| Author |
Topic: Gibson Electraharp |
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 25 Apr 2015 5:46 pm |
|
I have this at my house right now. Belongs to a friend of mine. Interesting relic. Not playable at the moment. It's out of adjustment. The pedals won't activate the changer even though they mechanism is moving. Possibly the screwheads tuners are out of alignment....does anyone have a pdf of instructions before I start taking this thing apart?
_________________
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
|
|
|
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
|
|
|
Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
|
Posted 26 Apr 2015 8:21 am
|
|
Dave, I think that somebody made one out of two in that guitar! Guitar by Gibson and base by Hise?
Gibson Electric Steel Guitars by AR Duchossoir has photos of each variant of the Electraharp over the years and not one has legs and pedals like yours. I could not remember where I had seen those rocking pedals, but b0b's photo clears that up. According to the book, there were two post WWII variants of the Electraharp. Yours, or the top of it, looks like the second. It seems there were 114 of these (8 String, 4 Pedal) made in approximately ten years of production.
According to Lorene Ruymar's book, Hawaiian Steel Guitar and Its Great Hawaiian Musicians, Electraharps were shipped by Gibson without any documentation or instructions. I have also read that on the web, but the writer(s) may have been echoing her.
HTH. Good Luck and Have Fun with your project! I for one envy you this one. 
_________________
"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
|
|
|
Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
|
Posted 28 Apr 2015 10:10 am
|
|
I agree - I had an identical Electraharp and the pedals fan out from one corner - they look nothing like the ones in Dave's photo.
I'll look around for a manual - but the things are pretty simple once you get past the counter-intuitive part:
Most, in order to lower one or two strings, have to lower ALL the strings and concurrently raise the ones you don't want lowered.
Errr..."Who's on first?" 
Needless to say, it's not a very precise system. The raises work OK (but are *really* stiff), but lowers are pretty much a waste of time to set up.
Setting the changes is simply a matter of setting screws in the appropriate fingers and adjusting them. It's amazing that they made a heavy, extremely complicated mechanism yet the woodwork underneath on most of 'em looks like it was tone with a hammer and broken screwdriver...
Good luck bud - if I can fins the manual I'll let ya' know!
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
|
|
|
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 28 Apr 2015 10:19 am
|
|
Thanks Jim. Would love to see the manual if you find it. After tinkering a little bit I can see why these were discontinued......
Also Jim one of the strings is not picking up. I changed it and nothing. Can one magnet be fixed without having to do a rewind?
_________________
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
|
|
|
Ross Shafer
From:
Petaluma, California
|
Posted 28 Apr 2015 12:36 pm
|
|
Hi Dave,
Assuming you can find the right size magnet, I would think you could just press or glue a new one in there....that is, if you can get the old one out without damage....AND if the pickup actually has individual pole magnets. If it's built like most gibson style humbuckers or p90's then it uses a bar magnet...if indeed it has a bar magnet then the mystery gets deeper.
I kind of want to check that wacky rig out.....on the other hand I need another rabbit hole only a bit less than I need a stick poked in my eye. |
|
|
|
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
|
Posted 28 Apr 2015 12:57 pm
|
|
Ross, I'll bring it by if and when we check out Josh's ShoBud and your ShoBud amp! Here's a pic of the pickup:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=283450
_________________
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
|
|
|
Herb Steiner
From:
Spicewood TX 78669
|
Posted 28 Apr 2015 2:08 pm
|
|
My first pedal steel was an Electraharp, in the pedal configuration Jim Sliff mentions. I couldn't deal with it... I wanted a Fender... and sold it to Rodney Dillard for 75 bucks. My old pal (and Forumite) Pete Grant played it on the Dillards' Wheatstraw Suite; that's what Rodney told me a few years back, anyway.
It played terribly, though not too stiffly. I didn't have any lowers on that guitar. Very imprecise raising and note return, and had the Gibson string spacing which I still have a hard time with. Coming from non-pedal, I preferred the narrower Fender spacing.
_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.
Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? |
|
|
|
Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
|
Posted 29 Apr 2015 7:35 am
|
|
| In my youth, I was getting into the different tunings. I was playing a Gibson lap guitar and having to do a lot of re-tuning. I wanted a different guitar. My guitar teacher was a Gibson man so he brought around an Electaharp for me to try. I couldn't get rid of that animal soon enough! Then I learned about Fenders. I went to a music store that handled them and I fell in love. My teacher got set up to be a dealer for Fender and I ordered a T-8 Stringmaster and amp. So that is my experience with Electraharps. |
|
|
|
Danny James
From:
Summerfield Florida USA
|
Posted 2 May 2015 11:27 am
|
|
I couldn't help but notice the second picture here with a Pedal Steel guitar that says "Multi-Chord" across the front.
I have never seen one like this and I have my doubts that it is an original "Harlin Bros. Multi-Kord" (note the spelling) I have never known of Jay Harlin building a Multi-Kord with pedals across the front, although I did hear that he had been working on one.
b0b I do not want to steal this thread, but beings you pretty well answered the tuning question, can you elaborate any on the "Multi-Chord" in the picture.
Thanks,
Danny |
|
|
|
b0b
From:
Cloverdale, CA, USA
|
|
|
|
Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
|
Posted 3 May 2015 5:57 am
|
|
Widely acknowledged as the very first commercially available pedal steel guitar, the original model of Gibson's Electraharp was a work of art indeed:
 |
|
|
|
Danny James
From:
Summerfield Florida USA
|
Posted 3 May 2015 8:31 am
|
|
| Jack Hanson wrote: |
| Widely acknowledged as the very first commercially available pedal steel guitar, the original model of Gibson's Electraharp was a work of art indeed: |
The Gibson Electra Harp was a beautiful piece of work, but Jay Harlin of the Harlin Bros. was the first to patent a pedal steel guitar. The Multi-Kord.
There was quite a controversy with Gibson who had to quit making the Electra Harp because of Harlin's patent rights. |
|
|
|
Madeline Dietrich
From:
Virginia, USA
|
Posted 20 Dec 2023 8:58 am
|
|
| I came across an instruction manual for the Electraharp. If anyone's interested I'll scan it and put it up here. If I do, what's the best way to do it? I could either post jpg images (it's 9 typewritten pages) or create a pdf which I guess I can post on Google Drive? Thoughts? |
|
|
|
Jon Light
From:
Saugerties, NY
|
Posted 20 Dec 2023 9:41 am
|
|
Nice offer. I have no need for it but I like to archive resource material like this.
My opinion -- both.
Present it here as .jpg's for simple viewing. (If you're not experienced with SGForum photo uploads, it's easy as long as you size everything properly).
But also provide the Google Drive link to the pdf for simplest download for those interested.
I only say this because you offered -- I'd never volunteer someone else's time & effort. |
|
|
|
Madeline Dietrich
From:
Virginia, USA
|
|
|
|
Tucker Jackson
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
|
Posted 21 Dec 2023 10:14 am
|
|
| Thanks for doing this, Madeline. Like Jon, I try to grab owner's manuals for various brands off the net for my personal archive. Someday, I'll be able to pass this along to someone setting up an Electraharp. |
|
|
|
Randy Sullivan
From:
Maryland, USA
|
Posted 27 May 2024 6:10 am
|
|
Well this came in handy. Thanks because I picked up an 8 string 6 pedal 1956 Electra Harp from another member about a month ago that has all the original parts in excellent working condition. I’ve sort of figured out how to lower notes but I’m just now starting to do a deep dive on the pedals and the stops that allow for lowering strings. I love the humbucker and tone and it sounds great overdriven through my Marshall JCM 900. I’m still getting used to traditional pedal steel with my Growler 6 string and Little Buddy 10 string pedal steels after 16 years of playing traditional lap steel and 33 years of guitar.
I’m trying to set it up non traditionally to get a hybrid version of lap steel, pedal steel, and guitar. Maybe I could get some thoughts from some of you. I’ve been playing 6 string lap steel for a long time now in Open E, Open D, Open G, Open C, with some experiments in DADGBE and E minor but my main tunings are Open E, G, C. I’ve wrapped my head around the E9 tuning for pedal steel but I’m not a traditional country player (working on it very slowly). I mainly play gritty rock more along the lines of Ben Harper, John Bulter, Led Zeppelin, etc with a lot of rhythm work and some lead. I’m also singing while playing lap steel. My 10 string pedal steel is in E9 but I tuned the bottom end EBE to get the power chords for rock. I like the wider string spacing on the electraharp because I play with straight fingers no picks on steel.
My guitar playing is similar and I play a lot of different styles from classical styling to blues to rock to metal and more. Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time making hip hop/R&B, electronic music/beats as well so my playing styles are all over the place. All original music.
I play with bass, drums, and keys but since there’s no 2nd guitar I’m driving the rhythm a lot. Riff based music which is why I mention Zepplin. I play in what I’ve called lead rhythm, not quite a straight lead player but more than just chordal rhythm playing.
But to my thoughts on a hybrid tuning set up I was hopeful I could at minimum with the pedals use them to get minor, maj 7, min 7, dom 7, in a larger chord arrangement not just straight intervals rather than hitting a pedal and raising a string or 2 like on pedal steel; G# to A or B to C# etc.
I’m also open to suggestions for strings 1 & 2. Currently I have the electra harp in traditional Open E (EBEG#BE) and put C# (6th)on string 2 but have not put string 1 back on yet. I’m thinking outside the box here from traditional pedal and lap steel to get the lap/pedal sound with the diversity of guitar where I can move my fingers around and easily hit chord combinations. But in traditional open tunings (which I love the root-5th-octave power chord) they have the major 3rd which limits playing actual minor chords in a larger chordal voicing without tuning into a minor tuning.
Sorry for the long post but any advice on the electra harp lowering, suggestions from the collective mind of all of you, and tuning suggestions is helpful.
So far I’ve tuned 1 pedal to raise G# to A and B to C to give me Am (
Low to high
Am
E
B
E
G# -> A
B - > C
E
2nd pedal
Fmaj7
E
B
E -> F
G# -> A
B - > C
E |
|
|
|
J D Sauser
From:
Wellington, Florida
|
Posted 27 May 2024 12:28 pm Re: Gibson Electraharp
|
|
| Dave Zirbel wrote: |
I have this at my house right now. Belongs to a friend of mine. Interesting relic. Not playable at the moment. It's out of adjustment. The pedals won't activate the changer even though they mechanism is moving. Possibly the screwheads tuners are out of alignment....does anyone have a pdf of instructions before I start taking this thing apart?
|
The original changer on the ElectraHarp could raise AND lower any to all strings with each pedal.
While Gibson was first to commercialize the contraption, the lost a law suite against Harlin Bros. ("MultiKord") for using the exact same changer they had applied for a Patent first.
There is some debate on who invented "The Darn Thing" (to paraphrase Alvino Rey who was involved with the Gibson team project and claimed to have invented "it", which we know is not exactly true either, because Gibson records show that they bought the design from a machinist out of Connecticut by the name of John Moore... incidentally where Harlin Bros were from from.
Anyways, as to the OP's question. ALL the following models Gibson produced after loosing the law suit were downgraded to only either raise OR lower a string. The model generation (from the body type) suggest that the one the OP showed, is a post-law suite-downgrade one.
It should be noted that Gene Fields' Fender PS210 left-change PSG used the "pull-bar" principle the Gibson and Harlin guitars used, just horizontally instead of vertically. Gene Fields' changer however was completely new, and only seen a principle resurgence with Anapeg, now the new Sierra steel, but all with individual "timed" pulling. One could also count the Excel Superb on forward changer which operates off a similar idea.
Here's a more recent thread on the Gibson ElectraHarp subject with some Patent pictures which may help understand the original Gibson and Harlin system better (they were btw identical).
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=391062&sid=c08b25791e1407d901c8d9596b8e535b
... J-D.
_________________
__________________________________________________________
Was it JFK who said: Ask Not What TAB Can Do For You - Rather Ask Yourself "What Would B.B. King Do?"
A Little Mental Health Warning:
Tablature KILLS SKILLS.
The uses of Tablature is addictive and has been linked to reduced musical fertility.
Those who produce Tablature did never use it.
I say it humorously, but I mean it. |
|
|
|
