Fender PS 210

Jon Graboff · From: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Ok, here's a new wrinkle. The photos submitted by Crowbar Scmmitt and HowardR differ in two obvious details from the one I posted. The steel pictured with Ricky Fataar has a volume and tone knob in front of the forward neck and the leg sockets form a kind of a step that juts out of the front apron! Obviously there was more than one model 'cause the one I posted is an S-10. Perhaps this is the reason for the differences. Were D-10s and an S-10s standard production models? Any guesses?

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

When I worked with Gene Fields at Fender in the 60's he was already trying to talk the "powers that be" into abandoning the cable idea and he was working in his head on some new, innovative ideas. I don't really know, but my guess is that Gene personally designed and either built or supervised the building of the models that were sold -- the differences from one model to the next being a result of the evolution of Gene's ideas. I notice in the under-belly pictures that he used the frictionless "knife-edge fulcrum" in the design of this axe. Gene was also talking about his ideas regarding the keyless tuning concept. In case you don't lnow it, Gene is a steel guitar design genius.

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Dustin Rigsby · From: Parts Unknown, Ohio

Also, today I saw a Harlin Bros. Multi-Kord for the first time at a music store. Sure was interesting. I understood Gene to say that he improved the Harlin Changer concept for the P.S. 210. I am fairly impressed with the G.F.I. guitar as well. I had the chance to look at one last weekend at the OSGA jam. It belonged to Mr. Donny Boggs. He sure did make it sound good. I really like Genes Keyless tuning design. Those big knobs are great for fat fingered folks like me.

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D.S. Rigsby
Wilcox SD10 3&5

Brian Herder · From: Philadelphia, Pa. USA

I have some live recordings of the Beach Boys from 1974. There is pedal steel on "Marcella" and "California Saga:California". I'm pretty sure it was Ricky Fataar playing. Sounds like a thin slide guitar for the most part. Don't know what make steel it was though.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

There is also steel on one of the songs from the "Carl And the Passions's, So Tough" LP. I believe this was cut during the time Ricky Fataar was with the band, but I could be mistaken,
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I remember seeing the 210 at Blackie Taylor's shop. I don't know if he still has it though.

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

It looks like Ricky Fataar is playing a single 12 in the picture.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Howard R, those underbelly pics kinda remind me of the Ric pedal steel I almost bought a couple of years ago.

John Billings · From: Ohio, USA

Howard, I just checked that old thread, and you had posted some pics of the 210 there. I just got confused in my old age as to which was which!

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Maybe not John...I had also posted photos of my pedal Rick D8, undercarriage & all.

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

I don't know how that PS-210 sounds; but it's even uglier than a GFI.

Al Marcus · From: Cedar Springs,MI USA (deceased)

Rick-You may be right about that. But one thing I do know . I wonder how I carried that 60 lbs guitar out of the case that weekend I had it.I must have had muscles then,lol....al

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Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

I had one like the one Ricky Fataar is playing (borrowed) at home for a while. It had no legs at the back corners of the cabinet, and I think there are no legs there in the picture of Ricky. One big metal leg attaches to the center of the back of the cabinet, and passes between your legs, holding a pad to park your butt on.

Cartwright Thompson · Posted 2 Apr 2006 2:36 am

What's that wacky Dan Armstrong-meets-Fender that Carl Wilson is playing?

[This message was edited by Cartwright Thompson on 02 April 2006 at 03:46 AM.]

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

For the most part, the "production run" of 210's had 4 legs, as far as I know. There seem to be a couple of prototypes then.

Two years ago at the Dallas show, Gene Fields had a prototype 210 D10 that had the built in seat as Earnest describes. He also had a unique Fender bass prototype displayed. I imagine that he has some very interesting and inventive personal instruments.

basilh · From: United Kingdom

John Graboff said

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

I bought serial #11 from Gene Fields while in Knoxville TN in 1988. He told me at the time that it was the last NEW (as yet unsold) PS210 of the 15 "production" models made before the "plug was Pulled on the project. Mine has 5FP, 4KL . . not uncommon, but it does contain 2 pieces that are VERY uncommon. Under each neck is a somewhat V-shaped steel stamping with #8-32
tapped holes - one hole for each of the 9 available pulls - in each of the faces of the stamping. The PS210 normally stopped at the endplate when the tuner bar for each pull bottomed out on the endplate. This stamping allows you to put long #8-32 stop screws in each one of the holes to stop the pull WITHOUT the bar bottoming out on the endplate. The delta-shaped drawplates and the tuner bars can then be "floated". I made up some of these screws and installed them on the rear neck (my rear neck is E9) and it definitely takes most of the spongy feel out of the pedals and knees. Gene explained that only 1 or 2 of the guitars made had these stops. You can stop @ the endplate a la Kline, ZB, etc., OR stop the linkage a la most every guitar made today. These were complex stampings and, as toolmaker, I can't imagine what the tooling cost for this could have been. There are 18 holes in each stop that are tapped!! That's 36 altogether. The stampings were obviously black oxided or anodized when completed. anyone out there have these on their PS210's?

Jody Sanders · From: Magnolia,Texas, R.I.P.

As I have said before, Gene Fields is a master designer and a master builder of steel guitars. That is why he is so successful in this business. Jody.

basilh · From: United Kingdom

Paul, yours is number 11, mine is 'PS-12' and DOESN'T have the stops you describe !!
I've seen pictures of the assembly with the stops but having set up mine and using it at every gig since, I find that the mechanism isn't spongy but quite firm (Compared to my other guitars)

The link below is to pictures of the mods on mine.
http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/012905.html

Paul Redmond · From: Illinois, USA

basilh - Perhaps I should have elaborated a bit re: "sponginess" in the pedal feel on my guitar. I must sheepishly admit that I have not yet taken the time see that the "bars" are bottoming out on the endplate in a parallel manner. That's what will give the PS210 a spongy feel . . . if the bars bottom first at one end then the other. By using the mysterious stop underneath, parallelism becomes less critical because the bars are still "floating". Ed Bierly sent me the pics of your PS210 snail mail after you posted them. I'm very impressed at the neatness and the workmanship. Soon I'll take the time to finish tweaking my guitar in. I moved my E9 tuning to the rear neck and C6 to the front because I only have seven pull possibilties on the front neck. Gene explained to me that the levers that pull on the wide delta plates on the front neck originally had a stepped-up offset formed into them. He said that those levers always tried to twist because the pull was not inline but rather above the line of pull. Therefore when mine was assembled, they used rear-neck levers on the front neck. The amount of offset was the same as two slot spacings in their guide plates. Hence seven instead of nine on the front neck. The rear neck has, of course, the standard nine. I don't often get the time or take the to play it as often as I'd like to, but even after all these years I sometimes just sit and stare at that little jewel and marvel at the brilliant design. As far as I'm concerned, Gene Fields rank right up there with Preston Tucker when it comes to ingenuity. Do you realize how few alterations to the original Tucker would have to be made to make it a very viable car today almost six decades after the fact? that's the way I feel about the PS210. What a phenomenal instrument.

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