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Topic: "Wheeler" pedal steel, eh? |
Duane Reese
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Posted 15 Jun 2007 10:49 pm |
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How many of you guys have heard of one of these?
Ebay link |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 16 Jun 2007 3:24 am
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I have....of course. 
But, no relationship....that I know of.
_________________
Best regards,
Mike |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 16 Jun 2007 7:19 am
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Duane,
I bought a Wheeler D/10 in the early 70's,since I didn't take the time to do anything with it at that time I don't remember much about it. I do remeber it having about 6 pedals, and don't think it had any knee levers.
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 16 Jun 2007 10:59 am
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| Very strange! Color-coded pedals! |
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Duane Becker
From:
Elk,Wa 99009 USA
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Posted 16 Jun 2007 1:39 pm
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| Yes, Wheeler Ped-All steel guitars, used to be in Portland Or. When I was a little kid I used to get mailings and brochures from them. I forgot the guys name who owned the company, but he quit the steel business many years ago and moved away. Him and I used to mail quite a bit back and forth, and I even have some hand written instructions from him. I think he moved to the eastern part of the US. About 5 or 6 years ago he wrote me about what he was doing and it wasnt building steels. Anyway an interesting guy and an interesting pedal steel. I always thought that if I had the money I would have bought one of Wheelers double neck 14 string 10 pedal guitars just to have around and look at. |
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Duane Reese
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Posted 16 Jun 2007 4:39 pm
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Did I read that right - D-14?  |
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Duane Becker
From:
Elk,Wa 99009 USA
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Posted 16 Jun 2007 8:09 pm
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| Yep, Double neck with 14 stings on each neck-10 pedals. I've still got an info sheet on that beast. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 17 Jun 2007 9:41 am Wheeler Steel Guitars
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I remember as a kid riding up to my friendly bicycle shoppe and just two doors away, on the corner of North Killingsworth and something else, was this guitar shop. He used to feature psychodelic colored pedals and fret markers and for whatever reason, before I even fully understood what a pedal steel guitar was, I was offended by the general appearance of the guitar.
Then, he just sorta went away......... |
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Lynn Kasdorf
From:
Waterford Virginia, USA
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Posted 18 Jun 2007 6:28 pm Wheeler D-14 LEFTY!
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Somewhere in my stuff I have a Wheeler Ped-all flyer along with a photo of a D-14 Left Handed guitar he was trying to sell. This would have been late 70's. I think it was a custom order and the guy backed out. Talk about a white elephant!
Take the number of pedal steel players in the world..
out of that, the ones that like 14 strings..
out of that, the ones that feel a need for TWO 14 string necks..
out if that, the ones that are left handed and want a left handed instrument..
Must be about 1 or 2 people.
When I was young and really foolish, I ordered a Sierra S-14. 14 strings is a mighty wide road- easy to get lost. I took the bottom 2 strings and played it as a 12 string universal. But my hand kept touching the exposed bottom 2 poles of the pickup and pulling it out. Just too annoying- I sold it.
_________________
"You call that thing a guitar?" |
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Dan Burnham
From:
Greenfield, Tennessee
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Posted 21 Jun 2007 7:14 am Wheeler History "I Believe"
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Guys,
I believe this guitar was developed by Lee Wheeler. From what I have found out, Here is the info that I heard:
Lee Wheeler was hanging around Chuck Wright, creator of the Sierra. You can see some of Chuck's work on www.davidwright.us under the memories tab Wright Custom.
My understanding is that Lee worked either with or around Chuck for some period of time. I'm not sure if he worked for Chuck or not.
Some of Lee's mill work was pretty good. His wood working was pretty good to.
Lee claims to be the one who developed the changer that Sierra currently uses. I'm not here to debate it, just tell you what I'm told.
I've seen a changer on Ebay, I guess last year that was developed by Lee, which looks a lot like the Sierra's changer.
That is all I can tell you.
Dan
_________________
BMI S12 Zane Beck's Tuning
www.danburnham.com |
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Sonny Priddy
From:
Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 28 Jun 2007 6:17 pm steel
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| Lee Wheeler Had A Shop Down On Broadway In Nashville One Time I Was In There And Talked To Him. SONNY. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 28 Jun 2007 6:28 pm Your prayers have just been answered, I thimk!
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| On eBay, under the heading of steel guitar and listed under all categories, there is a WHEELER PED-ALL steel guitar with brightly painted foot pedals and all. It's just like you all are talking about and there's a bunch of great photo's of it in clear detail. |
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 28 Jun 2007 7:05 pm
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Here's a "flyer" I received in the mid 70's:
Last edited by Steve English on 28 Jun 2007 7:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 28 Jun 2007 7:09 pm
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| Sorry that's so large. |
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John Bresler R.I.P.
From:
Thornton, Colorado
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Posted 28 Jun 2007 7:28 pm
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A friend of mine bought a Wheeler steel back in the 70's and we visited the shop in Portland. At that time, Lee wanted to open a store next to Sho-Bud on Broadway in Nashville. Sounds like he did it!
I was just learning pedal steel back then so I really don't remember if it played well or not. I don't think it had any tuning problems.
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 11 Jul 2007 10:31 pm
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He must have done something right. He was issued a patent on his ideas!! Yes, it might have had a bit to do with the ultimate Sierra changer. Their concepts were in lock-step. . .add a layer as needed.
PRR |
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John Bechtel
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.
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Posted 14 Jul 2007 10:57 pm
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I was in the shop when Lee was designing and building PSG's here in Nashville. He was working on a unique and different keyhead at the time. It was kinda strange to me and very near to a Keyless guitar! The tuners were so close together that they had no room for a standard type button/knob. In order to tune the guitar, you needed a tool something similar to a Drum-Key! If I remember correctly, his shop was just up Broadway from Sho-Bud on the corner of 5th. & Broad where Legends is now, or very close! Yes, there really is a Lee Wheeler!
_________________
<marquee> Go~Daddy~Go, (No), Go, It's your Break Time</marquee> L8R, jb
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 15 Jul 2007 12:00 am
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For a bit of history, check out the patents issued to Emmons/Lashley, Wheeler, and Spain (Bossan). The new Jackson idea is not new, but rather a refinement of prior art as it's called. There were a lot of 'brains' working on the 'better mousetrap' back then. Very refreshing to say the least. It's very easy to do the same old thing but with shinier endplates. It takes a true innovator to step outside the envelope and try something truly 'new'. Whether it works well or not isn't the issue. It's the fact that they dared to do so that's important.
PRR |
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Tim Simpson
From:
Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Jul 2007 2:00 pm Willard Lee Wheeler
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| Lee Wheeler lived here in Portland in the early 70s. I dropped by his shop a lot. He wound his own pick-ups on a homemade machine. He had his pedals anodized color coded and he had a pedal setter he had patented that you put pins in to select string flat/sharp in a matrix arrangement. I saw him by accident on his last day here in Portland as he drove down the street with his mill in the back of his van and tried to sell me one of his slide bars. He did move to Nashville and I talked to him once on the phone. Have not been able to find him since. He said he had 35 patents. He did his own patent work. He was a minister. Very smart, pleasant guy! |
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Chet Wilcox
From:
Illinois, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Jul 2007 3:02 pm wheeler steel guitars
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| I have Known ,Lee Wheeler for 35 Years, I see him quite often, He comes By my Place once in a while. He Lives in Galesburg, IL, All of his Equiptment , Machinery and Parts , Tools and Tooling Were Stolen by a Guy he rented a building From,and he was locked out, and while he was locked out all of his stuff was moved from the building, Lee is abit excentric, but a very trust worthy man and good machinest and inovator, he built a very good pickup.I doubt if he has any parts left.The Building he rented was in Kewanee ,ILL and so is the Theif.,Chet |
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Don Blood
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2009 5:57 pm
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| I met Lee in Peoria a few years ago. Very interesting person. He still had parts in a warehouse at the time I talked to him. |
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John Drury
From:
Gallatin, Tn USA
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Posted 10 Mar 2009 6:36 pm
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| John Bresler wrote: |
A friend of mine bought a Wheeler steel back in the 70's and we visited the shop in Portland. At that time, Lee wanted to open a store next to Sho-Bud on Broadway in Nashville. Sounds like he did it!
I was just learning pedal steel back then so I really don't remember if it played well or not. I don't think it had any tuning problems.
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Actually it was up one block and across the street next to Lawrence Brothers Records.
I looked at one breifly, it had string ball ends for rollers at the nut, just didn't strike me as a serious steel.
_________________
John Drury
NTSGA #3
"Practice cures most tone issues" ~ John Suhr |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2009 5:30 am
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| John, the first roller nuts that Shobud made used string ball ends. My Fingertip has them. |
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Tom Quinn
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Posted 11 Mar 2009 5:39 am
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I found out last week that I am a direct decendant of John Wheeler (1575-16..) of Cranfield, Bedfordshire England. Please do not hesitate in asking me any questions you might have on Wheeler guitars...
Oh yeah -- his daughter Elizabeth and son Thomas moved to Connecticut in 1630. Old Liz was "murdered by Indians" according to the geneology... |
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John Bechtel
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Mar 2009 12:09 pm
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Uh! That rite, Kemosobie! Tom tell true story! Me know Lee Wheeler, when he live in Music City, USA in the ’70's! Strange Geetor!
_________________
<marquee> Go~Daddy~Go, (No), Go, It's your Break Time</marquee> L8R, jb
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster |
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