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Topic: Tone from pull/release guitars |
Dave Zirbel
From:
Sebastopol, CA USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2019 8:13 pm |
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What is it that makes them sound superior? The changer?
I have a strange old home made pull/release guitar and it just sounds insane! Even with crusty 30 year old strings!
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Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 21 Feb 2019 12:37 am
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It's because the finger is a solid piece and not a sandwich, so there's more mass anchoring the string. Also the finger's travel is stopped right there at the changer, instead of way back at a pedal stop with several components in between.
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Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 21 Feb 2019 6:27 am
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| I think a lot of it has to do with old wood and a simple mechanism. (The changer units are far less massive than the ones used today.) While I'd like to think I could pick out that "vintage sound" on a recording, I've been fooled before. Of special note, I've heard a couple of Fulawkas that I couldn't tell from a Sho~Bud permanent if my life depended on it. |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 21 Feb 2019 9:10 am
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Simple mechanism is what does it. That and the fact that pull-release is what the pioneers played, the great artists we hear on recordings from the 50s and 60s, so we've only heard them played well 
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Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Eric Watts
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2019 4:06 pm
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Dave, I recently had an early Marlen D-10 in the shop and in setting it up I tightened the end plates with shims to the body and added steel pedal stop plates. Then after setting up all the pedals and knees I was dumb founded at the tone this guitar has. With the pickup taps in the full tone position the C neck was wonderful!!! This older Marlen has big changer fingers and a lot of mass in the changer axle and frame. Its a heavy maple body too. So all in all I have to say simple heavy changer design with a very tight end plate to body joint and with the new steel stops it all adds up to a stable big sounding Pedal Steel.
I hope the Owner gets to love the new Girls voice..
Try one , you will like it!!
Last edited by Eric Watts on 23 Feb 2019 7:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 22 Feb 2019 11:58 pm
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those old pull/release Marlens have just an amazing tone, something between Emmons push pull and Sho Bud ... if I was little more handy with pull/release I would definitely play one... great guitars...I don't care much for newer all pull models, but the older pull/release kick some serious butt ...
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https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 23 Feb 2019 12:40 am
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The first guitar I had was a no-name Permanent D10 copy (a good one) which originally had eight pedals but no levers, so c.1960? I put E raises and lowers on it to bring it up to date, and although they had to be tuned underneath I didn't need to touch them much. The downside was the extra travel in the C pedal to allow string 4 to lower.
It had single-coil pickups, which of course have no influence on the sustain - but they made it even more enjoyable!
It was extremely heavy, one reason I sold it.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 23 Feb 2019 12:50 am
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I’m thinking about updating my Bigsby T8 with modern mechanics, it is pull release too , it would have Don Helms tuning on the front neck, E9 in the middle, and C6 on the back neck, 8 pedals and 5 knee levers , it would be something else...
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https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 23 Feb 2019 2:32 am
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| Damir Besic wrote: |
| I’m thinking about updating my Bigsby T8 with modern mechanics |
Don't do that! It's an irreplaceable piece of musical instrument history. Would you paint a moustache on the Mona Lisa? Would you put a trailer hitch on a Testa Rosa? Would you carve the head of George Bush on Mount Rushmore? You have numerous other more modern guitars to play. I realize it's your property, and you can do whatever you want. But that Bigsby will outlive you and me, and I feel you have a certain responsibility being its caretaker not to make major changes that are irreversible. That one's just too nice. If you really want to do something like that, find a basketcase Bigsby. They're out there, somewhere. (Just my opinion.) |
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Damir Besic
From:
Nashville,TN.
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Posted 23 Feb 2019 6:03 am
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well Jack, it may be either piece of history and continue collecting dust sitting in the storage, or it may get update, and be playing some music again, it is an instrument, and I believe it should be plaid , Chas Smith did some great upgrade on Maurice's Bigsby, and I think it looks great, probably plays great too... however, if I decide to do that, it wont be a cheap move, I would find the best builder for that project which is probably going to cost a couple thousand bucks, plus, all of the original parts would be carefully stored in case someone later on wants to bring it back into its original condition...
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https://steelguitarsonline.com/ |
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Abe Levy
From:
California, USA
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Posted 26 Feb 2019 5:23 am
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Chas rebuilt Maurice’s guitar because it was a basket case. And his work is flawless. I think it’s safe to say he wouldn’t butcher a pristine Bigsby. But perhaps he’ll chime in.
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Mostly Pre-1970 guitars. |
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