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Topic: Mullen history |
Dan Kimpel
From:
Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2017 2:25 pm |
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| What year did Mullen guitars start being built? What year did they start making the Royal Precision? I'm trying to figure out what years a pre-RP Mullen could be from. Also, is there a way to date a specific guitar? |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Dan Kimpel
From:
Pewaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2017 3:50 pm
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Thanks! I think that about covers it. Looks like the RP came out in '97, and they started building guitars in the early 70's. When my guitar arrives where should I look for the serial number at? The guitar comes with some stuff dated in the 70s so it might be that old. An ernie ball tone bar, and a bunch of MSA strings from the 70s in the pack-a-seat. I should be getting it in a week or so, I'll report back with more details.
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 21 Apr 2017 3:53 pm My old Mullen
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This was the first time I even heard the name, Mullen.
My old Mullen SD-12 with 5&4 I bought used about 1988.
It was advertised somewhere as a private sale and I went down to have a look. Bought it right then and there.
Got frustrated with my playing and sold it in 1997, a mistake for sure.
It was a Rack & Barrel system like the old Sho-Buds but made much better and worked better in every detail too. None of the slop that is common in the old Buds.
Played well and had good tone.
I went to Denver in 1989 and stopped in where Del was working in a shed behind his house. My case was falling apart. He ordered a new one for me and shipped it to my place in San Francisco at that time.
I was really impressed because he had made a keyhead with the tuners built into it. He made all the parts of the tuners too.
Anyway, I was silly to sell that steel. Should have just put it under the bed for a while.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project.
Last edited by Andy DePaule on 29 Apr 2017 5:31 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 21 Apr 2017 3:58 pm
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I've only played Mullen guitars starting with the early 90's models and the serial numbers on those are stamped underneath the body near the left end plate. I don't know about earlier years.
I'm sure your Mullen will be a great guitar. Good luck and happy steelin'! |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 21 Apr 2017 4:18 pm Can't go wrong
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Can't go wrong with a Mullen.
One thing I liked about that old one was the back legs had the adjustment where I could reach it to get wobble out on a surface that was not flat.
No need to get off the seat and kneel down to adjust it.
I think some of the old ZB's also had that feature?
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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Rich Upright
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2017 6:01 pm
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I have been into steel since the early 70s, yet only first heard of Mullen in the mid-2000s when I was on a house gig with a guy who had one. I had never seen one before, now I own one.
_________________
A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag. |
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Mike Mantey
From:
Eastern Colorado, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2017 1:45 pm History
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Del started building his first guitars in the mid 1960's. At that time he was just learning how to build one and was building and experimenting for his own personal use, so he could learn to play. He was a fabricator at the Denver School of Mines and had access to some machinery, so he began to develop a better and better working guitar as the years went on.
The first guitars he built were named Royal instead of Mullen. This was named after his Brother Royal that died as a baby. He made these for a couple years, bringing us up to about the late 60's.
He then produced the rack and barrel models that many have owned. At that time he was not really into keeping track of what he was building. He built them probably into the mid-late 70's. Then he developed the first Mullen original guitar (now known as the Pre-RP). This guitar began and improved slightly and minor changes throughout the early 80's, then Del made the Mullen guitars a full time business in the late 70's or around 1980. He then produced that same Pre-RP until the Royal Precision came out in 1997. He then continued the Pre-RP under the HWP name, then was discontinued entirely when the G2 came out. That about brings us up to where we are today. |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 26 Apr 2017 9:58 pm
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I'd known about Mullen guitars since the late '70s when I was working with Alan Franks,a child prodigy who never got to grow up.Watching what he could do was one of the things that got me to take up steel.In 1984 an early S-10 3X3 came up for sale in the classifieds and I snapped it up.Glad I did,and I still have it.When I upgraded to a RP U-12 about 10 years ago I was able to pick it up at the factory,brought the old one along and showed it to the crew so I could get a build date.Del wasn't really sure,said it was either a '71 or a '75.Whichever,it's been a treasure-plays "like buttah",sounds great,holds tune,and I still take it to work once in awhile.BTW the word "Royal" appears at the end of the fretboard closest to the pickup.Now I have an idea why!The mount plate for the changer is a sand-casting with a couple of marks made by stray grains-thoroughly endearing.Friends till the end! 
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Gary Watkins
From:
Bristol, VA
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Posted 28 Apr 2017 5:35 pm Re: Can't go wrong
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| Andy De Paule wrote: |
Can't go wrong with a Mullen.
One thing I liked about that old one was the back legs had the adjustment where I could reach it to get wobble out on a surface that was not flat.
No need to get off the seat and kneel down to adjust it.
I think some of the old ZB's also had that feature? |
Mine has legs like that. It is a 1984 model, one of only 15 made that year, and I almost traded it last month. I'm so glad that I didn't! They are getting harder and harder to find and most people that have a mid 1980's or earlier PRP, won't let it go.
_________________
If you succeed in cheating someone, don't think that the person is a fool. It's just that the person trusted you far more than you deserved. |
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Andy DePaule
From:
Saigon, Viet Nam & Springfield, Oregon
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Posted 29 Apr 2017 5:47 am Improvements
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Hard to think of any way to Improve such a good guitar, but those rear legs were a plus...
More so as I get older and bending down is certainly getting tougher.
Got my new Mullen 6 days ago and love it.
Posted a bunch of photos of the new all polished aluminum Mullen on this "Pedal Steel" page a few days ago too.
I didn't really need a new guitar as I already had three, but just treated myself to something I'd dreamed up.
My 11 year old Star Guitar is still very good, but I'd say the Mullen is a little better and played a little better too. The G2 has the split tuning which is a nice plus.
Also have an desire to have Fred Justice make one of his beauties for me too.
But like I said, can't go wrong with a Mullen.
_________________
Inlaid Star Guitar 2006 by Mark Giles. SD-10 4+5 in E9th; http://luthiersupply.com/instrument-gallery.html
2017 Mullen SD-10, G2 5&5 Polished Aluminum covering. Custom Build for me. Great Steel.
Clinesmith Joaquin Murphy style Aluminum 8 String Lap Steel Short A6th.
Magnatone Jeweltone Series Lap Steel, Circa 1950? 6 String with F#minor7th Tuning.
1956 Dewey Kendrick D-8 4&3, Restoration Project.
1973 Sho~Bud Green SD-10 4&5 PSG, Restoration Project. |
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