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Topic: A Poor Man's Stringmaster - Guyatone D-8 |
Eddie Cunningham
From:
Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 7 Oct 2013 5:22 pm |
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| Congrats Doug , the Gods have not only given you extreme natural talent but also dropped that beautiful Guya D-8 steel into your lap !!! & God bless your wonderful friend !!! I wish I lived closer so I could see and play that guitar !! Good luck with everything in your future !! -- I was very happy with my D-8 DW-16 Rick till I saw your Guya !!! the olde geezer - AKA Eddie "C" |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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John RJ Wilson
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 11 Oct 2013 12:57 am
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| Brad Bechtel wrote: |
| John, it sounds as if you're prepared for the worst instead of expecting the best. Wait until you have the instrument in hand and have played it a while before deciding whether to upgrade or replace any part of the instrument. |
Hi,
All seems well with the Lap Steel.I'm really impressed. The pots both work despite being bent!!!. I think it is caused by the legs.bumping the guitar in the case. I will try and get my tech to carefully straighten them, because they seem like good pots, gradually increase in volume on the volume pot, not nothing till 8 then everything to 10, and the tone control actually has an effect on tone! A bit scratchy on the tone, but nothing a small terminal cleaner spray wont fix. The knobs will have to go though, no slot locator and loose. The thing sustains for ever. Nice stable string platform, I like them pretty tight. Tuned to slack G DGDGBD. Don't think one of the pickups is reverse wound hum cancelling, because there is some hum, but only really a problem at full volume. The only thing I do not like is the switch arrangement. Looks like the pots are only on or soft, but there is no off. I might add a switch, Anyhoo, really just wanted to say all was well and should be good when I really get down to a good cleaning. Need to make a case though, stop those legs moving about in the soft case. Plenty of small dings, but shows a history, however the zip of the really tightly shaped case has formed a zipper mark in one corner. I'm well pleased. It is much heavier than I tought it would be.
Somebody please correctly explain the switch set up, and a manual would be handy.
Cheers. 
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Guyatone HG-91, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Ernie Ball Jr volume pedal. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 11 Oct 2013 6:50 am
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John, glad to hear that you got the Guyatone and you like it. What you have is basically a copy or a "reinterpretation" of a Fender Deluxe 6. I had one of those about a dozen years ago. A nice sounding guitar with a very cutting tone. I played it on a few of my gigs and it played very well. The switches seem to be the weak link in those guitars. They're kind of light-duty, kind of flimsy. As I remember they are just on/off switches for each pickup. If they are not working properly try lifting the switch plate and spray some cleaner on the underside of the switches and flick them back and forth about 50 times. That usually does wonders!
The soft case is not original. It's too bad the seller didn't wrap the legs in bubble wrap to keep them from scratching the body. Regarding the "bent" pots...? If you mean that the shafts are bent, I wouldn't try to straighten them. They might snap off or you might otherwise damage the pot. If it works I'd say leave it as is. Enjoy your Guyatone!
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My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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John RJ Wilson
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 11 Oct 2013 8:16 am
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Thanks Doug, i'll take all that under consideration
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Guyatone HG-91, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Ernie Ball Jr volume pedal. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Dennis Smith
From:
Covington, Georgia, USA
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Posted 13 Dec 2013 6:45 pm
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| Doug, nice guitar. The string spaceing looks wide for a 8 string, is it? |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 14 Dec 2013 11:16 am
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Me too. I have wide fingers and, to me, the spacing of strings on most steel guitars, especially pedal steels, could do with being wider. According to an earlier post from Buddy Emmons, that came about when they switched from 8-string to 10-string pedal steels and decided to keep using the same neck width.
I have the same problem on regular guitar. I wish they would build Jumbos and Solid Electrics with classical-width fingerboards. I think I'll build one. The solution I've used so far I got from Chet Atkins; a classical guitar with a piazzo pickup played through an amplifier. |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 14 Dec 2013 4:55 pm
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Doug...I love the white switches on your new Guyatone 8. Everytime I see those switches I think of Hound Dog Taylor...he had a non-descript Japanese made git that had 4 switches on it I think.
I'd love to hear your new Guyatone 8. Maybe post a clip? What tuning do you have it in.? |
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G Strout
From:
Carabelle, Florida
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Posted 14 Dec 2013 5:20 pm
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Doug,
Just as a curiosity what is the sting spacing on the Guyatone? Remembering the one I purchased from you a few years back..... it was very wide....and comfortable once you got accustomed to the grips.
Gary |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 14 Dec 2013 9:50 pm
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Gary, it's 3/8" at the bridge and very slightly under 3/8" at the nut. There is no noticeable taper from bridge to nut. It's very comfortable for bar slants. When I went from my D-8 Guyatone to a Stringmaster I was surprised at how close the strings were at the nut on the Stringmaster. Eventually I got used to it though.
Stephen, the tuning is C6 (with high G). That's my favorite tuning nowadays, and that tuning was on the guitar when it arrived!  So it was just plug in and play. I'll probably do a video with this guitar in the future. I have some other projects to finish up and I'd also like to record a video with the D-8 G'tone I recently acquired. So many guitars, so little time.
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My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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John RJ Wilson
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 15 Dec 2013 11:03 am
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Congrats, nice to see another colour other than buttermilk. Have you had the control plate off yet? If so are any of the wires shielded? Do you have any microphony or earth hum? my 6 string is very alive.
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Guyatone HG-91, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Ernie Ball Jr volume pedal. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 15 Dec 2013 8:04 pm
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| Fabulous tone on that Guyatone.....real nice playing Doug. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 16 Dec 2013 10:25 am
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| I think that posting shows once and for all that you don't need processors to get a good sound if you have the talent in your hands. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 16 Dec 2013 10:28 am
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Some guitar seem to lose steam in the upper register but this retains its sparkle (in no small part due to Doug's impeccable technique).
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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C. E. Jackson
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Posted 17 Dec 2013 8:42 am
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Doug, enjoyed the video.
C. E. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Alan Brookes
From:
Brummy living in Southern California
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Posted 17 Dec 2013 10:09 pm
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I didn't even know there was a Guyatone Facebook page. 
Last edited by Alan Brookes on 17 Dec 2013 10:29 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 13 Jan 2014 9:33 am Non foil Pickups...older or newer?
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I'm strongly considering buying a six string guyatone but it has some differences than the 8 string has above. It does not have the gold foil type pickups, or if it does it has a cover over them or something. The pickups have squares underneath each string.
Also the fret markers are roman numeral type and not the Guyatone "G"
Is this likely older or newer than Doug's? Would sound be as good? (Considering I can't play anything like Doug 
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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