The Steel Guitar Forum Store 

Post new topic Gibson Electraharp
Reply to topic
Author Topic:  Gibson Electraharp
Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 2 Jun 2010 6:01 am    
Reply with quote

I'm finishing up the restoration of a 6 string/4 pedal Electra Harp (EH610 I think) and I have a couple of questions regarding the setup and have initially set it up with an E7 tuning (EBG#EDB). It has a couple of bars on either side of the changer fingers that pivot and I'm wondering about their function and I'd also like to know about the setup and tuning. While I've done work with a Multikord before and I had this information at one time but CRS is kicking in and I'm unable to find where I stashed it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 3 Jun 2010 12:55 pm    
Reply with quote

I've been known to resort to begging if need be Smile .
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Glenn Suchan

 

From:
Austin, Texas
Post  Posted 4 Jun 2010 11:28 am    
Reply with quote

Jim, I feel your pain. My first steel was was the 8-string/6-pedal version of the Electra Harp. Since I was smitten by the popular country rock of the '70s (Poco, NRPS, and some Grateful Dead) I tuned mine up to an 8-string (non-chromatic) E9th with the "Emmons" pedal set-up. Pedal 4 lowered the E's and Pedal 5 raised 'em. Later, after I got a 'real' pedal steel guitar (that's what my teacher told me Very Happy ), I tried to find out how the guitar was tuned from the Gibson factory. After countless hours of sleuthing, I contacted someone at Gibson guitars. The person I spoke to told me that each pedal was intended to change the tuning rather than to play different chords the way pedals are used now. However, he couldn't tell me what factory tunings were assigned to each pedal. As you know, a lot would depend on the string gauges that are on the guitar. You could do E9, A6, B6, and G#m7 together. Probably more but I ain't too good at cipherin' out that stuff. Razz I never did change the tuning on mine before trading it and cash for a Sierra U14 guitar.

Oh yeah, the pivoting bars are used for lowers. If memory serves me (most times, it don't Rolling Eyes ), for a given pedal, you adjust the two screws that apply force to the pivoting bars causing all the strings to drop in pitch. How much pitch drop depends on how far the screws are turned. Then you tune/raise all strings that aren't to be lowered to pitch with the screws on the string fingers for the given pedal pressed.

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
_________________
Steelin' for Jesus
View user's profile Send private message

Jim Cohen


From:
Philadelphia, PA
Post  Posted 4 Jun 2010 12:29 pm    
Reply with quote

Missing the late Al Marcus in this post for sure...
_________________
www.JimCohen.com
www.RonstadtRevue.com
www.BeatsWalkin.com
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 4 Jun 2010 4:18 pm    
Reply with quote

Thanks so much for the information- there are 2 bars in front of the raise adjusters- one has solid screws in round stock like the changer "cross shafts" and is bolted solidly to the changer chassis and the other is much larger and is rectangular and has springs under set screws. There are 2 pivot bars- one on each side of the changer that, when pushed against by the screws in the cross shafts, cause the stop bar to be raised (adjustably). I'll keep on messing with it and try to be smarter than the guitar I'm working on Smile .
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 4 Jun 2010 9:51 pm    
Reply with quote

So true Jim- Al was wonderful and very knowledgeable man and was quick to offer help which I often took him up on-~~
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Abe Levy


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jun 2010 9:35 am    
Reply with quote

I don't know if this helps any, but he describes the function of the bars and screws at the top of the page.

http://www.cmedic.net/~almarcus/almarcus4.htm
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 5 Jun 2010 9:45 am    
Reply with quote

Thanks Abe however that doesn't mention the function of the bars in front of the raise bars.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2018 3:11 pm    
Reply with quote

Revival of old thread Smile. I've searched high and low and have been unable to find tuning instructions for the EH-610. Later models had raise and lower capabilities and this one might but it's not as obvious and am looking for someone who knows or has access to original instructions? Thanks in advance~~
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Jon Light


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2018 3:19 pm    
Reply with quote

Was this the 'lawsuit' model that copped heavily from Multikord or was that a different model?
If it was not based on Multikord, it raises the question, if Gene Fields was a genius behind some very innovative PSG engineering at Fender, who was the unsung wizard designing this stuff at Gibson? (Or was it all Multikord ingenuity?)
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2018 4:40 pm    
Reply with quote

This is a different model than the one closely resembling the Multikord and it appears that the lowering is accomplished by lowering all strings and raising the ones back up that you don't want lowered. Works fine but dynamically it is lacking for sure.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Tom Spaulding


From:
Tennessee, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2018 7:04 pm    
Reply with quote

Jim- You might send a note to Walter Carter at Carter Vintage. He is a Gibson historian and may have access to info on the EH-610.

Here's his contact page: https://cartervintage.com/pages/contact-us
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 13 Dec 2018 8:13 pm    
Reply with quote

Thanks Tom- will do!
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website

Gary Spaeth

 

From:
Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 14 Dec 2018 8:23 am    
Reply with quote

i found a patent for this changer that explained the function and parts. i wish i would have bookmarked it but it's under steel guitar tuning device or something like that. patents.google.com.
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Gary Spaeth

 

From:
Wisconsin, USA
Post  Posted 14 Dec 2018 8:26 am    
Reply with quote

this is it https://patents.google.com/patent/US2573963A/en
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail

Jim Palenscar

 

From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
Post  Posted 14 Dec 2018 8:39 am    
Reply with quote

Too cool! Thanks Gary! For anyone that has a remote interest- the raises are pretty much self-explanatory when you look at it. The lowers are achieved by basically lowering all the strings with the outside rails and using the springs below the set screws to keep the strings that are not being lowered from lowering. Voila! Thanks much for the help Smile !
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website


All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Jump to:  

Our Online Catalog
Strings, CDs, instruction,
steel guitars & accessories

www.SteelGuitarShopper.com

Please review our Forum Rules and Policies

Steel Guitar Forum LLC
PO Box 237
Mount Horeb, WI 53572 USA


Click Here to Send a Donation

Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support.


BIAB Styles
Ray Price Shuffles for
Band-in-a-Box

by Jim Baron
HTTP