkac on 19 September 2006 at 07:33 PM.] |
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Chris Allen Burke
From:
Signal Hill, CA
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Posted 19 Sep 2006 7:55 pm
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| Yes Russ, I have spoken to Jeff as he and I have the only two in exsitance that I know of. His has pedal changes with it. Very cool. |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 27 Sep 2006 12:03 pm
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Chris, I'm coming over soon to visit this marvel! Nice work, bro.
------------------
E9 lessons
Mullen D-12/Carter SD-10/Webb amp/Profex II+Lexicon MPX-110 OR Line 6 Pod XT
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 27 Sep 2006 12:05 pm
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Chris, re your lament that you can't play C6 on this rig: you should buy Johnny Cox's triple neck Zumsteel, add your Dobro mod, THEN you'd have it all! See his thread in For Sale...
------------------
E9 lessons
Mullen D-12/Carter SD-10/Webb amp/Profex II+Lexicon MPX-110 OR Line 6 Pod XT
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 28 Sep 2006 4:54 am
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| Chris, that's really cool. I'll have to get together with you to see it. |
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Chris Allen Burke
From:
Signal Hill, CA
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Posted 28 Sep 2006 9:42 am
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Hey John, Come on over and take a look. You too Jim. As for Johnny Cox's Zum, I don't think I could handle a hunderd pound gtr. Seriously, call me and I'll be glad to show it off. It's the only steel I've been using on all of my recent gigs. Once people hear it, they don't want me to bring anything else. Argh! I'm shootin' my C6th foot off. I'm thinking about a U-12 / Dobro combo.
562-424-2187
CAB |
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Gil Berry
From:
Westminster, CA, USA
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Posted 29 Sep 2006 10:00 pm
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| Very nice axe. Reminds me of one made by Howard Clontz (Klontz?) in Flint, Michigan, about thirty years ago for a very good steel player there (Bill ??). Howard made a very nice D10 8/4 or 8/5..not sure which...and then BOLTED a stringmaster single neck onto the front of it. Looked like H*()..but played beautifully. I guess when there's a will, there's a way...lol. Say...how about a triple neck...a U12, a six-string dobro neck, and the 8-string stringmaster neck? Hmmmm.... |
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