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Topic: what you do if you want a new guitar as a player? |
ebb
From:
nj
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Posted 24 Feb 2009 5:46 pm |
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and happen to be a master builder as well.
paul redmonds new personal whitney after a 17+ year building hiatus.
that walnut is rich! watch out for those red heads!
is this diluting the value of my #4 now that the market is saturated with 8?
Last edited by ebb on 24 Feb 2009 7:53 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Russ Tkac
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Posted 24 Feb 2009 6:20 pm
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Now that looks real nice! 1st class workmanship. Paul, how's she sound.  |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 24 Feb 2009 7:42 pm
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Ed - Thanks for posting these. That's good old American walnut wood on the deck and front. The neck is one-piece chambered-out 6061 aluminum held to the deck with 10 stainless flathead screws. It has a red maple insert, ebony fret line markers, and cherry dots. Everything inside and out is satin-finished. All the wood is finished with Min-Wax urethane...not lacquer. I apologize for the old rusty legs...the new aluminum ones were only 1/2-completed when I shot the pics.
Russ - It's either a Kline on steroids, an early Marlen also on steroids, or an early LDG Bud on growth hormones. I've never heard a more awesome-sounding steel, which is a total surprise to me. I expected it to sound similar the others I've made, but it's not even close. I used a George L's 10-1 pickup and their stainless strings. It flat-out moans!!!
PRR |
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ebb
From:
nj
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Posted 24 Feb 2009 7:45 pm
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| Quote: |
| It flat-out moans! |
thats what i remembered about my red head  |
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Rich Peterson
From:
Moorhead, MN
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Posted 25 Feb 2009 9:19 am
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Does this mean walnut will challenge maple as the standard for PSG? WOW!!
The metalwork is breathtaking. You should post these pics to the "cool" thread. |
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Jerry Bull
From:
Republic, MO, USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2009 10:46 am
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how much is it?
_________________
www.psgpicker@gmail.com (Sierra Crown D-10 keyless)2-Nashville 112's, Steelers Choice, Hilton VP, Digitech RP150, Bobro, GeorgeL's cables, BJS Bars and Picks. |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 25 Feb 2009 10:58 pm
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The main difference in finishing the walnut as compared to maple is that walnut is both closed-grain AND open grain in structure, so it's nearly impossible to get a glass-like finish on it like you can on the maples. That's why I went with the semi-gloss/satin finish. The urethane also brings out the wood's color better than lacquer for some reason. I found it easier in the sanding department and is less prone to leaving unwanted sanding 'swirls' that come back to haunt you...discovered this in 1983 while building a fretted dulcimer I had designed then. Urethane is inherently more flexible than lacquer which may help account for the surprisingly 'warm' sound of this guitar. That theory doesn't fly 100% either because this thing has a metal neck...not hollow, but 'chambered' on its underside with small vent slots connecting each chamber to its neighboring chamber, then ultimately to the 'outside air' at each end in three places.
I had made several of the components for it years ago, so didn't have an accurate log of the hours involved back then. I can only estimate the total number of hours this one took to build, but based on that somewhat-ambiguous number, this thing is valued at $11,400 or thereabouts. The satin-finishing of every single component actually took about three times as long than if I had buffed only some of the components and left the rest go begging. The finishing on this one took well over 100 hours alone, but it was something I always wanted to do, so I just did it and didn't look back.
Last night I finished some rather experimental aluminum legs for it to replace those ugly temporary 'camel-knee' jobs in the pics that I borrowed off another guitar for assembly purposes. Only the rear legs are adjustable. On the front leg 'stubs', I added a 1/4" thick Delrin washer which seats on the rack, the idea being to help prevent 'pedal click' from getting back to the body or pickup...worked out just fine. I played it tonight with fellow musicians while rehearsing for a wedding gig and actually got to put some steam behind it. It exceeded my expectations.
PRR |
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Micky Byrne
From:
United Kingdom (deceased)
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Posted 26 Feb 2009 1:06 am
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Paul, that is a real beauty.....I still have the brouchers you sent me couple of years ago, as I had lost the original ones on your Whitney steels.
By the way, mail me and tell me how Chester is doing.
Cheers,
Micky
Micky Byrne United Kingdom
www.micky-byrne.co.uk |
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James Martin (U.K.)
From:
Watford, Herts, United Kingdom * R.I.P.
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Posted 26 Feb 2009 2:40 am What a beauty !!
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| I have never passed comment in the past on any steel guitar because they've all looked very much alike and not much to say about them. But this is something else, fair took my breath away, what a beauty.I'd buy one tomorrow if they were sold here in the UK I'd keep it at home and just look at it. |
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Russ Tkac
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Posted 26 Feb 2009 7:41 pm
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Hey Paul, How do you have this one set up?
Russ |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 27 Feb 2009 6:23 am
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I heard about this when Paul was starting work on it - man,that thing is simply stunning. His attention to detail is incredible - and weirdly, he even likes Fenders! He really helped m with my Fenders and my GFI - getting them all really dialed-in without ever seeing any except in pictures. He has x-ray vision, I swear - he can pick out the tiniest detail, describe how to tweak it and it'll make a huge difference.
He scares me.
_________________
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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b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 27 Feb 2009 4:22 pm
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| Would there be a way to attach that front maple apron so that the screws wouldn't show, (like from the inside?) |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 28 Feb 2009 12:42 am
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Actually, I intended for the screws to show to break up the monotony of a piece of wood.
Bob, I really don't want to build any more of this design...I have well over 400 hours in this one and I'm exhausted. I'll send a pm re: another.
I thank you all for the compliments. I've been wanting to build this thing for many years, but between a divorce, two moves, and building a new shop, it just never got done. When the weather here started getting nasty forever, I just dragged parts out of boxes and made a list of 'things to make'....and finished it up.
It has a 'short Uni' tuning on it. I've posted that before on the Forum, but here goes---
F#, D, G#, E, B, G#, F#, E, B, G#. front to back. I use the standard E9th changes to get my 6th stuff based on the A6th side of the E9th tuning. I have a few 'pet' KL's, but the rest are all pretty standard E9th levers....E to F, E to D#, C# raises split back to C on the vertical, B to D on #9, G# to F# on LKL with a compensator to split an accurate G on #6, E to F# on 4 on a KL to allow for the Zane Beck 'pedals' and numerous other uses, and the Sacred Steel lock which holds #7 in F#, but releases it back to E when it's dropped. When 4 and 8 are raised, so is #7 (to F). When 4 and 8 are dropped to D#, #7 is pulled back to its F# home. When the lock is disengaged, all of the above is cancelled. There is one experimental lever on it (RKRrear) which drops the 2nd D to C#, but also pulls 9 and 10 to C# and A respectively. It gives me some major7th/6th stuff and, being new, I haven't even had time to experiment with it much.
Since these pics were taken, I made up a dedicated set of aluminum legs for it which worked out very well and are much more appealing than the 'camel's knee' jobs. The front legs feature a 1/4" thick Delrin disc that rests on the top of the rack to dampen pedal 'click'...just an experiment on my part. Haven't a clue if it has any merit or not.
As I posted before, the guitar exceeded my expectations both in playability and tone quality. I don't know just what to attribute the latter to...could be the neck, could be the walnut instead of maple for the deck...I just don't know. Everyone who has heard it has noticed the difference immediately...go figure!!!!
PRR |
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Nick Reed
From:
Russellville, KY USA
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Posted 2 Mar 2009 8:56 pm
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A couple of questions,
Why is it called a "Whitney" instead of a Redmond? Also, I personally don't care for keyless guitars. So do you offer the Whitney with standard keyheads as well as the keyless like Williams & GFI do?
Last edited by Nick Reed on 8 Mar 2009 8:56 am; edited 2 times in total |
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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Posted 3 Mar 2009 1:12 am Go To Guy.. Paul Redmond
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| Good question, Nick; I'll let Paul answer. You'll enjoy the simple answer. He did work on my Kline U 12 this summer taking it from an Extended E9th to a Universal 12. He basically tore it apart, made new parts including lever lock, half stop on 2nd string,etc., new levers, tapered and "bead blasted" the levers to give them a satinf inish. Much more! You name it... he did it and all with precision 7 style. The whole time he kept me informed of every step. My head is still spinning!!! If you need work done on any pedal steel or any mechancial item probably, he is the "go to" guy. Since Joe Kline does not appear to being doing any work on his Kline guitars, Paul would be a smart choice. Thanks again Paul. steve t |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2009 3:01 am
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Steve - Thanks for the kind endorsement. Your Kline was a labor of love for me because I felt that your setup pushed the limits of what a Kline was actually capable of providing mechanically...it was an admitted challenge. I had the opportunity to play your guitar at two gigs before shipping it to you and I can honestly say, I was tempted to become a thief!!! If you ever decide to sell that guitar, please let me be the first to know.
Re: the name 'Whitney' as opposed to 'Redmond'. I have but one child and her name is Whitney Noel Redmond, now Willbrandt. She was born two months prematurely while her mother was suffering the ravages of Crohn's Disease, unknown to even her doctor at the time. Whitney was supposed to be born on 2/19/74, yet arrived on 12/24/73 instead at 4 pounds, 5-1/2 ounces. She survived the prematurity. Her mother spent 5-1/2 months of the subsequent 15 months in the hospital enduring several surgeries. A decade later in time, and my designs for the Whitney guitars was finalized...I built my first one in 1984. I decided that rather than use my last name as others had done in the past, I felt it was far more relevant to me/us personally to use her first name instead, hence the name 'Whitney' on my guitars. Ironically, I was going to put my last name on this new one, and Tom Bradshaw talked me out of it!!!
Re: keyless guitars, I will never build a keyhead guitar. They are IMO mechanically incorrect from the get-go, but that's just my opinion...that debate will go on endlessly over time...it's a matter of personal choice.
Unless Warren Buffet or Donald Trump throw a chunk of change my way and pay me for the hours involved in building a guitar of this design, I don't plan to build any others. I am pursuing another design at present and am putting all available shop hours into that project. I doubt if anyone other than a very rich person would pay out over 11 grand for a S-10.
PRR |
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Paul Redmond
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 6 Mar 2009 10:47 pm
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In all fairness, I should qualify that keyhead/keyless statement with the fact that the Whitney tunes and lowers on the left, and raises-only on the right. I have never figured out a mechanically proper way to put standard keyheads on one of these things and still achieve the double-changer raise/lower mechanicals.
On the patent for the Emmons push/pull, a T-bone-shaped lever is mounted on the left which utilizes a standard keyhead. I asked Buddy back in the 80's why that was never employed in the final product. His reply was that they simply didn't need it, but at the very least they would be covered with patent protection if they did. The late Harold Spain built the Bossan which utilized some of the principles espoused in the Emmons patent, though his guitars were built using an entirely different design...alternate keyheads on even-numbered, odd-numbered 'T-bones', etc. Mechanically, a Bossan can do things no other guitars are capable of.
In short, I don't know how I would design a keyhead Whitney. It's just not in the cards.
PRR |
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Nick Reed
From:
Russellville, KY USA
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Posted 8 Mar 2009 8:46 am
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| Fair enough, thanks for explanations. |
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Nick Reed
From:
Russellville, KY USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2009 4:55 am
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Paul Redmond said:
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| Re: keyless guitars, I will never build a keyhead guitar. They are IMO mechanically incorrect from the get-go, |
Well, I've never seen Buddy Emmons or Paul Franklin playing a Keyless Guitar |
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Russ Tkac
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