Looking for help on a Miller steel

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Can anybody help me on a Miller single 10 w/ 3 pedals no knee levers. It was given to me in pieces and after two months I had it playable. I played it at a mini jam,to everybody's supprise the sound was awesome, What kind of pup & year ?? I don't know how to up load pictures. All I have is ser.# S8S-2288871. not sure if S8S is correct. I think It is an 8. Any help would be appreciated Thank you Whoa!

Sam White R.I.P. · From: Coventry, RI 02816

Up to the top for Ralph

JACK HEERN · From: MURPHYSBORO,IL. USA

The steel was made in Chilicothe Illinois by Roger Miller. He was a great player. I owned 3 of them at one time or the other. Big Jim Vest played one for years. It was rumored at one time that he had an intrest in the company. I'm not sure if this was true. Two of mine had a killer tone.
Jack

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Thank you for the info Jack ,I apprecciate it
'Ralph' Very Happy

c c johnson · From: killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.

At one time Miller offered that if a steeler was having trouble with playing a song, send them the score and they would arrange it for you and send it back. They did a fine job. cc

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Thank you C.C. any info I can get is useful to me.

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Thanks to a member of the forum I have learned to upload pics. I hope these pics and ser.#S8S 2288871 will help I.D. date of birth. I cut out the end plate and added the nylon tuning nuts.

Bill Dobkins · From: Rolla Missouri, USA

Here's a photo of an old Miller I use to have.
It did have good tone but was wore out. It was a pull release system.

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Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Bill: nice looking miller , it has knees were they added or did it come that way?

Sam White R.I.P. · From: Coventry, RI 02816

Hey Ralph nice job of putting the Pictures on the Thread. Now you are forcing me into getting a digital
camera so i can put Pictures of our Steel Show on the Forum.
Sam White

Doug Seymour · From: Jamestown NY USA (deceased)

I saw Jim Vest with Pee Wee King @ Fentier Village in Salamanca in the mid '60s. He and I chatted and he said pick it up? It must have weighed 80# or more! He
could play it though! Wow! Only Miller I'd ever seen.
(or tried to lift!?) My keyless S10 Excel weighs 25#
(case is 12# but the money neck isn't there?)

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Doug: I don't think this miller weighs 30 lbs.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

My Miller D10 weighs a lot less than my Sho-Buds, and the one here is only a single neck machine.

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Alan: Do you know what year yours is? I am trying to get an idea how old mine is . {Happy Thanksgiving}

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

No, I've got no idea of what year it was made. It's boxed up right now as I don't have room for all the instruments I have to be out at the same time.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Ralph! That's a lot better-lookin' guitar than my first guitar. Also an S-10 Miller.

Steve Waltz · From: USA

Here's a link.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=125703&highlight=miller+custom

I think the stamp usually reads backwards with the 71 being the year and then month and date with something like 210 for twin ten string. Mine read like that but yours doesn't seem to do the same.

I don't know if you can zoom on this S-10 picture for the stamp but it does show how they look with factory knees.

You can find more with a search for "Miller and Custom"

Steve Waltz · From: USA

My S-10

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

Steve: You certainly made my day , I didn't know that there would be that much info. available. I have a feeling mine might be a little older.. Thank you very much, "Ralph"

P.S.My Micky mouse set up But it plays true.

Steve Waltz · From: USA

Ralph,

I wouldn't think that yours would be older than 71'. I have an older D-10. The part that the pedal rod attaches is just a piece of metal welded to the cross shaft and it has a nut welded to it. The set screw goes through the nut. It's rough but actually works better because it has two places to choose from for the pedal rod and that gives you more choices for pedal travel speed vs. pressure. You can also adjust those things better when the bellcranks are longer with two holes. It's similar to the two hole pullers on a sho bud. My D-10 has those larger ones.

The older guitar is also painted underneath, it's got wood necks and a different keyhead. It's serial number ends in 68.

Here's a picture:

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

Check out the post re: Byron Towle's Miller D-10 from a couple months back posted by Cass Broadview. The pulling systems on Miller's weren't very accurate, but this was remedied on BT's guitar.
I have a S-10 with maple skirts and walnut deck. I used a George L's 12-5 p/u in it as the Miller p/u had been trashed. While many think that the old, out-dated pull/release systems are dead and buried, I think otherwise. Technically speaking, they are simple in nature and direct in pure mechanical terms. Backlash aside, they play no worse than a p/p or an old Marlen, etc., and if set up properly, are very relevant today mechanically.
On BT's guitar, I made new changer fingers utilizing a 7/16" radius instead of the original Miller 3/8" radius. That killed string breakage at the changer and greatly diminished rotational travel of the fingers to attain a raise or lower. That diminished the 'backlash' required in the rods where a string is both raised and lowered making it almost negligible and unnoticeable for the most part.
I don't know just what it is about Miller's, but they sound awesome. The cast aluminum necks don't have any ribbing in them whatsoever and that may account for some of that 'sound'....I don't profess to know. Roger always used real wood inlays on his cabinets...no decals. While these guitars may have lacked mechanical sophistication at their point in time, their cabinets were state-of-the-art and IMO still setting a high-water mark for the industry after more than three decades.
PRR

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

Also FWIW, I have received info from a fellow musician in Princeton IL that Roger Miller lives in Lacon IL and is suffering the ravages of Altzheimer's Disease in its final stages.
Michael Lee Allen posted a rather extensive bit of info on these guitars a few months back, and a search of the Forum would reveal about as much info as we'll probably ever be able to obtain on Miller guitars. That post included brochures, advertisements, and the like from the era.
PRR

Ralph Paulin · From: Rhode Island, USA * R.I.P.

I want to thank everyone for all the info on the Miller, I feel like I opened up a part of history.The pics were a big help to me. My 9 year old Fessy looks neglected sitting there,But i'm having too much fun playing this Miller,and yes the sound is awesome "Ralph"

Sam White R.I.P. · From: Coventry, RI 02816

Ralph I think you should get back on the Fessy as It is a much better built and great sounding steel.I don't think you can compare that Miller to the Fessy.
I trhink you have the wrong one sitting back in the corner.I do not even like the looks of the Millers under caraige.This is my opinion.If you don't want the Fessy I'll take it and sell my Emmons Lagrande III.I'm still not happy with the sound I have on it.
Sam White

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