Older Melobars: How do they sound?

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

I've only once tried a Melobar, a used one in a music store and it had a raunchy kind of a sound that maybe a blues-kid or rocker might be into, but I definitely wasn't. Can these things have a pure, clean tone like a good lap steel? Can you play a decent sounding swing or jazz tune on them, or a pretty country tune for that matter? Or do they always have that raunchy sound? There's some appeal to being able to stand up and move around a bit when playing, but I ain't gonna sacrifice tone for it. What do you guys think?
Thanks,
Jim

Mike Dennis · From: Stevens Point WI.

The Melobar CC-8 is a very sweet guitar and the string spacing is very comfortable.

Ted mentioned before that many of the older Melobars from 35 and 40 years ago were not set up that great... string placing was very narrow and the tone was not that good.

The new guitars are a whole new breed of instruments... really designed for professional use.

I'm very happy with mine and have played a lot of western swing and older country material on it.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

The one I'm thinking about is from the '70s. Ted, any candid comments on that?
Thx,
Jim

MELOBAR GUITARS INC · From: Sweet, ID USA

Hi Jim,
Since you asked me directly here we'll see if we can figure out what guitar you're looking at.
The early 60's and 70's guitars always had 10 keys. Most were sunburst. They had Mosrite or Rosac pickups. Not really bad guitars but there was an article in Sept. '91 Guitar Player Magazine when dad died called "Melobars Basement Genius" written by Dan Forte (aka Teisco Del Rey) that really got into the detail that these guitars had 10 strings on 6 string pickups because dad would only build 10 stringers. David Lindley was the first man in history to get dad to let us build a 6 string and even that guitar had 10 keys. Again these aren't bad guitars, they just need new nuts and bridges cut to 6 string. Cindy Cashdollar has one of the Rosacs she used in the studio and Jeff Peterson used a Mosrite model in Dan Akroyds House of Blues. They do sound good.

The way you are describing this guitar, I think it may have been built in a transitional period in the 80's. They were the first 6 strings after dad died, designed for, as you said, "rock guitars". They were nick named Skreemrs and that name has stuck with the tilt neck design ever since. The Melobar name can mean anything from a lap steel to...now, so the Skreemr now means tilt neck. However those first Skreemrs were not that great. Plain Ping keys, EMG pickups with a very sharp sound. The early Lap Steels in the LS series had this too and I felt they were very sharp, but, there are a lot of guys that loved that sound. I discontinued both those lines several years ago. Now we have Lawrences L-500 pickup that is just like the pickup Lindley used on his El Rayo X Melobar and it has a terrific sound range. Ask the guys with the new SXL's and the new Skreemrs, they'll tell you. If it is a 80's Skreemr (I know I'm not suppose to say prices now, but I don't want you paying too much for it either), let's just say I wouldn't pay over $400 for it. Then I'd put a new Bronze nut instead of the Zinc nut that's on it, I'd replace the bridge saddle, the keys with Grovers, and the pickup with the L-500. I can't quote that price because of the stuff going on with Alford, but let's just say you'd be way under the price of a new one and have a very good sounding instrument.
Hope that helps, usually with a discription of the guitar I can give you a pretty good idea of what to expect out of it.

Ted

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Ted:
Here's a photo. Which one is it?
Thanks,
Jim
p.s. don't worry about recommending a price point; it's NOT your sale!!

MELOBAR GUITARS INC · From: Sweet, ID USA

Hey that's a good one Jim, It's a 88 model (1988 released) Powerslide. That's a George L E66 pickup with Grovers and the ole Pro-form body. That's why it sounds a bit sharp, the body is foam with a metal plate for density in the back which made them bright. You can use a different saddle componant and tame it down some or a wood body. The foam body is discontinued but it does work well for holding it and getting it to stay in the right position. Try it through some different amps in the store first, I bet you can get it to suit you. Price?? I'd say from $600 to $850, It's got all the right stuff and could make somebody a really good players guitar. Joe Rodgers used one just like that when he was with McBride and the Ride when they had a couple of hits, He's on that free video we give out on some TV special. It's going to sound a bit steel guitarish with that pickup no matter what you do though.

Ted

MELOBAR GUITARS INC · From: Sweet, ID USA

I had one other thought Jim, we always suggested rolling the tone control back 20% with that pickup. Give that a try and let me know what you hear.

Ted

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Thanks for the input, Ted. I really appreciate it!
Jim

Andy Alford · Posted 9 Feb 2000 8:04 pm

Jim,

David Lindley is seen playing a Melobar in their video they sent out.My guitars have alot of power.I can really get alot of ear blasting screaming tones out of my Mellowbars.They are hot for all kinds of blues and rock.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Thanks, Andy, but my interest is not in playing blues and rock. I'm looking for a guitar that has a very clean tone like a lap or pedal steel, and I can set up for a 6th tuning and play standup western swing. Do you think this beast is up to that job?

Andy Alford · Posted 10 Feb 2000 3:46 am

Jim,

After watching the acid rock Lindley I had to see what these guitars would do.I don't play that type of music either.I do play c6 on my Chandler and love it.Chandlers are hot if you like Hawaiian or Western Swing.I play gigs with my Chandler and they sound great and look great too.Check out the guitar builders section on Brads Page of Steel.Brad has all the builders listed and you can read the latest.Brads page is the authority on the steel guitar.He even has some info. on pedal steel guitars.You might start looking for a great deal on Ebay afyer reading Brads web site.I love C-6.Chandlers have a sustain that is grand.They even wind the soapbar pickup that is on the steel.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Thanks again, Andy. Actually I do have a few lap steels already (plus a D-8 Stringmaster). The sole appeal of this one would be the stand-up-and-move-around aspect of it (which I assume does not apply to the Chandlers, or any others except git-steel types and I don't play guitar anymore).

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Ted,
In the early 70's did your dad live in Venice, California?

Ted Smith · Posted 10 Feb 2000 3:10 pm

No Earnest, that wasn't dad. I did have a renagade brother who lived in that area I think in the 70's. Been out of the guitar scene for a long time and writing books in Hawaii, tough duty but somebody had to do it he says.

Andy, as Ted Smith I have to say, come on, this little game is as obvious as can be. You can see Jim didn't want rock in the first place so you try to make out Melobar is a "acid" rockers guitar, come on man. You got something against Melobar or me, so what, people like Chevy pickups instead of Fords. But coy comments about Lindley and Melobar to try and sneakly slam them, haven't you figured out life is too short for stuff like this?

Ted

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

The guy I met in Venice around 1973 had something like the old Melobar that you strap on and play as you stand. It had the angled fretboard with lots of note names and numbers on it. Personally I prefer a fretboard with just some dots here and there. I liked things about the old guitar but didn't care for the tone at all.

One cool thing he had was two bars to replace the single cylindrical steel bar that all steel players use. These things had wire handles on them so they were fastened to the player's left hand. That way the player didn't have to hold on to the bars. One of them was more or less like a traditional bar, but the other one attached to the thumb. It was like having a 1 inch extension on your thumb with a metal tip. That way you could play steel on two frets at the same time, removing the biggest limitation of our instrument. One of these days I intend to get around to learning the technique of that pair of bars.

Ted Smith · Posted 10 Feb 2000 9:05 pm

That's almost worth a topic post in itself Earnest, that was a ring bar which the Sure Grip replaced with the "Thumb bar",

Ted

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Ted, this one's not in a store where I can try it out. It was on eBay and it did not reach it's reserve price. I've emailed the owner to see if we can strike a deal. I let y'all know if this works out.
Thanks for all the input: it at least got me to bid on it!

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