Are The Good Woods And Hot Steel Licks Vanishing?

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 11 Feb 2011 7:45 am

Thanks to all for the interesting responses. Thanks to all who have commented on the various commentary that has brought wood grains into focus. A special thanks to CHRIS DORCH for presenting the fine work by DON BURROWS. To inspire newcomers to the world of steel guitar by rebutting those opposed to a first line of workmanship, would be well worth the effort. I believe quality instruments and "HOT LICKS" are on the same level of efficacy.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 11 Feb 2011 2:11 pm

My hopes for locating the finest CURLY MAPLE of choice is tentatively in the works, once the weather (snow and ice) warms appreciably. I'll not be satisfied until I produce the fretboard that I refer to as the "BROW" with intricate fret markings, just beyond the first string. Highly polished to a resplendent finish, it will help to "Light up my life". Anything to inspire and awaken incentives that were always responsive to visual and musical activities.

Glenn Uhler · Post by **Glenn Uhler** » 11 Feb 2011 7:24 pm

Bill, If you can't wait for the snow and ice to melt, go over to Battenkill Tonewoods. They should have plenty of curly and tiger maple for you to look at. Battenkill Tonewood; Robert Crosby (802) 375-9965 and Geoffrey Ovington (518) 854-3648; maple and spruce cut in the Adirondacks of NY and Green Mountains of VT.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 11 Feb 2011 11:46 pm

Bill Hankey wrote:... those opposed to a first line of workmanship...

Bill, I'm confused. Who here has said or implied that they are "opposed to a first line of workmanship"?

On the contrary, I think we're all happy that every steel guitar builder today strives to build the best instrument he possibly can. In our little community, that first line of workmanship is the norm.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 12 Feb 2011 5:04 am

Mike,

Thanks for suggesting that a clarification is in order, for my intentions to sound off interminably, in an effort to alert a broader base of spenders to the fact that poor workmanship, and unfair prices do exist. The workmanship that was centered upon, had nothing whatsoever to do with builders of PEDAL STEEL GUITARS. I'd know better than to BITE the hand that feeds me. Nothing of that sort had entered my mind. If you trace the past exchanges, we were discussing cheap Spanish guitars sold at unfair prices. I'm fresh from the "dollar an hour" age group. This reminds me that I would be required to work 100 hours in a haymow at yesterday's wages, to purchase an unplayable cardboard Spanish guitar. I welcome those who may believe that I would intentionally berate the builders of steel guitars, to retrace my words, and point them out to me.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 12 Feb 2011 5:12 am

Glen,

Thanks for forwarding those numbers that may prove to be very interesting after placing a call to that dealership in fine woods. I appreciate knowing that there are many helpful members here on the "STEEL GUITAR FORUM".

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 12 Feb 2011 7:25 am

The Rickenbacher Frypan (cast aluminum), the Rickenbacher B-model lap steels (Bakelite) and the Emmons original PP (Mica laminated HR maple with cast aluminum hardware) are the 3 most mentioned benchmarks for tone in Steel guitar. One might want to add the Bigsby (cast aluminum guitar on a maple cabinet) to the list.
This is not to say that other brands current or past did or do not produce equally qualitative instruments!

Yet, the 3 above are the most mentioned, and ONLY ONE of them was made of wood.

Wood is a noble material, it represents "nature" to us... it's "real", it brings the looks of "Life" to our otherwise somewhat overly mechanical looking electrical instruments, yet wood, is as most any natural material not of consistent quality and tonal character.
In my opinion, the aesthetic considerations set aside, wood can turn out to be a nightmare ingredient from an electric instrument builder's point of view.

One of the greatest builder of PSG of all times told me once, how his chief assembler would come into his office and ask him out to the manufacturing floor and point at ONE guitar and say "here's ONE"... and indeed, for no apparently explicable reason, THAT guitar would ring most of the others into shame. And just like that, every once in a while a "dog" would appear.

This is why I get chuckles when people, speaking of let's say PP's like to presume that the ALL just have THAT sound... Most really, sound good, but BE really kept ONE "Blade"... and it sure is not a "dog".

Some builders have taken wood selection to the extreme... like our Australian friend building Anapeg guitars, one by one... selecting the wood from selecting the actual tree. Now, why would that be? Wood lacks consistency!

I for one applauded MSA's courage to face the steel guitar community with a brand new approach to cabinet building, when they introduced the carbon fiber bodies. Sadly, the process seems to be even more costly than the already high price of wood cabinetry. But I firmly believe, that eventually, builders will discover or learn to use other materials, which will be cheaper, better sounding and more consistent.

... J-D.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 12 Feb 2011 9:44 am

J D Sauser,

It happened by chance that I learned how wood will capture vibrations, and in a sense muffle tonality. I suspect that artistic builders of FLAMENCO GUITARS have been aware of hindrances of that description for centuries. I was flooded with amazement after playing an older instrument, made in the 19th century. It featured many times the resonance of expensive acoustic guitars. It offered many clues which I have taken into account. In the event that ambition overtakes me in the future, and things needed to assemble a steel guitar with maximum resonance become available, who knows what I will discover?

J D Sauser · Post by **J D Sauser** » 12 Feb 2011 10:27 am

Bill, you are comparing acoustic instruments to electric instruments. To me, this seems adventurous at best and I doubt that it would lead to any constructive conclusions.
As you will well have come to realize too, by chance or otherwise, luthiers had to use light, thin and BRITTLE materials (spruce, being a typical one) for best sound amplification while considering structural integrity.

When electricity made it's way into musical sound amplification, the rules, the requirements and thus the materials and designs changed... drastically.

BRITTLE may actually be the only parallel between the two types of instrument designs, and that's why I typed it in all caps above. Bakelite is brittle and so is cast aluminum (not to be mistaken with extruded alloy!). Brittle materials will also have less of the "muffle" effect you mentioned.

MASS however is most interesting when it comes to electric instruments, while in acoustic instruments MASS is sought to be kept a low as possible as it would hinder it's ability to effortlessly and thus as loss less as possible pass the vibrations on to the air surrounding it.
The later is a bit like the CONTRARY of the table cloth pull trick: If you want to pull the table cloth away while leaving the dishes on the table, speedy is only one thing... actually, the MASS of the dishes is of utter importance too... as it delay's the reaction to acceleration/impulse... certainly no a desired behavior for an acoustic instrument's sound board!

There is also an issue of times and industrial eras. Electric instruments appeared right around the same times as materials like aluminum and early plastics, while most acoustic stringed instruments have their root in times when WOOD was the number one available and workable material for these applications.
While often repudiated by the conservative crowd, several builder have demonstrated the tonal and structural capabilities of newer, and synthetic materials even in acoustic instrument design.

Anyways, in my opinion, there is a LOT PSG builders could learn from acoustic instrument luthiers, like the importance of bridge integrity (the bridge is the "holy grail" part of a stringed instrument to most luthiers), but I doubt we can share our choices for sound board materials.

... J-D.

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 12 Feb 2011 11:03 am

clear

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 12 Feb 2011 11:19 am

J D Sauser,

I have ascertained that you have aligned yourself with an abundance of facts relating to the building of musical instruments. A man can be measured by his varying degrees of patience levels while at the workbench. Words fall a bit short in terms of total reliability in making decisions on paper. I've learned that the pen and the workbench are not even remotely related. The experience of working side by side with others will provide the best information sources. You are a very bright man, making a great deal of sense. This has become obvious by taking into account statements made by you. More than once, I've been told by sources that there was a firm who had pickups wound by another establishment, for $2.00 and change for each unit. If the information is factual, it proves a point that I brought out in an article some time ago. I had stressed that more emphasis on pickup performances is obviously needed. Selected woods used in the construction of pedal steel guitars are "deceived" by the lack of complimentary deliverances of their exquisite vibratory tonalities. Cords, amplifiers, circuitry, cheaply made effects, all combined, have the potential to arrest and exert unwanted changes between the good wood and the speakers. Bare facts would eliminate much of the consternation produced by unwarrantable claims made, that fail to hold true as they fall prey to new discoveries, and the
motivity of researching.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 12 Feb 2011 11:30 am

Bill Duncan,

What a beautiful modern creation of early Americana. You've won me over with your diversified interests. I'll study the wagon in detail. (Note the brake on the right rear wagon tire.)

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 12 Feb 2011 11:39 am

Blank again.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 12 Feb 2011 12:55 pm

Bill Duncan,

How sweet it is! One more reason to never underestimate the skills and willpowers of others. I once had a close friend of our family who built a small wagon for my mom. Your wagon has kindled old memories of the long rides in that gorgeous wagon with little side racks and pneumatic tires. Bill Miller's skills were so diversified, from dismantling a Stanley Steamer, lubricating and cleaning every part, before reassembling the automobile to building everything from A to Z. I could fill you in much better in a different topic review. Thanks..

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 12 Feb 2011 5:40 pm

Bill Duncan,

I wish to compliment you and ask many questions about your "BUGGY". I'll send my questions by e-mail to prevent getting moved out of GUITAR PLAYERS column. I feel that you may be interested in some of my experiences with horse drawn wagons. There is a direct connection between your musical accomplishments and your creative work. Combining creativity and musical interests becomes a natural leaning to the best that life has to offer. Music will suffer, the moment we forget how to love the beauty of life, and the ability to become creative.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 13 Feb 2011 8:26 am

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 13 Feb 2011 8:43 am

Barry,

Very much exaggerated on your part! It will never happen. I'm still stewing about the scarcity of hot licks not turning up in new recordings. What have you to say, that would cause me to expound on that subject matter? I've implied that quality instruments generate a wider range of interest. I'll stand by the belief as long as no single person is able to disprove the statement.

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 13 Feb 2011 9:35 am

Blank

Russ Tkac · Post by **Russ Tkac** » 13 Feb 2011 10:13 am

Great playing and tone. This is as good as it gets!

Buy it here. http://startexrecords.com/bebop.htm

Bill Duncan · Post by **Bill Duncan** » 13 Feb 2011 10:20 am

clear

John Robel · Post by **John Robel** » 13 Feb 2011 1:14 pm

The answers to the two original questions are no and no.

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 13 Feb 2011 2:30 pm

John Robel,

Would you be tempted to elaborate on youe brief statement?

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 13 Feb 2011 3:40 pm

One of Leo Fender's three primary design criteria was that his guitars (including steels) be made out of easily-available materials. While Gibson might have ventured somewhat further afield, the use of hard maple for steel guitars was clearly based on a cheap, easy-to-get, good-sounding wood. In the global market, things have changed. Here are just some of the woods anyone can order up for guitar necks:

"Afra" Afromosia (Pericopsis Elata)
Birdseye Maple (Acer saccharum)
Bocote (Cordia elaeagnoiders)
Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra)
Bubinga (Guibourtia demeusei)
Canary (Centrolobium ochroxylon)
Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)
Ebony (Dispyrus melanoxylon)
Flame Maple (Acer saccharum)
Goncalo Alves (Astronium fraxini folium)
Hard Maple (Acer saccharum)
Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)
Kingwood (Dalbergia Cearensis)
Koa (Acacia koa)
Korina/Limba (Terminalia superba)
Macassar Ebony (Dispyrus macassar)
Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)
Padouk, African (Pterocarpus soyauxii)
Palisander Rosewood (Dalbergia baroni)
Pau Ferro (Machaerium villosum)
Purpleheart (Peltogyne pubesens)
Satine (Brosimum paraense)
Walnut (Juglans nigra)
Wenge (Millettia laurentii)
Ziricote (Cordia dodecandra)

Just based on what I personally know about the use of maple for guitar necks & steel guitar, combined with what I've used for guitars, I can assure you that canary, wenge and padouk at the very least could be made into a great-sounding steel guitar.

Now, there are a large number of different woods called "rosewood" and a large number called "mahogany", but as you probably know, two different species of trees grown side-by-side with the same sun, water and nutrients will often produce wood that has more similar musical characteristics than two trees of the exact same species, grown under different conditions. No one has come anywhere near scratching the surface of what might be achieved with steel guitar tone* with more research and experimentation - the monomaniacal use of maple only is a historical accident of convenience.

*(dear god - oopsie....)

Regarding running out of licks, I don't know who you're listening to? There's more great new and different steel guitar music available now than at any time in the instrument's history. Just because your Buddy Emmons vinyl record wore out doesn't mean everybody else's world is coming to an end.

Theresa Galbraith · Post by **Theresa Galbraith** » 13 Feb 2011 3:50 pm

I've heard the steel guitar is dead. LOL

John Robel · Post by **John Robel** » 13 Feb 2011 5:40 pm

:Thank You, David Mason.