Corian Steel Guitar - It's finally here!

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 18 Jul 2005 4:11 pm

Well it's been 3 years since I planted the idea of an all Corian steel guitar in Bill Creller's head. Bill presented me with the guitar this past weekend at the Winchester Aloha International convention.

It's awesome! It looks like a cross between a frypan and a Bakelite. It has a wide range of tones, going from very deep bass to glass breaking treble. It has a Rick Aiello magnet and a Jason Lollar bobbin, a combination tone/volume control, seven strings, an Alva West fretboard and a custom fit Bill Creller "Pila" brand authentic cloth tweed (not vinyl) hardshell case.

It plays very easily and the bar glides effortlessly on the even plane of strings. Now I have to figure out what to do with that 7th string

Three years ago a forum discussion on the Corian issue had a lot of people scratching their heads on whether or not it would work. It works.

Corian the new Bakelite? - 2002

Bill Creller, talented guy, huh?

I'll bring it to HSGA Joliet.

p.s. Bill usually works much much faster than three years. This was not a high priority project and I didn't lean on him to get it done. It was on the back burner for a long time. He also had to figure out just how to do this thing.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association
[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 18 July 2005 at 08:27 PM.]

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 18 Jul 2005 4:13 pm

More pix

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 18 Jul 2005 4:31 pm

Gerald, that is a seriously cool guitar!

I wasn't around 3 years ago-I wonder what the argument was against Corian? It has a lot of mass to it-I would guess right off that it would work fine.

Not Hawaiian-and played on a Beard resonator guitar-Resophonic Rodeo by Gary Morse. A little spiel about why he had Paul build him a 7 string. Kind of interesting if by chance you haven't been to Gary's website.
http://resophonicrecords.com/aboutcd.html

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Mark

Steve Pierce · Post by **Steve Pierce** » 18 Jul 2005 4:48 pm

Looks very cool Gerald!

I'm assuming you're familiar with the sound of this pick-up. So, what does the Corian do to the tone? How much of that tone is the pick-up and how much is the Corian?

By the way, it's really cool to see all these unique custom instruments being built by forumites! Along with the stuff Rick has posted and some of the others we see from time to time, it's fun to see!

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Steve Pierce

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 18 Jul 2005 5:43 pm

Very Boffo!

Great work, Bill, with props to Rick, Jason and Elva as well.

Mazel tov.

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 18 Jul 2005 5:54 pm

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

George Manno · Post by **George Manno** » 18 Jul 2005 5:58 pm

WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want one.

George

Russ Young · Post by **Russ Young** » 18 Jul 2005 6:06 pm

Wow -- better living through science!

How soon can we begin arguing about which color sounds best?

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 18 Jul 2005 6:45 pm

Bill, I know you are reading this thread. Why don't you chime in?

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 18 Jul 2005 7:33 pm

WELL........ there are no plans at present to make any more. The stuff is hard to get glue to stick to it. Corian is expensive also, so if you screw it up you pay. There may be some better ways to build one. I made router fixtures for each piece, and one for the final finish shape after the whole mess was glued together. Rick Aiello sent me a pair of his magnets a while back, so I used them. I hadn't made any magnets for about two years and didn't have any in stock.
The sound of the thing was a surprise to me,I guess I was expecting a thud instead of a twang. I played it on stage at the convention on Thursday, and someone told me he thought I was playing a frypan.????
It sounded so good that I was hoping Gerald wouldn't take it!! I really enjoyed playing it.
It's a 22 1/2 inch scale, and now I wonder how a long scale would sound.

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 18 Jul 2005 11:15 pm

Bill, you have managed another master piece.

Gerald, you lucky @$%^**(

Now when do we hear this work of art on the Forum.

Aloha,
Don

Rick Aiello · Post by **Rick Aiello** » 19 Jul 2005 4:02 am

Rick Aiello sent me a pair of his magnets a while back, so I used them.

Those were the third pair of H-Shoes I ever made.

They are very strong ones ...

I'm honored that they were used in such a fine creation ...

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Aiello's House of Gauss


My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield

Mike D · Post by **Mike D** » 19 Jul 2005 7:05 am

That's just the coolest thing, beautiful! Love the dual-concentric pot idea, there's little enough room on a Frypan as it is.

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Half-assed bottleneck and lap slide player. Full-assed Builder of resonator instruments.

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 19 Jul 2005 7:15 am

The Dual Concentric pots are available through Stew-Mac.

The pot is wired with volume on top (tiny knob), tone on bottom (big knob). This is to facilitate a boo-wah or a violin tone (which I can't do).

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Potentiometers_and_push -pull_pots/5/Control_Pots.html

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 19 July 2005 at 08:17 AM.]

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 19 Jul 2005 7:46 am

Nice piece of contempory coffee table/steel guitar, although I would prefer a 3/4" bullnose edge as it's better for counter point

Seriously, a real nice collaboration, idea, and a fabulous end result. I can't wait to hear it and possibly try it in Oct.

Michael Aspinwall · Post by **Michael Aspinwall** » 19 Jul 2005 8:26 am

Great axe!! Question: Where did you get the thumbnuts? I need some...........

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 19 Jul 2005 8:59 am

The thumb nuts are available from McMaster-Carr in Chicago. They have hardware like you wouldn't believe, like items I haven't seen since the 40s. You can order on line, but they are hard to get a catalog from, it's about 3 inches thick.

seldomfed · Post by **seldomfed** » 19 Jul 2005 10:10 am

Bill,
you are awsome dude ! Looks beautiful. I'd love to hear it live sometime.

Gerald, ? Joliet ?

Chris

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Chris Kennison
Colorado

Chuck Fisher · Post by **Chuck Fisher** » 19 Jul 2005 4:42 pm

Very clean job, Bill! I like things that are understated, its cool, nothing unnecessary. Does it weigh a ton?

Regards,
CF

Michael Aspinwall · Post by **Michael Aspinwall** » 19 Jul 2005 5:13 pm

Bill--Thanks for the tip on McMaster-Carr. You're right, they've got a ton of stuff & great prices on the thumb nuts!

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 19 Jul 2005 5:40 pm

Chuck; I would say, without weighing it, that it's lighter than a bakelite. We should ask Gerald to put it on his bathroom scales, just for curiosity.

Bill Creller · Post by **Bill Creller** » 19 Jul 2005 5:46 pm

Chris, we will be in Joliet, so maybe Gerald will let you try it out. Sounds like a good place for me to play it on stage again!

Gerald Ross · Post by **Gerald Ross** » 19 Jul 2005 5:49 pm

My bathroom scale only is accurate to 1/2 pound increments.

The Corian guitar weighed in at 8 lbs.

My 1936 Rick Bakelite B6 came in at 9 lbs.

Well the Rick does have heavier gauged strings on it.

Joliet is going to be pretty exciting with the Corian, the new Aiello Dustpan and Dick McIntire's original long neck frypan all in one room!
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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association
[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 19 July 2005 at 06:52 PM.]

Wayne Cox · Post by **Wayne Cox** » 19 Jul 2005 6:54 pm

What is the string spacing on the Corian? By the way, it is a beauty!
~~W.C.~~