Gibson Console Grande-sters Unite!!!

Brad Davis · From: Texas, USA

Steve what model is yours? I can't quite make out the pickup.

I think the C-530 was the successor to the Consolette, but it was simply called the Console C-530. Apparently they were sold for about a decade until 1966. The pickups are the same as used on the Electraharp EH-620/630 models. I assume the earlier Consolettes are more rare.

The C-520/523 consoles with the 4-8-4 pickups may have been Gibson's finest creation in the console segment, and they remain underappreciated to this day.

Brad Davis · From: Texas, USA

C. E. Jackson · Posted 2 Feb 2019 11:48 am

Brad, you are correct. It is a 1940 rather than a 1939. I have looked back at Gruhn's appraisal dated 2013 and he appraised it as 1940. I have edited the above post to show c.1940.

Also, here is an earlier post on March 30, 2017 where I used the correct date.
1940

Thanks for bringing the error to my attention.

C. E. Jackson Smile

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John Rosett · From: Missoula, MT

My '48 blonde(posted above) under the blue lights last Friday night.

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Steve Duke · From: Missouri, USA

Brad: It is a 1949.

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

I'm late getting to this one. I don't know the exact year of my CG. It was bought from Neiforth Radio in Dartmouth in the late 40's early 50's by Len MacDonald a steel player there. When PSG's made it to the spotlight, Len, like so many other interested CG owners, wanted to develop a way to add a pedal to it. You'll see from the 4 pics below, it was a combination of a pedal, an axle, rods, turnbuckles, nuts & bolts, springs, and a yoke. After all that, it didn't work that great. The problem was the tension on one (2nd) string would not quite return to the original note. When one pressed on the pedal, two small poles each with a hole in it through which the 2nd and 3rd string on the outer neck in E Major were raised up to A Major. You could really get a nice Ray Price sound. To prevent over rasing, two bolts with adjustable nuts hit the bottom of the guitar. The strings ran through a thin piece of teflon tubing to save wear (see Pic 4). The yoke was required to allow each string to move independently to a preset tension. To accomplish this, one had to take into consideration, the distance allowed for the pedal when pressed down to get the right tension. If the pedal was too low, it would hit the floor before the action was full out. You had the 2 strings rising with the uplifting poles, and two heavier springs pulling back the strings when the pedal was released. I guess you might say, â€œit wasnâ€™t engineeredâ€!!!!!!

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Brad Davis · From: Texas, USA

That's still a nice one George. At least the pedal was tastefully done, even if it didn't work very well.

George Rout · From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

Thanks Brad for the post. You're correct, it is tastefully done. When you're using springs however, they are in their own engineering field. If the chap who made it had touched base with somebody in the spring business, it would have worked better. I only took it off the guitar recently, I had it on just to "show". It almost worked perfectly, I could give the pedal a kick to make it snap back, but when you're playing you can't be fooling around with that sort of thing. There are just too many variables in it.
Geo
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"I play in the A Major tuning. It's fun to learn and so easy to play. It's as old as the hills....like me"

John Keefe · From: New York City, USA

Hello Steelers,

I have recently returned to the steel after a long absence. I am playing a Gibson Console Grande which I believe dates to about 1952 or so.

I love the thing, and it's in great shape, but it wobbles. It has the screw-in legs, adjustable aluminum. The screw at the end of one leg has worked itself loose, and I am going to epoxy that (just epoxy the screw into the leg, not the leg into the body).

The design of the mount isn't great, and I think if the legs were steel they might be more rigid, but that's not what I have. I'm wondering if anyone has other suggestions on minimizing the wobble.

Or maybe that's what gave Don Helms his sound --

Thanks

John K

Bill Sinclair · From: Waynesboro, PA, USA

John,
If the epoxy doesn't work, Mark Roeder of Deluxe34 Stands sells chromed steel legs with the 3/8"-16 threads that your console probably has. They aren't listed on his website but if you contact him he can get them for you. $35 each. I had a mixture of steel and aluminum legs and recently purchased a couple of steel legs from him so that I'd have all steel legs. They look good and it just seems like a beefier and more secure setup. Plus, new clutches are nice!

You need to post a picture of your Console on this thread though! Here's another of mine:

John Keefe · From: New York City, USA

Bill,

Thanks for that tip. I'm sure the steel legs would make a difference.

John K

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

If I am not mistaken, Don Helms put different leg flanges on his 3 legged Console Grande and had legs other than the factory ones.
The early legs didn't even screw in, you just stuck them in and gave em a quarter turn, very wobbly.
I bought some leg flanges from Sill Music and plan to put those on my Console Grande, when I get around to it. Rolling Eyes

Erv

Andy Schick · From: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

https://www.facebook.com/InTheBreezeway/videos/401134510525518/?t=3

Joe Elk · From: Ohio, USA

Awesome video.
My kind of music.
Joe Elk Central Ohio

Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

Do any of you guys find if you tune 440 open, the Console Grande is a little flat at about the 8th fret and beyond? I find it is pretty good if I start out at 442 open.
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Mark Helm · From: Tennessee, USA

Forum member Jeff Kearn's old '59 GC-523 is for sale on Reverb right now (it's in fantastic condition (much like Mr. Jackson's), as I know Jeff took great care of it over the years:

https://reverb.com/item/26641743-rare-1959-gibson-console-grande-cg-523-triple-neck-steel-1-of-37-natural-oak-with-ohsc-free-shipping

They're asking a lot of it ($3,500), but they take serious offers seriously.
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Al Davison · From: Georgia, USA

I've posted about this in another thread.
Just acquired this...can't play it. I want to restore it and try to learn but, I want to do a proper job so that I can sell it if I have to give up. Wink

It's a 3-legger. It's obviously been stripped and refinished VERY BADLY. It all works, though.

Pots are IRC 938 (38th week of 1949)
We have no idea if the blue was the original color

So, is it a CG or is it a Consolette or something else entirely? I have a partner in this venture who is expert at restoring vintage electric guitars but neither of us know much of anything about these beasts.

David Rattray · From: Ontario, Canada

Hello Al no blue was not the original colour either sunburst or blonde...( yours is a Console Grande )...that old steel carefully cleaned up will amaze you when you have it done do not despair about it remember time is all you need no hurry is wanted ...I have had three different ones over the years a 1950 Sunburst that I sold then a 1938 Blonde cleaned up ( with new steel legs installed ).. my present one is a 1948 ...Sunburst it really is pretty much like new only with new steel legs the old tomato stake leg ones are here somewhere..over six hundred beaners for the legs sockets and money exchange and shipping ...feel blessed and nothing else that you have that old girl to slowly bring back to it former glory...these are my favourite steels over anything else out there...Don Helms to me any way was the best steel player that ever played period...best with your adventure...David...

Al Davison · From: Georgia, USA

Your help is greatly appreciated and your instruments are stunning!

Brooks Montgomery · From: Idaho, USA

Iâ€™m the second owner (traded sporting gear for it with an â€œagentâ€ that was showing it for Darrel in Ketchum, Idaho). Iâ€™ve never met Darrel Reed, would love to someday (if heâ€™s still around). He bought the guitar new as a young teenager in, I believe, the early 50â€™s. The guitar came with badges that he won performing in the fifties.
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.

David Rattray · From: Ontario, Canada

Brooks that is sweet...

this is one of the rarest maybe the only one...long arms and a strong back are needed...or perhaps it is two steels a triple and a double ...found this picture a long time back and at that time it was reported to be a five neck...somehow doubt it but imagine if it was a five neck... Smile

-..

Brooks Montgomery · From: Idaho, USA

Holy moly David, youâ€™d need to hang off the edge of a diving board to reach the front neck! Very cool. Iâ€™m guessing ....80 lbs?
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.

David Rattray · From: Ontario, Canada

Brooks if indeed it is a five neck yep it would be heavy imagine changing all the strings on it ...lol...and remembering all the tunings ...nope way more than I could handle...

Brooks Montgomery · From: Idaho, USA

Aahhh, yes, looking at the second set of knobs, it was probably a triple butted up against a double.
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A banjo, like a pet monkey, seems like a good idea at first.

David Rattray · From: Ontario, Canada

Brooks your triple is an early fifties with those square pickups 54 maybe .?..one similar sold in Toronto area a few years back I looked at it but passed it was expensive and rough nowhere near as nice as yours...cannot remember what they wanted for it age does that to us. ...that old 38 I sold has a sweet tone with the Charlie Christens pickups in it think I spelled those pickups wrong ...Hope he is still with us and making music on it...

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