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Topic: My first hand made custom D-10 |
Bill Stafford
From:
Gulfport,Ms. USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 4:56 am |
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This steel was built by my friend-A.J. Smith in the very early fifties-before End Plates and the C pedal showed up. The one knee lever raised the high E to F#-RKR. |
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Billy Easton
From:
Nashville, TN USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 5:17 am
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Wow Bill.......that is reminiscent of a Bigsby, really looks nice. But I did not know that knee levers and 10 strings were even being considered in the early 50s. Do you still have this guitar??
Billy
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Billy & Meriul Easton
Nashville, TN |
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Lynn Stafford
From:
Ridgefield, WA USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 5:29 am Custom Built D-10
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Wow, Bill, that is a beautiful guitar! A.J. must have been a real "forward thinker" in those early times...
I hope all is well with you, my friend!
Lynn |
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Bill Stafford
From:
Gulfport,Ms. USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 5:55 am My first hand made custom D-10
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Hi Billy and Lynn, A.J. Smith was a Master Chief Tradevman. He was responsible for designing, manufacturing just about all the training aids used by all the navy schools-no matter what subject matter was involved-mechanical, electrical, electronic, welding etc. A.J. could build it and set up production as demanded. He also played steel guitar and retired to Grants Pass, Oregon. He has since passed away and in my opinion he knew more about building anything than anyone I have ever met. In the early seventies, before I retired from the navy, A.J. came to a club where I was playing in a club close to the Miramar Naval Air station and really inspected this steel you see here. After that close inspection he told me "...since you have taken such good care of this machine, I want to build you that D-12 you have been talking about". He and I built my new D-12 in his garage. He was stationed at that air base and later retired from there and moved to Grants Pass where he later passed away. Really miss him too. And yes, I still have both of these steels.
Bill STafford |
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Jack Goodson
From:
new brockton,alabama (deceased)
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 6:20 am steel guitar
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| bill: i remember you showing me that guitar in your garage, i was impressed (blown away) by the workmanship on that guitar. martha and i are looking forward to seeing you and betty in november....thanks jack |
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W. Van Horn
From:
Houston, texas
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 8:52 am
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| Gorgeous guitar! |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 11:21 am
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Is this guitar made by the same guy?
I bought this guitar last year. I cannot remember where it came from, but many of the features seem similar.
Are your pedal rods notched at the end of the "L" bend and retained by bent piano wire?
What are your mechanics underneath?
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 11:26 am
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Here is the case. Pretty unique. The one with the flaking blue paint.
Here are some mechanics. Those are not spider webs. Those are the pull rods.
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Bill Stafford
From:
Gulfport,Ms. USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 1:00 pm My first hand made custom D-10
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Chris, looks like twins. Art Smith also built one for John Hughey in those days. Wonder if yours is that one? Your undercarriage has some "improvements" over the one I have, but they are still very similar in some ways. Pedal rods attached and locked into the pedals the very same way.
Bill Stafford |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 1:54 pm
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I bought my D-10 from Memphis Music. I bought it off eBay. It was October or November.
There was a thread on the Forum under my name and the title was Mystery Pedal Steel purchase.
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Jay Yuskaitis
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 2:03 pm
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Wow, this just "shows to go ya" the talent that was out there over the years. No doubt these beauties and so many others, produced the same "music" we hear today. Good old American ingenuity or "just plain know how". Jay Y.
Last edited by Jay Yuskaitis on 1 Jul 2013 7:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 1 Jul 2013 2:32 pm
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My cabinet dimensions are 16 1/2" by 34".
All but a couple pulls are rodded, but use essentially the same functioning style pedal cranks you find in cable guitars such as Bigsby, Wright and Fender.
I cannot get any pot dates.
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 3 Jul 2013 7:45 am
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Bill, could you show some underside pics as well as the inside of the keyheads?
I am guessing mine is from the 1960s. I think mine has fender 400 legs and fender 1000 knobs and yours looks to have fender 1000 legs as opposed to Atlas mic stand legs or custom legs.
Do you have any pot dates on yours?
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2013 6:44 pm Bill, repeated question please.
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| Chris Lucker wrote: |
Bill, could you show some underside pics as well as the inside of the keyheads?
I am guessing mine is from the 1960s. I think mine has fender 400 legs and fender 1000 knobs and yours looks to have fender 1000 legs as opposed to Atlas mic stand legs or custom legs.
Do you have any pot dates on yours? |
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Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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Robert Harper
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 16 Oct 2013 12:04 am Bill Tell Us More
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Bill The quality craftmanship is there for all to see, but what about the "SOUND"? How does the qualityof the sound compare to today's slicked back models. How is the sustain, the tone, How are the pickups compared to the master computer engineered tightly wound impendance hot rods produced today. Whe you move to the 15th fret and above how does it perform? Does it hold tuen, Does is or they third string breakers. What gauges of strings?
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"Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first begin to deceive" Someone Famous |
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