The Steel Guitar Forum

Joe Drivdahl · Post by **Joe Drivdahl** » 26 Sep 2005 9:29 am

I see Bobbe's featured guitar this week is a JCH double neck. Whats the story on JCH. I am not familiar with this guitar.

Joe

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 26 Sep 2005 10:10 am

Now I know Montana is way out there.

JCH was started by Jimmy Crawford and John Hughey. John dropped out and Jimmy built them until just before he passed away this year, with one of the last ones being a D-10/12 for Buddy Emmons. Also Lloyd Green played one for a few years, as did Russ Hicks. To me they are great guitars and it's too bad Jimmy is gone and they are no longer made. You can't go wrong with a JCH.

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1985 Emmons push-pull,Evans SE200,Fender Twin, Hilton pedal, Jag Wire Strings

Joe Drivdahl · Post by **Joe Drivdahl** » 26 Sep 2005 5:01 pm

Craig,
Thanks for the info. It sounds like a quality instrument considering who started the company. I wonder why I've never heard of them before? Oh well, I guess I am way out here. My first steel was a 2 x 6 with some fishing line for the light strings and some weedeater line for the heavier ones. I never could figure how to tune that thing...

Joe

Craig A Davidson · Post by **Craig A Davidson** » 26 Sep 2005 5:23 pm

Joe did it run on two-cycle fuel?

Klaus Caprani · Post by **Klaus Caprani** » 27 Sep 2005 12:51 am

I recently had a chance to take a look at the undercarriage of Nils Tuxens JCH (I seem to remember it as a 10+8 setup).
It looked like great mechanics to me. It sounded wonderful ofcourse.

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Klaus Caprani

MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4
www.klauscaprani.com

Joe Drivdahl · Post by **Joe Drivdahl** » 27 Sep 2005 7:08 am

Craig,
Yeah it did. How'd you guess? Back in those days we didn't have synthetics like BelRay, so I ran Castrol 20:1 premix. It smoked alot, but sounded good.

Joe

John Lazarus · Post by **John Lazarus** » 28 Sep 2005 11:31 am

Joe, JCH guitars are the real Nashville machine. I have a 9+9 that has been under the bed since the 1990's and I just pulled it out and took it over to show Chuck Back(owner and builder of the Desert Rose Steel) and he flipped over the tone. Said it was as good as the best push/pull and one of the best guitars he'd ever played in his life. It is top flight.
I'm not using the guitar and will probably part with it in the near future. If you are interested, shoot me an email at:
kiva238@aol.com

Scott Henderson · Post by **Scott Henderson** » 28 Sep 2005 12:27 pm

John I have Danny Sneed's old JCH 9 & 8 I won't part with it. What color is yours? AND if you part with it what wouild you have to have for it?

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 28 Sep 2005 12:37 pm

Steve Sturm, Travis Tritt's steel player played a JCH D-10 and Chad Udeen who plays steel for Andy Griggs plays a JCH S-10. Brett, Emmons S-10, Morrell lapsteel, GFI Ultra D-10

John Lazarus · Post by **John Lazarus** » 29 Sep 2005 9:16 am

Scott, Danny is a legend in Arizona!
As for the 9+9 I mentioned above, I was just thinking out loud that I should really sell it in the near future because it is sitting unused in a case as it has for the past five or six years. I purchased it as a project, and it really hasn't been touched much except for some new strings and the upgrade of custom gauged roller nuts. The guitar is in lovely condition and sounds killer. Mandarin red mica, Geo. L pickups, Crawford Cluster of five levers on left knee. I have no photos as yet.
I have no idea what the thing is worth at this point and and am open to offers. I will be better prepared when I get around to formally posting it for sale in the future if it hasn't sold by then.
One last comment(and you know this Scott).
A JCH with all the hardware of nine levers and pedals is a hefty piece of machinery. Don't expect a GFI or Carter weight here, but tone is worth a sore back!
Call me at 520 299-4255 or email me if you need to know more.
Thanks.

Scott Henderson · Post by **Scott Henderson** » 29 Sep 2005 10:09 am

John,
I agree on both counts. Heavy? yes tone? oh yeah!!!!
If you can get the serial number off the endplate I could find out about how old it is.
Thanks for the reply

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

John Lazarus · Post by **John Lazarus** » 30 Sep 2005 6:33 am

Scott, The serial # is 1006.
Thanks

Scott Henderson · Post by **Scott Henderson** » 5 Oct 2005 4:46 pm

John I sent you an email did you get it?

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Steelin' away in the ozarks and life,
Scott
www.scottyhenderson.com

Chris Forbes · Post by **Chris Forbes** » 6 Oct 2005 2:54 am

Hmmmmmm, when we opened for Andy Griggs a couple of months ago Chad had a D-10 that used to be owned by my buddy Paul Vendemmia. He had regular e-9 on the front neck and a really interesting sorta sacred steel tuning on the back neck. By odd coincidence, I own the green Fessenden that used to be Chad's!! But I got to play that JCH a few times when it was Paul's and it knocked me out.

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 6 Oct 2005 7:48 am

The weight of the JCH guitars is in line with all the other grade "A" steel guitars.
But as we all know, a 9-9 loaded guitar will weigh substantually more than a 8-5 guitar will.
Keep remembering, most of the excess weight in steel guitars is in the weight of the case. I have a 9 pound case that I've been using for 15 years, flying and everything. Most plywood steel guitar cases are about 24 pounds.
So as we can all see, an easy way to cut 15 pounds off your steel guitar without hurting the tone, is by getting a lighter case.
Carrying your steel guitar around your home town with in a flight case is pretty silly. (unless you are a professional weight lifter)

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 6 Oct 2005 7:53 am

For some pictures of this guitar, go to www.steelguitar.net and click on the "featured" icon on the left.
Pardon the glare from the overhead florescent lights, [This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 06 October 2005 at 08:59 AM.]

Ronald Comtois · Post by **Ronald Comtois** » 6 Oct 2005 10:24 am

Take another 15 lbs off by having a small case built to hold your pedal bar, legs and rods. Works for me! I have a 12 string Dekley universal;weight 65 lbs in case with attachments,5o lbs without them

.Ron

Curt Langston · Post by **Curt Langston** » 7 Oct 2005 9:38 am

Can someone tell me just a few reasons that the JCH is so mechanically superior to a GFI, Carter or Sierra. Seriously, I would like to know the advantages. Thanks in advance.

richard burton · Post by **richard burton** » 7 Oct 2005 10:13 am

I've heard a few JCH's in Britain.
I hate to say it, but I don't rate their tone, with the only exception being Lloyd Green when he played his JCH at Newbury festival in the early 90's.
They just sound like any other humbucker equipped all-pull pedal steel: Bland and whiney.

Tommy Minniear · Post by **Tommy Minniear** » 7 Oct 2005 10:26 am

Tommy Minniear[This message was edited by Tommy M on 07 October 2005 at 11:30 AM.]

Mike Weirauch · Post by **Mike Weirauch** » 7 Oct 2005 11:53 am

Bland and whiney? Hmmmmmmmmm. I can only imagine how Jimmie Crawford would answer a remark like that. I have two JCH guitars and neither are bland nor are they whiney. Regardless of what Jimmie would say, they do not sound like a push/pull nor should they but they certainly are not bland. It's obvious that you never heard Jimmie Crawford and Russ Hicks play. If you get the chance, listen to the Vince Gill song "Look At Us" and ask yourself if the intro and turn around sounds bland and whiney.

Here is a picture of a quilted maple JCH that is owned by George Drabel.

[This message was edited by Mike Weirauch on 07 October 2005 at 01:10 PM.]

Bobbe Seymour · Post by **Bobbe Seymour** » 7 Oct 2005 2:36 pm

If the JCH tone were "Bland or Whiny" I would not allow one in my store! You can play any steel guitar poorly or set the amp controls badly and make anything sound bad, but the JCH is truly one of the best sounding all pull guitars. Believe me, I have at least one of every "good sounding" steel guitar on the floor of my store now and these guitars are compared every day by some of the worlds finest players that can hear REAL well. I have never ever heard any complaints on the JCH tone, from anyone. I have heard many compliments on tone, quality and general over all design though. I rate it as one of the top guitars ever built,

It may not sound right to a player that has his ear "tuned" in to a really bad sounding guitar and compares everything to that. But then either would a P-P Emmons.[This message was edited by BobbeSeymour on 07 October 2005 at 03:39 PM.]

John Lazarus · Post by **John Lazarus** » 14 Oct 2005 6:59 am

Scott, I never got your email about the date of the serial #.
Try it again please, and use an obvious heading so I find it. Thanks again.

kyle reid · Post by **kyle reid** » 14 Oct 2005 7:53 pm

Maybe they only sound good in the U.S.?

Curt Langston · Post by **Curt Langston** » 15 Oct 2005 6:15 pm

Can someone tell me just a few reasons that the JCH is so mechanically superior to a GFI, Carter or Sierra. Seriously, I would like to know the advantages.

[This message was edited by Curt Langston on 15 October 2005 at 07:15 PM.]

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