My next project just showed up

David Kellogg · Post by **David Kellogg** » 8 Dec 2009 4:28 pm

This will be fun, older pull release Marlen with incredible inlay. I also really like the white fretboard with the musical notes. Was this something Marlen used alot? I hear these are real tone machines. This one has 10 pedals and 4 knees. Should be a lot of fun to restore. If I can get it to look half as nice as a Ricky Davis resto then I will be happy.

Clyde Mattocks · Post by **Clyde Mattocks** » 8 Dec 2009 4:47 pm

Congratulations David, this is from the period not too long before the all pull Marlens. While the adjustments on those pull/release guitars can be a little complicated, by then they had refined cabinet construction and pickups. They are very good sounding steels.

Bobby Burns · Post by **Bobby Burns** » 8 Dec 2009 4:56 pm

That's a nice one you got there!

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 8 Dec 2009 5:24 pm

David

Here is my current project on the bench. If my hunch is correct mine is from around the beginning of the second week of September 1971.

I really like the inlay on yours. And, the blue stayed blue.

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 8 Dec 2009 5:27 pm

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 8 Dec 2009 6:24 pm

David that is a beauty! You'll have a lot of steel to be proud of there.

Chris, that is also one heck of a nice project you got there. What kind is the dark wood in the apron? What a stunning piece!

Bobby Burns · Post by **Bobby Burns** » 8 Dec 2009 6:38 pm

Chris, that rosewood on the front apron deserved the auto double-take you provided!

Ernest Cawby · Post by **Ernest Cawby** » 8 Dec 2009 8:23 pm

You should hear Joe Turners old Marlin he restored. boy O boy

ernie

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 8 Dec 2009 9:03 pm

[quote="Chris, that is also one heck of a nice project you got there. What kind is the dark wood in the apron? What a stunning piece![/quote]

It's not wood.

It is pot roast.

Bent Romnes · Post by **Bent Romnes** » 9 Dec 2009 10:27 am

Chris, sorry for my ignorance! Of course it's pot roast. What kind of post roast?

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 9 Dec 2009 10:46 am

Mexican Rosewood, or better known as Cocobolo.

I am still astounded that David's Marlen has retained its blue. Very nice.

John Groover McDuffie · Post by **John Groover McDuffie** » 9 Dec 2009 11:04 am

OMFG! I LOVE THOSE FRETBOARDS!! Someone should reproduce those! Tom Bradshaw?? 12 string version, pleeeze?

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 9 Dec 2009 11:08 am

John

the fretboards are simple to reproduce. They are paper under plexi. On my Speedy West, however, they are under Tupperware to keep the pot roast fresh.

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 9 Dec 2009 11:55 am

David

Which case do you have? The one with the drop down flap in the lid? Do you have the helpful tuning screw wrench -- a slothead screw driver blade inside a tube mounted in a knurled handle?

I have an extra Marlen volume pedal and maybe even an extra Marlen bar if you want a set.

Chris

John Groover McDuffie · Post by **John Groover McDuffie** » 9 Dec 2009 12:30 pm

Did you make the fretboards?

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 9 Dec 2009 1:26 pm

Around the turn of the Century I had a Marlen Loafer that had black fret paper that had water, or beer damage along the edges. I had the graphics folks scan, size and reverse the color to make white fretpaper and reinstall the colored markers. I had an extra one in black that I sent to Ricky Davis.

The fretpaper on my Speedy West is black, but I wish it was white like David's.

This post is about David's fine Marlen, let's get back to that.

David, do you have any underside photos?

David Kellogg · Post by **David Kellogg** » 9 Dec 2009 2:40 pm

Chris, I will post underside tonight. The case, yes, it has the flap under the top half. Chris, is the paper fret board not glued to the wood?

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 9 Dec 2009 2:43 pm

The paper fretboards are simply between the wood necks and the Plexiglas. Over the years they may stick to one or the either, or both, but of the five Marlen necks i have had over the years, the paper has been loose.

Bobby Burns · Post by **Bobby Burns** » 9 Dec 2009 3:02 pm

I am in the process of making a couple of this type of Marlen fingerboards for a couple of projects. I got an old one from a forum member that I scanned to get the marker patterns. I'm cleaning it up in Illustrator, and then I plan to have it printed on similar paper as the original, and putting it under plexi as the old one was. The one I'm making is going to be white, after it is cleaned up and in the computer, it would be simple enough to do a black one to. If anybody wants one, let me know, I'll make you a deal. It'll be cheaper to do a few, than it would to do just one anyway. The printer told me he could do vinyl too, but I would rather have it look like the original.

David Kellogg · Post by **David Kellogg** » 9 Dec 2009 6:17 pm

Here's the underside Chris.

Chris Lucker · Post by **Chris Lucker** » 9 Dec 2009 8:53 pm

Thank you for the pictures. 1972, is that what I read?

David Kellogg · Post by **David Kellogg** » 10 Dec 2009 8:24 am

If the serial number is coded backwards, 19th guitar built 72, finished in April.

Scott Appleton · Post by **Scott Appleton** » 11 Dec 2009 9:25 am

Looks like that steel lived in a smoke filled bar if ever their was one.

Jeff Evans · Post by **Jeff Evans** » 11 Dec 2009 10:19 am

Yep, I recognize the Mother of Nicotine finish on those rods.

The undercarriage of my instrument is thoroughly lubed with 1975 tar and cat hair of a more recent vintage. It has THAT look if not THAT sound.

David Kellogg · Post by **David Kellogg** » 11 Dec 2009 1:44 pm

Yep, the patina from most antiques if removed can really depreciate the value but I'm going with my gut on this antique and will be applying a heavey dose of elbow grease, solvent, polishing equipment and any other form of high tech grime remover I can find.

The Steel Guitar Forum

My next project just showed up

My next project just showed up

hi

marlen

underside

72

That's That

The patina