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Topic: Dr. Orville to ICU please! |
Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2007 10:47 am |
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A new acquisition through a trade with my Fresno buddy Michael Lee Allen. This Electraharp (a real oldie - raise only changer, weird pot codes...he thinks it's a '49 but it might be a '45)...was seriously thrashed by a shipping company. Case came through absolutely unscathed, but the guitar had at least 5 through-and-through cracks.
All of the cracks were in places of little playing stress...just not real good for impact! Anyway, a little naphtha cleaning of all the joints and lacquer scars, some Titebond and a mix of friction and spool clamps and it's back together tightly. Now I'm slowly filling the lacquer with toothpick-drops until it's fairly level, then I'll spray a light blend coat and wet sand it. The cracks will all be visible, but at least it won't look quite so nasty. Just stunning wood - it looks like a piece of furniture, so I'm trying to do a decent aesthetic job in addition to setting it up for playing.
Probably use my trusty B6 tuning and the 1, 2, 3 and 7 pedals of Sneaky's copedent - it'll be fun to do simple noodling around, and I'm curious to hear the P-90 pickup.
I'm not sure which model this is...maybe an EH-620? "EHP-3" is stamped in one of the cast-metal parts underneath. Oddly, while the thing is absolutely huge and weighs a ton, it has an even shorter scale than my '63 Fender 400 or 50's/60's(?)Multi-Kord - 22 1/2" vs 23" (for both the 400 and Multi-Kord)!
It's so darned pretty I MAY be able to talk my wife into letting it live in the family room..hmmm..."honey, if it's up here I can spend more time sitting with you and the kids talking, watching movies and stuff while I just sorta practice quietly".... 
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Russ Tkac
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Posted 21 Jan 2007 12:42 pm
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Nice work Jim ... or should I call you Norm? Looks like This Old House.  |
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Steven Black
From:
Gahanna, Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Jan 2007 4:07 pm Electra harp.
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| Wow!! my work bench looks as bad as yours, so much stuff on it, and I still have room for a guitar, same as you Jim. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 23 Jan 2007 5:22 pm
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Well, it's off the workbench - most of the lacquer work finished and it looks pretty good - cracks still show, buit they're solid.
Now I'm working on the mechanics. this one has the wacky system where to lower a string you lower ALL of them, and then raise the ones you don't want lowered. Considering the original use - a substitute for a multi-neck console steel - the idea's not all that bad. All the pedal action is clunky and needs some adjustnment to prevent binding - but it does all work, and the lower-then-raise movement provides a fascinating type of sound for slow stuff you just can't duplicate (and not a bad one, honestly).
The best feature is the combination of wood body and P-90 pickup. It has stunning tone - almost like an old jazz guitar. Really fun.
More work on the changer tonight to try to smooth things out. I can see why these got a bad rep as a "pedal steel" - but for non pedal playing, or using pedals just to change tunings, it's an amazing instrument.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 14 Oct 2007 9:16 pm
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| Did you ever get it looking and working to your satisfaction ? |
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