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Topic: 1956 Marlen redo. |
Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2010 7:33 pm |
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This is the old Marlen that I posted in the first part of Dec.09 and a number of you kind folk helped me out with information. I changed all of the linkage underneath and also added volume and tone controls along with body refinished to natural curly maple with tung oil. The cross shafts are mounted in sealed bearings and the arms are removable. I dropped the linkage down one inch so I could make vertical bellcranks instead of the horizontal one's it had for the pull and release option. It had a three way switch to change necks and also a toggle for each neck. This seemed kind of redundant to me so replaced toggle's with vol. and tone. If that is wrong feel free to say so. Everything is original with the POSSIBLE rewiring of the pickups. The reason I think so is because of the type of tape used on them. It sounds really nice. I still have a little to do underneath so do not have all pedal rods installed in picture. I don't know how many pict. I can upload but will do my best. Now if I just knew how to play it. Cheers.
Last edited by Don Riffle on 20 Feb 2010 9:22 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Bobby Burns
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2010 7:35 pm
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| Can't wait to see the pictures! |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2010 7:56 pm 1956 Marlen redo
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| I don't know what I am doing wrong but will try again. Nothing happens when I click upload picture. Any one? |
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Clyde Mattocks
From:
Kinston, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2010 9:29 pm
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Thanks Don, that brings back memories of going to Leonard Stadler's house when he was building those deep body Marlens. I believe that one may have been built in his basement before he moved his operations to the back of his music store. However, I would have guessed later than 1956, more like 1960.
_________________
LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 6:34 am
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| Don! It's abdo-lutely gorgeous! Were those switches you removed possibly coil tap switches? Thats the only thing I can imagine they could have been. How many wires come off each pickup? |
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Bobby Burns
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 8:20 am
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| That is a very cool Marlen. From the picture, it looks like where the enplates meet the wood of the aprons, the wood is cut so that the endplate is flush with the wood, instead of the endplate laying on top of the surface. Sort of Bigsby style, instead of Sho-Bud style. If you could, I'd like to see a closer shote of that endplate. |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 10:57 am John Billings
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| The switchs had two post on one end and one on the other John. There was a black and red wire inside of a shield that came from pickup. The red wire hooked on one post on double side, the other post on that side jumped to three way. The black hooked to other end. With the switch one way I could get continuity through switch but other way no cont. any way, even to side of switch. With a single pole pu you wouldnt have option of series and parallel and I don't see the point in reverse polarity. How ever, I am not an expert on pickups. At any rate by using the black from pu for hot, and red and shield for ground to the three way I ended up with necks seperated and the addition of vol. and tone switchs. If I overlooked something feel free to point it out. If you are interested I can write out a wiring circuit of the original wiring and post it. |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 11:04 am Bobby Burns
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| Hey Bobby, you are right about the end plate being flush with wood. There is a little gap between wood and metal, probably because of not having very latest wood working equipment. I think he did a very nice job anyhow. Better than I would have at any rate. I will try and get a better pict posted. |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 11:33 am Bobby Burns
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Here is your pict. Also, probably 54 years made a little difference in wood, plus this instrument has been around. Sure not what I would call a closet guitar.
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 12:56 pm
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Don,
Here's a wiring diagram from James Morehead, on the way Shobud pickups were wired. Does it look the way yours were originally wired? The wire colors are different, and the grounded black wire in James' diagram would correspond to your shield.
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Ernest Cawby
From:
Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 2:53 pm hi
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Great piece of wood, love that finish.
ernie |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 3:07 pm John Billings
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John, hope you can decipher my art work. It would seem the wiring is the same except yours has what looks like a push-pull switch while mine has a 3 way slide. What were they trying to do with those extra switchs? Always willing to learn.
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 3:10 pm
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| Ernie, thank you kindly, the credit for the arm work with the tung oil goes to my wife, she appreciates your coment. |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 3:13 pm
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| COMMENT is what I meant. Back to school. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 3:17 pm
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Don,
I just sent Ricky Davis a note. Hopefully he'll have time to chime in here. He WILL know! |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Bobby Burns
From:
Tennessee, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 4:09 pm
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| Thanks for the pictures Don. You should be proud of that one. Does it play much different than it did with the original undercarriage? I'll bet it sounds great. |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 5:22 pm
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| Thanks Bobby,I have no way of knowing whether it plays any different because I am not even a steel player, let alone a pedal steel player. I bought it for a project and have had a lot of fun doing it. I do mess around with a lap steel since my hands became too weak to fret my strat. I will mess around with this one a little without using pedals. Thanks for the kind words. |
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Allan Munro
From:
Pennsylvania, USA and Scotland
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Posted 21 Feb 2010 9:11 pm
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That is a tung oil finish? WOW! It's an even more impressive piece of work than I thought!
Gotta love those things that look so darn clean underneath. Fantastic piece of wood, really nice inlay. These pics could cost me a keyboard if I keep drooling like I am now.
Regards, Allan.....
_________________
Only nuts eat squirrels.
Television is the REAL opiate of the masses! |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 22 Feb 2010 3:03 am
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Don, can you post a picture of the changer end of the guitar showing the endplate and maybe a close up of the changer itself?....Thanks....JH in Va.
_________________
Don't matter who's in Austin (or anywhere else) Ralph Mooney is still the king!!! |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2010 6:48 am
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Don,
Here's the response from Ricky;
"Yes it's a coil tap; there's a sheilded wire that runs through the middle of the windings....so that is the tap." |
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2010 9:55 am
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Here is your pict Jerry. Hope they are what you wanted. On another subject, this instrument was dated by the initals LS and number 4256 on end of body under front end plate. A gentleman I contacted back east who said he assembled some of these for Mr. Stadler said this would be 4-2-56. Thanks for the interest.
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Don Riffle
From:
Oregon, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2010 10:05 am
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