Vintage 8-string Pedal Steels

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 17 Jan 2008 6:28 am

Another one a few people have tried that works well is Sneaky Pete's tuning (available on the copedents page) and his 1,2,7 and 8 pedals. You can play tons of "normal" steel and most country-rock basics with just that setup, which is a sort of stripped-down universal (a 6th tuning with E9-style changes).

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 17 Jan 2008 12:03 pm

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 17 Jan 2008 12:07 pm

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 17 Jan 2008 12:08 pm

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 17 Jan 2008 12:09 pm

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 17 Jan 2008 12:11 pm

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 17 Jan 2008 12:12 pm

mg]

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 18 Jan 2008 12:43 pm

Roger Miller Custom S8...

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 18 Jan 2008 4:07 pm

I just acquired a Fender 400, sunburst with 4 pedals, single raise single lower changer, roller nut. It finally dawned on my the why of the first pedal on the 8 string C6th that raises the As to Bs!? It was the limitations of the single raise, single lower changer!? I wanted to raise the Cs to C#s instead and my favorite machinist, LaVern Skarzenski (retired from GE in Erie PA) rigged up a double raise to get that change for me. My mentor (told me about Jerry Byrd when I thought Slim Idaho was my favorite steeler.....that was a few years ago, for you newbies who never heard of Slim?) Warren Shanner, Salamanca steeler years ago, rigged up one for me on the first Fender 400 (blonde, string breaker!) I had back after I sold the MultiKord!! Warren also sold me a reverb unit that was made by Gretch, I think and you alligator clipped two leads to your speaker to get the reverb! Anybody remember one of those?? Do any of you forumites know if Gene Fields had anything to do with the early Fender steels other than the PS 210?

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 18 Jan 2008 4:50 pm

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 18 Jan 2008 6:15 pm

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 18 Jan 2008 8:08 pm

Michael Lee-That is a fine collection of steel photos. In 1953, Looking at stock for my new Music Store, I was at the NAMM show in Chicago at the Palmer house and got to play the National Electrakord and the also the Varikord.The nation was ok as shown put both feet on and if you pushed forward you got one chord, and backward another. So you could get 4 chords.
The Vairchord had buttons as shown which wer hooks to solenoids, and when you pushed a button, you got a chord, I think there were 6 buttons, they made a big noise like a shot when you pushed one with the amp on.Terrible.
My Gibson full cabinet 1942 Electra-Harp had 6 pedals and 8 strings, Alvino Rey's E6 tiuning,and I could get any chord I wanted . With 6 pedals it was tuned pretty much like Standard C6 of today. That was in 1946 after I got discharged from WWII.
It was beautiful birdseye matched walnut inserts , all one about 90 lbs with a heavy cover, I played that for about 20 years, made good money with it. I could play Body and Soul, and other complex songs on it, with jazz chords, Big Band tunes,etc,it was way ahead of its time. I kept it until I got my first MSA D12 in 1968 Which to me was a big way forward....all:):)

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 19 Jan 2008 1:13 pm

Michael Lee Allen · Post by **Michael Lee Allen** » 19 Jan 2008 2:05 pm

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 19 Jan 2008 2:20 pm

Dural
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duralumin

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 20 Sep 2014 2:35 pm

This was an interesting thread. Does anyone have any more photos to add six years later?

Jim Priebe · Post by **Jim Priebe** » 20 Sep 2014 3:49 pm

(Moved from 'Steel Players')

These guitars were made by Jack Richards in Sydney, Australia.

see it here

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... 8743327531

also and article on Jack Richards at

http://www.steelguitardownunder.com/Pas ... gends.html

there are further links there.

1948 Kord King

Jimmy Douglas · Post by **Jimmy Douglas** » 27 Sep 2014 3:45 pm

Here is a nice one from Fuzzy/Excel

http://www.vintageandrare.com/product/F ... ural-43953

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 27 Sep 2014 7:16 pm

I have a 70's Sierra "Rock-Slide", which was basically an 8-string "Crown Series" Pedal Steel body/changer/linkage with only 2 knee levers [LKL/RKR], which functioned as "Hip Levers" (I don't know what the original lever changes were).
Mine has been converted to a 5x4 S8U using Crown Series legs/rods/pedals/linkage (two changes per pedal/lever) that were added at the Sierra Co. during the Don Christianson years.
From high to low it is G#,F#,E,B,G#,F#,E,B.
The five pedals are A,B,5,6,7 ala E9/B6 Uni. The knees are LKL E's to F, LKV B's to Bb, RKL is currently G#'s to G (I have also set it up to raise the low B to D, and the high E to F#), RKR is E's to Eb.
It is fun to play!... and is a rock solid Pro level instrument.
The top is black-mica, but the front and back aprons are a trippy 3D silver 70's drum covering, with red pin stripes.

Here is what they originally looked like:

Here is a link to a larger picture:
http://sierrasteels.com/images/gallery/ ... ent_18.jpg

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 27 Sep 2014 7:52 pm

I remember that Sierra! Don brought one to my house in the early 80's to test drive. It was great! The hip levers worked beautifully, and it seemed very stable to me. I'd love to have one now. The mind boggles when I think of the possibilities with my D6/G lap tuning with two levers.

I remember that it was some sort of E tuning, and that the levers made perfect sense. It was very simple and intuitive to play.

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 28 Sep 2014 5:06 am

There's an old Rickenbacker 8 string pedal steel with 6 pedals on Ebay right now, with a BIN of $750 or "Make Offer" - Free Shipping.

CLICK HERE for the Ebay listing

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 28 Sep 2014 8:23 am

FWIW, I used to own that model of Rickenbacker. Those pedals, pedal bar and legs are not original. They might actually work better than the originals, but they are not the original Rickenbacker parts.