Two Pre-war Richenbachers

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

I have acquired two six-string pre-WWII Ricks, a 1937 silver Hawaiian, which I dated per the Los Angeles times it was stuffed with , and a pre-1937 Bakelite (pat. pending pickup). I'm looking for advice/guidance on getting both steels in top playing order. I'm not hung up on sticking to original components. My goal is to have good players and reasonable cosmetics.

1. Both have cheap non-original tuners. Any suggestions for really nice replacements.

2. The SH is up and running and sounds great. The hottest pickup I've ever played! The horseshoe pickup sits at an angle from horizontal, which makes it very hard to adjust so the strings do not either hit the horseshoe or the pickup poles. It looks like this is because the top has caved in a bit. Can I brace up the top between the pickup cavity and bridge to remedy this?

3. The pickup in the Bakelite steel is dead. Any suggestions on rewind or other remedies? By the way, the pickups on both guitars have a substantial hunk of the top Bakelite plate (or whatever you call it) broken off. Doesn't seem to hurt the SH, but should or can this be fixed?

4. The Model B is missing the volume control and knob. Any suggestions other than buying modern replacements? Also, the volume control on the SH works, but really isn't much of a control. Would I be smart to install a modern audio-taper pot?

5. The chrome is not so hot on either horshoe. If I was to get them re-chromed, can plating be done without disturbing the coils?

I'd be most grateful for any help Forumites might offer. If it might be easier, I would be glad to talk on the phone on my dime with someone who has this kind of expertise.

I'm really eager to get the Model B up and running!

Thanks

[This message was edited by Bob Stone on 19 May 2000 at 09:35 AM.]

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

You should be aware that the pickups don't have an internal magnet. The metal "hand rest" generates the magnetic field. If it is broken, the pickup will appear to be dead.

You probably already knew that, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.

------------------

Bobby Lee quasar@b0b.com gigs CDs
Sierra Session S-12 (E9), Speedy West D-10 (E9, D6),
Sierra S-8 Laptop (D13), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (D13, A6)

C Dixon · From: Duluth, GA USA

Yes b0b, is correct. The horseshoe pieces of metal are actually magnets. There are no magnets in the pickups themselves.

The little metal pieces that look like magnets are actually "Pole-pieces", that carry the magnetic lines of force thru the coil from the top of the magnets pole to the opposite pole on the bottom. It is the cutting of these magnetic lines of force by the strings that induce the signal into the pick up coil.

The only thing I have always been worried about with rechroming the magnets is that it may remove some or all of the magnetic properties of the metal. Unlike "rare-earth" magnets which are found magnetic, these metal horseshoes had to be subjected to a strong external force to have become magnetized in the first place.

My worry is the intense heat applied to rechrome them may reduce the magnetism or eliminate it all-together. They can however be remagnetized using a simple car battery. There is a man in San Antonio TX that can do this. He has done it to several old Ricks before and it came out perfect AFTER they had been rechromed. He has also had some PU's rewound with good success.

Give me a call at 770-448-8455 and I will gladly give you his number and talk to you about what I know concerning prewar ricks.

God bless you in your attempts with these gems,

carl

[This message was edited by C Dixon on 19 May 2000 at 12:11 PM.]

Ian McLatchie · From: Sechelt, British Columbia

Hi, Bob. Great score! If you haven't tried the Silver Hawaiian through some dirty little six or eight watt tube amp yet, do yourself the favor. I really regret selling my Supro Bantam, which with the SH produced an overdrive sound quite unlike anything I've ever heard from a lap steel. As you say, these pickups have extraordinary output, and with the hollow brass SH body, it's a killer combo.
A slight depression of the top is normal for SHs. Installing 3 thin washers under the lower mounting screws did it for mine. Getting the pickup horizontal will let you set the spacing much more precisely, and you'll also hear a big improvement in the sound.
Elderly has the best combination of selection
and price for tuners I know of.
One more piece of advice for the SH: DON'T
apply Brasso or Silvo or any other such cleaner to the body, as it will seriously thin the nickel finish. A light Turtle waxing every year or two seems to work well, and if there are any spots that need touching up, Flitz is the wonder drug.
I have no idea if Frailin (sp?) does the sort of work you may need for the Model B pickup, but all the custom work he's done for Joe Yanuziello has been remarkable.
Carl, thanks for all the useful pickup information! I'll definitely download this one.

Bob Stone · From: Gainesville, FL, USA

Thanks guys. Carl was especially helpful. We had a nice chat on the phone.

Turns out the magnets in my Model B are dead. Carl steered me to a source to remedy that.

I shimmed up the pickup in the SH and was able to adjust the gap easily. This guitar is twice as loud as my Fender Deluxes and '56 Stringmaster! I can't wait to get that strings-thru Bakelite baby going!

By the way, a friend who is a fine metalsmith is going to make one of the panels missing from my Ric. I'll let you know how they turn out, as there are quite a few Bakelites out there missing panels. They probably won't be cheap. He is doing it all by hand.

Thanks again.

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