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Post new topic Williams... A Good Cold Weather Guitar
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Author Topic:  Williams... A Good Cold Weather Guitar
Marc Weller

 

From:
Upland, Ca. 91784
Post  Posted 29 Nov 2006 8:46 pm    
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Played an outdoor gig tonight and it was 47 degrees. Cold by Southern California standards. I was really surprised how well my guitar stayed in tune. I guess it pays to have an instrument that was made in Minnesota. Now I just have to learn how to play with gloves.

MW
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Fred Bova

 

From:
Connecticut, USA
Post  Posted 29 Nov 2006 9:08 pm    
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Marc, where do you play ? I'm in Montrose, CA, not to far. I would take the drive to hear a steel player. There are a few psg players around here, but not a lot of venues around here that I know of, that have bands with a steel player. Please feel free to put me on your mailing list if you have one.
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Jim Bob Sedgwick

 

From:
Clinton, Missouri USA
Post  Posted 29 Nov 2006 10:05 pm    
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You don't see too many steelers in CA anymore because we escaped !!!
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Stu Schulman


From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
Post  Posted 29 Nov 2006 10:36 pm    
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Marc...47 is summer.
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Mark Edwards


From:
Weatherford,Texas, USA
Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 4:47 am    
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Stu - LOL you definately know what cold is my friend. I bet 47 is fishing weather in you parts. We are having our first big freeze down here in Texas, and they are calling for snow/sleet etc... and the second that they say the word snow/sleet around here everyone goes into panic mode.

Marc - If you learn to play with gloves on you'll need to come out with a CD/DVD. Titled (it's all in the gloves).
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Bobby Lee


From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 8:22 am    
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It froze here in Cloverdale last night. I never leave my guitar in the car.

I've seen temperature changes at the high end affect my Williams. One warm summer evening we were playing in the sun (a winery event). The sun set, and the temperature dropped about ten degrees within the space of one song. All of our instruments went out of tune at once, including my Williams D-12. It was bizarre!

------------------
Bobby Lee (a.k.a. b0b) - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Williams D-12 E9, C6add9, Sierra Olympic S-12 (F Diatonic)
Sierra Laptop S-8 (E6add9), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (E13, C6 or A6) My Blog

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Erv Niehaus


From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 8:27 am    
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The last time I talked to Bill Rudolph (maker of the Williams), he talked about another brand of guitar that Al Udeen owned.
He brought it in for Bill to work on. It wasn't built to handle Minnesota weather. If I remember right, it would swell up so bad in Minnesota's heat and humidity during the Summer that the pedals and levers would stick and in the Winter, they would practically fall out of the guitar.
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Rick Collins

 

From:
Claremont , CA USA
Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 8:45 am    
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Marc, it would seem that a 40 degree drop in temp. would produce less of a change than a 40 degree rise above the norm. __ say ambient 85 degrees.

As b0b says, with the guitar directly in the sun, this would seem to be the more extreme on a bank of strings.

I see a lot of good things I like about the Williams. I picture a D-10 in black lacquer.

You're playing a lot of gigs Marc. Where do you find the time?
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Bobby Lee


From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 9:14 am    
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Mine has the black lacquer finish, Rick. It's really very pretty to look at.
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Stu Schulman


From:
Ulster Park New Yawk (deceased)
Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 3:38 pm    
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Marc:Williams is a great guitar,I used to have some friends in Upland,Stu
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Marc Weller

 

From:
Upland, Ca. 91784
Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 11:07 pm    
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They are not bad looking guitars either.




[This message was edited by Marc Weller on 30 November 2006 at 11:14 PM.]

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Duane Reese

 

Post  Posted 30 Nov 2006 11:10 pm    
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By the time I'd got to work this morning, it had warmed up to 12 degrees F.

I don't leave my steel in the car either, at least not this time of year.
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Roger Edgington


From:
San Antonio, Texas USA
Post  Posted 1 Dec 2006 8:56 am    
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Even if the steel doesn't change with temperature, the strings usually will. If the strings are cold, the heat from your hands will change the pitch. You can watch it on any meter. Hit any string,then rub your hand up and down the neck a couple of times. Maybe I just have warm hands. ha. Also sometimes a steel will stay in tune with itself but but go flat or sharp overall. I'll be playing outside next week in Bandera,Tx. Right now it's pretty darn cold.
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Rick Collins

 

From:
Claremont , CA USA
Post  Posted 1 Dec 2006 9:48 am    
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Quote:
Mine has the black lacquer finish, Rick. It's really very pretty to look at.
b0b, I had thought your guitar to be mica or Formica. A neighbor got a new black baby grand piano (...assume it to be lacquer). I was very impressed with the sheen. This gave me the idea of such a pedal steel.

The Williams prices (new) seem to be well under those of other manufacturers.
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Rusty Walker

 

From:
Markham Ont. Canada, R.I.P.
Post  Posted 1 Dec 2006 10:09 am    
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Millenium owners-have any of you experienced large temp change and did it affect the guitar? I worked clubs on the Canadian prairie a few years ago and was told before going,to cover the guitar at nite and put a container of water on the pak seat right underneath.I didn't bother until the cross rods started to seize from the dryness.
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Bobby Lee


From:
Cloverdale, California, USA
Post  Posted 1 Dec 2006 10:35 am    
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Pictures don't do the finish justice, Rick, but here's one:


It's a black ebony stain on the maple, followed by a clear lacquer (I think).

[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 02 December 2006 at 10:37 AM.]

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Rick Collins

 

From:
Claremont , CA USA
Post  Posted 1 Dec 2006 3:24 pm    
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Yes, the finish has a very classy look.

Everyone who plays a keyless is sold on the idea. I've only played an Excel Superb for about five minutes.
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Marc Weller

 

From:
Upland, Ca. 91784
Post  Posted 1 Dec 2006 4:19 pm    
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Mine is a blondie, hard to find quilted maple.

[This message was edited by Bobby Lee on 02 December 2006 at 10:36 AM.]

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Les Anderson


From:
The Great White North
Post  Posted 1 Dec 2006 8:06 pm    
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Cripes you guys, those pictures are better than sex.
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Rick Collins

 

From:
Claremont , CA USA
Post  Posted 2 Dec 2006 10:31 am    
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Marc, the clear lacquer finish on the natural birdseye maple looks good __ like a modern day Bigsby.

And, I did once see a Bigsby up close.
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Dick Wood


From:
Springtown Texas, USA
Post  Posted 2 Dec 2006 11:39 am    
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Here's mine although you can't see and enjoy the nice gouge in the back neck like I get to from now on. Last night some drunk knocked over a microphone stand and it landed right on top of my guitar.

[This message was edited by Dick Wood on 02 December 2006 at 11:42 AM.]

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Les Anderson


From:
The Great White North
Post  Posted 2 Dec 2006 11:48 am    
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Those are truely beautiful guitars guys.

On another note here with these guitars: is there any real advantage of a keyless over one with tuning keys?

That is to say with varying temperatures when playing outdoors or in an airconditioned studio and so on.
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