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Topic: Other Pedal Dobros? |
Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2002 9:28 pm |
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| Okay, so there were only 25 Franklin Pedabros made, and apparently not a single one of the fewer than twenty people that own them is willing to get rid of one. Is anyone else making an acoustic or resonator pedal steel--or even making noises about it? |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 3 Jun 2002 9:48 pm
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| Dave Borisoff of Hipshot put pedals on a dobro, but the cabinet drop (actually the neck drop in this case) was so severe that there was no way the instrument could play in tune. Dave took the pedals off restored the dobro to it's original form after only 2 or 3 days. |
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Winnie Winston
From:
Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.
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Posted 3 Jun 2002 11:08 pm
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I have often toyed with building one, I have the cone and plate, but when I stopped teaching I lost my machine shop...
There are a few problems-- the biggest being the amount of pressure that the cone can take. I believe that the 10 string I saw was tuned to a C for less downward pressure.
I think that there are a number of innovations that could be incoprorated into a pedal dobro.
Paul Franklin, Sr. DID do it, but is fairly conventional in his thinking-- i.e., using a pre-existing cabinet/ends/legs/ and keeping with a regular key-head.
Im my thinking about building one, I'd probably try to have it keyless and,perhaps, put the changer unit on the left.
Winnie |
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Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 11:05 am
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I wonder if you could have 3 cones, much like the National Tricone. You could have a T bridge and use larger cones. It seems that it would distribute the downward tension _and_ move more air.
I like the idea of having the changer at the left as you're sitting at the instrument. Do you suppose it would be a little like the Gibson Electraharp, where the fingers are parallel to the fingerboard instead of at right angles? |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 11:13 am
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| I was thinking about this and another potential problem could be the raising and lowering string tension is going to affect the cone and it in turn is going to have to 'return to zero' as well. |
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Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 12:18 pm
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When I had 2 palm pedals and a wrist lever on my first 10-string dobro, there was a little cabinet/cone drop but it always came back. I think you'd get a lot less cone compression if it's spread out over 3 cones, though.
On the other hand, what would you do to make an acoustic pedal steel? Use a floating bridge like a mandolin or arch-top guitar? |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 1:54 pm
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Hpw abpit a Franklin style pedabro, useing not the two tiered 3 cone system the nationals use, but a similar styled three tiered 9 cone system with 5 comes on the first tier, then three then one? I bet a steel maker could collaborate with National and build such an instrument.
BTW Paul Franklin S.t built an acoustic body pedal steel guitar and had it on display at the convention one year. |
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Paul Warnik
From:
Illinois,USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 2:15 pm
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Some time ago a player well known in this forum approached me with the idea to build a pedal/Dobro type instrument-his concept was not to turn a pedal steel guitar into a Dobro (like it could be argued that a Franklin Ped-a-bro is) but rather to turn a Dobro into a pedal steel-in his research it he found that the Franklin Co. holds patents on multiple points of operation in this type of instrument and therefore infringement upon such cannot be made-that is why there are not any other types of pedal/Dobro type instruments out there-however I do not think that you can be sued for making something by yourself,for yourself,and without intent to sell it, even if it does infringe on a patent  |
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Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 3:20 pm
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What became of the acoustic pedal steel? Who has that one?
What kind of bridge did it have? I imagine it was a floating bridge. I wonder if it had rollers.
As mentioned in another recent thread, patents don't cover what you do but how you do it. I hope that's true. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 3:43 pm
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| Quote: |
| What became of the acoustic pedal steel? Who has that one? |
Pete, my guess would be Paul Franklin, but it might be for sale Pete. Maybe you should contact the Franklin company.
I don't recall what kind of bridge it had. I do recall it was built similarly to a pedabro, but with a wood top and no resonater.
I don't know Paul Franklin Sr, but I assume him to be a reasonable man. I'm sure if some other company wanted to buile pedabros and paid him a percentage of their profits, he would not stand in their way.
But for parctical purposes, why not just use a Match-bro? The sound is amazingly close to that of a Dobro, and as Goodrich said in their ad, it's "$4,000 cheaper and 100 pounds lighter than the competition." |
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Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 4:07 pm
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It's mostly from a misguided concept that I would be able to play scoustic jams in a bluegrass setting without skewering anyone's musical sacred cows.
I have a S-12 and a portable amp that I'm taking to the California Bluegrass Association Fathers' Day Festival. I may have to play it in my fifth-wheel trailer (I can comfortably fit 4 to 8 pickers depending on instrument size), because, there, amplifiers (even all 6 watts of mine) are 'streng verboten' in the campgrounds by the officious humorless Bluegrass Police. |
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Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 4:15 pm
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| Watch out for Pete Seeger with hatchet in hand. |
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Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 4:56 pm
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| It gives "If I Had a Hammer" a whole new meaning. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 5:30 pm
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| Quote: |
| ...the officious humorless Bluegrass Police. |
"If Earl Scruggs didn't play it, it's wrong!!!"
[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 04 June 2002 at 11:05 PM.] |
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Tony Dingus
From:
Kingsport, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 5:56 pm
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Winnie, I've had the same thoughts on a keyless model but, is it possible to build one that you could tune at the changer? Have you seen pictures of a Sheerhorn headless model? If not,check it out on Jerry Douglas's
website.
Tony |
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Larry Bell
From:
Englewood, Florida
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 6:20 pm
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Guys,
The acoustic pedal steel Mr. Franklin built was indeed used by Paul -- if you have the Dire Straits 'On the Night' album you will hear it on 'You and Your Friend'. Paul calls it 'The Box' and it is pictured on his website.
FWIW |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 4 Jun 2002 10:30 pm
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There was a thread about the Pedabro quite a while back. Unfortunatly i can't get it up ! www.steelguitarforum.com/Forum3/HTML/004668.html.[/URL]
Titled: i want to buy a PedaBro !
Dan Tyack could be of help on this thread.
Mr P Franklin Sr deemed too difficult the manufactoring of the Pedabro.
it's a shame there is no such a instument out on the Market.
But then it goes to show that it is'nt an easy critter to get up + runnin'....
Steel can make your own... 
[This message was edited by CrowBear Schmitt on 06 June 2002 at 12:48 AM.] |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 5 Jun 2002 4:08 pm
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Marvin Flueger builds them in western N.Y. Kevin Mall plays one. It actually lets you remove the Dobro to play off the base if you want to. If anyone is interested let me know.
Marvin Flueger builds world class Dobros out of exotic African woods. Duanne Marrs distributes them in Nashville. They are incredible sounding Dobros built to order. You will be seeing alot more of them. |
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Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 5 Jun 2002 4:50 pm
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| Cool! Tell us more! |
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Reggie Duncan
From:
Mississippi
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Posted 6 Jun 2002 7:13 am
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| MORE MORE! |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2002 12:01 pm
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Pete, the Pedabro is too quiet to work in an acoustic bluegrass context. It's much quieter than even a quiet standard dobro. Think of trying to flatpick leads on a OOO Martin and keep up with a banjo and you'll get the idea. I find the instrument to work the best in the studio, or in 'parlor' situations (with an acoustic guitar player, for instance). For those outdoors jam situations, I just bring my standard dobro, which is plenty loud.
The main improvement I would see in the pedabro would be an increase in acoustic volume, and a built in 'acoustic' amplification system similar to the bridge piezo pickups in acoustic/electric guitars. The pedabro has a pickup which sounds great, but it doesn't sound like a dobro. On my C6th dobro I use it electrically for jazz gigs. It sounds like one of those early amplified archtops. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 6 Jun 2002 12:51 pm
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| Quote: |
| The main improvement I would see in the pedabro would be an increase in acoustic volume, and a built in 'acoustic' amplification system similar to the bridge piezo pickups in acoustic/electric guitars. |
If you look at my "Unsuccessful experiment" thread, you'll see that I tried putting a peizo on my MSA, and it picked up all the mechanical noise of the pedals. Sorry Dan.
I think some sort of internal microphone might be better, or perhaps a special dobro simulater pickup like the one that Bruce Zumstead made for a while. |
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Pete Grant
From:
Auburn, CA, USA
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Posted 6 Jun 2002 4:20 pm
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Thanks for the info, Dan.
Too quiet, huh? I was afraid of that. All the studio recordings I've heard (your delightful album included) do sound like the tone and volume are more delicate than a regular dobro. I still would love to have one, though.
I do have a banjo-playing friend that literally "puts a sock in it." He uses a sock or two between the inside of the head (right under the bridge) and the coordinating rods. Maybe he'd play with me if I had a Pedabro.
Oh, well. Back to the drawing board. |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 6 Jun 2002 5:21 pm
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| Marvin Flueger's phone number is 716-668-9109. He is a mechanical genius. He will be glad to talk with any of you and send you pictures. He can make a unit in any color you want. He also builds world class dobros from exotic African woods. Duanne Marrs is the sole distributor for them out of Nashville. His units are resonably priced for a custom build. [This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 06 June 2002 at 06:22 PM.] [This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 06 June 2002 at 06:24 PM.] |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 7 Jun 2002 9:26 am
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| Mike, I know that just adding a contact piezo doesn't work, that's why I suggested that the design of the bridge encorporate a piezzo, just like the acoustic electric guitars. |
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