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Topic: Perfect Nonpedal? |
Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 12 Oct 2002 7:10 am |
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What's your idea of the perfect nonpedal steel guitar?
My idea,___with these features:
Two necks
Four tunings capability (by levers at pickup end)
23" scale
3/8" string spacing,___8 strings
maple or birch body
3 chrome legs (easier to level)
Shaller tuners
heavy stainless steel nuts and bridges
3-D fretboard
removable plug-in pickups
no screws showing on top or sides
light-weight case
[This message was edited by Rick Collins on 12 October 2002 at 08:12 AM.] |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 12 Oct 2002 8:08 am
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How much are you asking for it?  |
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Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 12 Oct 2002 8:38 am
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| I would add a volume and tone knob for each neck, positioned where the pinky finger can easily rotate them while playing... |
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Ricky Davis
From:
Bertram, Texas USA
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Andy Zynda
From:
Wisconsin
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Posted 12 Oct 2002 3:38 pm
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Well...
Sometimes, you get exactly what you ask for....
That thing is a dream.
-andy-
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 12 Oct 2002 5:34 pm
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And:
And:
And:
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oj hicks
From:
Springville, AL
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Posted 12 Oct 2002 7:08 pm
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Rick...
Sounds like you just described a Sierra double 8  I'm not sure I would want the extra gingerbread of the change lock devices. But Sierra has experience in the plug-in pickups. I would like the string spacing about like Sierra's present 8-string lap top. Maybe 7/16 inch...what works best for the slants. Wow! What an axe!
oj hicks |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 12 Oct 2002 7:56 pm
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| Yep, it's cold shower time once again..... |
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Jeff Strouse
From:
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
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Posted 13 Oct 2002 6:42 am
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I'm with Howard....
(But I'll wait until you're done) |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 13 Oct 2002 9:36 am
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WHAT is the HISTORY of that twin BIGSBY????
What a beautiful instrument.
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 13 Oct 2002 9:52 am
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Ray, it was made for Joaquin Murphey, dated 12-20-48. He sold it to Ardel Thomas on 6-7-51 for $150. Ardel tried to install Fender legs on it with what looked like a jacknife (another argument for requiring learner's permits for tools). I bought it from Bobbe about a dozen years ago. Sean Kinney went through my collection of birdseye maple and we made a jig to 'pocket' the cut outs and he restored it. There were two of these guitars made, the other going to, I believe, a Mr. Martinez(?), and evidently that one was stolen and never heard from again.
It's one of the "Holy Grails" for me, made by my hero and played by my hero. The autograph on the front is Joaquin's. It gets played on a regular basis. |
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Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2002 8:09 am
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All of these guitars have some excellent features. I would like to see the best features from each, consolidated into one guitar.
Rick |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 15 Oct 2002 9:05 am
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Many thanks Charles for the historical data.
This is now a fixture in my Bigsby binder. |
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seldomfed
From:
Colorado
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Posted 17 Oct 2002 12:58 pm
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Rick,
how about this?
1 neck
6561 tunings capability (by levers at pickup end)
24 1/4" scale
3/8" string spacing,
8 strings
ash body
3 chrome legs
Grover mini 14;1 tuners
heavy aluminum nut
etched aluminum fretboard
Lollar pickups
light-weight case
Check out my Hipshot Trilogy guitar. Works great! www.berkleyguitars.com
chris
------------------
Chris Kennison
Ft. Collins, Colorado
"We can't afford to let Nature run wild" - govt. offical - Alaska
www.seldomfed.com
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Bob Kagy
From:
Lafayette, CO USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2002 5:36 pm
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Charles, that's a beautiful collection and the pictures are excellent.
Mind a couple questions? The string spacing on the E-Harp, is it close to 3/8ths? And what's the string spacing on the Gibson 10 string? (I never knew Gibson made a 10 string lap steel). And how do you have each 10 string guitar tuned?
Thanks for the trouble.
Sincerely, Bob |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 17 Oct 2002 6:58 pm
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Bob, the strings on the E-Harp are 3/8 at the bridge and 5/16 (.312) at the nut. The nut, bridge, pickups and "pickguard" aren't original on that guitar. I machined the nut and bridge out of titanium and I countersunk the bridge .100 into the guitar. The pickups are Jason Lollar Stringmaster copies and I made the aluminum plate that mounts them. This is an impressive sounding instrument.
The Gibson is a '38 and the strings at the bridge are 3/8 and at the nut, they are .343, which is the "normal" spacing on a Sho-Bud changer. Gibson made 10 string lap guitars at least as far back as 1935. (they made at least one 13-string EH 150 that's in an east coast collection.) I also have a 10-string Century 10 from 1950, they made 90 of that model.
Both of these guitars are tuned to C6. I used to play a T-10 non pedal with E13, C6 and A6 and then I got a quad Stringmaster and I was trying to learn some of the Hawaiian tunings at the same time and I was also playing pedals on E9 and C6 and I got so I couldn't play anything on anything. I was learning songs as 'patterns' on the necks and it got to the point that I didn't know what chords I was playing. So rather than playing a lot of tunings poorly, I decided to concentrate on playing one adequately. C6 seems to cover a lot of territory. |
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Bob Kagy
From:
Lafayette, CO USA
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Posted 18 Oct 2002 1:08 pm
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Charles, many thanks for the thorough answers - just adds to the envy though.
I noticed the dual pickups on the E-Harp and thought they might be the result of a custom job of some sort. It's a beautiful instrument; it must certainly sound impressive.
Don't know whether you've heard Reece Anderson's non-pedal album, but he uses a multi-string C6th tuning; the things he does on his album with it are pretty amazing. I think his lap steel tuning is listed on the "tunings" link.
As for the original thread theme, sorry if I've stretched it, but those guitars of Charles and the info about them. They look like my idea of the perfect non-pedal; not to mention maybe a 10 string Sierra.
Thanks, Bob |
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