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Author
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Topic: Restored "Speedy West Custom" by Marlen
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Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 02 October 2003 12:50 AM
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Ok, Sit down(oh you are already>good)
This is the latest pedal steel I just finished bringin' back to life...from an aweful comma..ha(yep it was bad);for my Friend Joe Camacho in San Diego.
This is a 1971 Speedy West Custom, built by Leonard Stadler and you guessed it> It IS a Marlen; and one like I've never seen ever before.
This color is like a teal blue/green stained birdseye maple body and light brown stained necks and inlay(yep; real wood inlay there)....and depending on what light and what angle you are...this thing looks Blue or Green or aqua or somewhere inbetween.....JUST ABSOLUTELY Gorgeous.
I've had many guitars on my floor with no legs on it...and I always strum the guitar to hear it acoustically...and all the guitars have a nice sound....but this particular one is the ONLY one that has nearly Shook to whole room(like an earthquake or something..ha)...It is a monster sounding Marlen.
Any Questions??
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Ricky Davis 
My Homepage
Rebel and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com
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Chris Forbes
Member From: Beltsville, MD, USA
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posted 02 October 2003 03:59 AM
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Can I have it? |
RON PRESTON
Member From: Dodson, Louisiana, USA
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posted 02 October 2003 04:35 AM
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Oh, Ricky....That's..(To ME, Folks) Better than SEX.  Good Gosh, I have to get away from this thread. Your "Killin'" Me, Man. 
When Jim and Joann Aycoth hired me to work for them at the Emmons Co., They had a Marlen setting on the showroom floor. I don't know WHERE it went, but, Jim told me once AFTER it was gone..."Ron, I would have GIVEN that Marlen to you IF you had ASK for it. I had NO idea that he would have given it to me at the time. One of the BEST TONES I EVER heard was when Tommy White had one in Louisville, Ky. He ask me what I thought of his "Tone"....He was, if I remember right, was playing through a "Peavey Session 500"..He ROCKED. You just can't beat those old Marlens. MAN, I wish I had that Guitar. The color of this one Ricky, is my Favorite. BUT, NICK REED has a JADE GREEN Emmons Lacqure that we built that I will NEVER FORGET either. Damn near DIED when Jim Carey brought it up from downstairs. He's the fellow that builds the bodys' of ALL Emmons..Both Laquere & Mica....I Paid him some extra $ when he built Mine...Watched EVERY MOVE he made too for 5 days building that "Dream" of mine. Worth EVERY Penny Like watching someone restore a '57 Chevey day after day.....GREAT JOB, Ricky...Your work is SUPER. |
Larry Bell
Member From: Englewood, Florida
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posted 02 October 2003 04:39 AM
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What a striking guitar!
You got the knack, bud. |
HowardR
Member From: N.Y.C.,N.Y.
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posted 02 October 2003 06:57 AM
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That's so pretty, it hurts!Ricky, what is protruding behind the changer? Are those "fingertip" controls? |
Tom Campbell
Member From: Houston, Texas, USA
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posted 02 October 2003 07:04 AM
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RickyHave you ever thought of putting a book together illustrating the various steels that you have restored...man their gorgeous!! You really need to forwarn people to enter these "restoration posts" at their own risk. The experience may be too great for some folks to handle!
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Joe A. Camacho
Member From: San Diego, CA
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posted 02 October 2003 07:52 AM
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Man, I am speachless... Ricky's been sending me pics of this guitar while he's been restoring it, but nothing compares to the pics of the complete finished guitar. I'm sure that everyone who has every spent anytime with Ricky knows what a wonderful person he is, I tell everyone that he is the reason I still continue trying to play steel. What a wonderful friend and mentor he is. I didn't think he could out do the restoration that he did on my '69 Sho-Bud Professional, but once again he has out done himself. Thanks Ricky. |
Jody Carver
Member From: The Knight Of Fender Tweed~ Dodger Blue Forever
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posted 02 October 2003 07:56 AM
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Howard...Correct me if I am wrong Ricky,Speedy had his volume and tone controls placed on the end plate of all his guitars. Is that the reason for the tuning mechanism as Howard refers to as "Fingetip" controls?. It looks a Great as Speedy plays.  GREAT JOB,,as always. |
Grant Johnson
Member From: Nashville TN
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posted 02 October 2003 08:27 AM
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GREAT CEASAR'S GHOST ! I'm stunned! It's the UBER-MARLEN ! ------------------
www.bigsmokey.com
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David Mason
Member From: Cambridge, MD, USA
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posted 02 October 2003 08:50 AM
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New computer wallpaper time! That red D-12 Emmons is going back on the scrap pile. |
Rick McDuffie
Member From: Smithfield, North Carolina, USA
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posted 02 October 2003 10:26 AM
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Woweee-wow-wow-wow-wow!!!!!!You know I like the Marlens, too, Ricky. You da man. ------------------
Rick McDuffie
Marlen SD-10, Sho-Bud Professional S-10, Paul Reed Smith McCarty, Hofner New President, Fernandes LE2G
Rick's Music Photo Gallery
www.tarheelmusic.com
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Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 02 October 2003 11:05 AM
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WOW; thanks Ya'll for the super nice words.
Ron; You humble me with your supportive "pats on the back"...now I'm speachless....>and Ron; would you know if Tommy White still has that Marlen or a picture of it or him playing it??
Howard; Those are the Finger stop screws that tune the open string; after you tune the change on the tuning pegs(Like a push-pull) and those are springs to keep tension on the, kinda long machine screws; because the changer assembly on this one is 2" in from the end.
Leonard Stadler and Speedy West had a deal from about '68 till '71; in that if Leonard built Speedy a new Marlen each year> he would play it.
That was a short-lived endorsement...and I did think this actual guitar was one of Speedy's Own; but as Jody enlightened us on the controls that speedy liked to have...>this one does not and did not have a volume and tone control on the end plate. As I understand from my history search; that Speedy did have a Marlen of this color and I have never seen another Marlen like this...so deductive reasoning lead me to thing originally that this was his....>but it's Not.
Leonard did build the "Speedy West Custom" Marlen for the consumers during this era also...and they all were wonderful sounding Pedal steels....
Joe; your more than welcome my friend and thank you for the encouragement also...and I'm gunna hang on to this one a play it for a bit..ha..
Here's a pic of Speedy West; playing one of his Marlen's and as you can see, the tone knob is on the side.
Photo from:"Pedal Steel Guitar"by Winnie Winston.Photo taken by: Herb Wise.Speedy West playing:The Smithsonian Folk Festival, 1974. Ricky[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 03 October 2003 at 10:01 PM.] |
Joe A. Camacho
Member From: San Diego, CA
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posted 02 October 2003 11:11 AM
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It's pictures like that, that make me want to take up smoking!! |
RON PRESTON
Member From: Dodson, Louisiana, USA
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posted 02 October 2003 12:15 PM
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Ricky,
I remember Tommy's Marlen being airbrushed with a Desert figuration on the front. It was bought by his nephue, (Ha, can't spell worth a crap here) or uncle, or SOMEONE related to Tommy in Louisville. When I worked for "Music Wearhouse" on Bardstown Rd.,(1996) a Fellow brought that steel in, and LORD, that thing was HEAVY...He wanted me to adjust the Knees and floor pedals and clean it up. He told me who he was, but, I forgot his name.I ask this guy if he wanted to sell it...We ALL know that answer, don't we...A COLD DAY in.....RIGHT...I guess he still has it. Tommy, I'm sure knows who I'm talking about here. That was ONE BAD TO THE BONE sounding guitar...Tommy brought out MORE than the best in that one. It had such a DEEP, mellow, crisp, tone I will never forget. Maybe you can email Tommy and find out more about this guitars' past. Who knows, Maybe YOU will end up with it. |
RON PRESTON
Member From: Dodson, Louisiana, USA
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posted 02 October 2003 12:22 PM
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Oh,Ricky....
As Jerry Reed once said:
When You're HOT, You're HOT...
And, YOU are HOT....I'm making that one "Wallpaper" Too... |
Jody Carver
Member From: The Knight Of Fender Tweed~ Dodger Blue Forever
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posted 02 October 2003 05:37 PM
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Speedy always had a cigarette in his right hand,I asked him why? he said that when the cigarette starts to burn his fingers he knows
it's time to use the tone knob to put the fire out. |
David Wright
Member From: Modesto .Ca USA.
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posted 02 October 2003 10:32 PM
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Ricky,
Great looking guitar, and a great job re~doing it, I think some befor pictures would be great !!!!!------------------
DavidWright.us Peavey-2000-PX-300
[This message was edited by David Wright on 03 October 2003 at 06:40 AM.]
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Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 02 October 2003 11:23 PM
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Cool Ron; yeah I should email Tommy, as I haven't yelled at him in a while.
David> thanks....and If I can ever think of it to take pictures of a guitar before I start...I'll do it.
Joe; Thanks again for the kind words....you are gunna be sooo happy when you see and hear this Marlen in person....But be patient please...as I just gotta play this with Redd on Tuesday next week, as he is gunna FREAK out..ha ; than I'll ship her out to ya....>cool???
Ricky[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 02 October 2003 at 11:25 PM.] |
CrowBear Schmitt
Member From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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posted 03 October 2003 07:46 AM
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another gorgeous restoration Ricky !
do you manage to get enough sleep or do you have elves help you while you cut ZZZs ? |
Joe A. Camacho
Member From: San Diego, CA
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posted 03 October 2003 08:27 AM
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No problem brother, I've got my other guitars keepin' me busy, I'd love to be there though... try to get someone to snap off a couple of pics if you can. |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 03 October 2003 09:00 AM
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Sleep??? ha....what is that Crowbear???..
Cool Joe; you betcha we'll get some shots of me playing your Marlen with Redd Volkaert..
Ricky |
Grant Johnson
Member From: Nashville TN
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posted 03 October 2003 10:12 AM
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Ricky:
Does any one have any records of Mr Stadler's shipping totals, specifically the Laquer/Wood models, over the years?
I would love to own a Laquer D-10 Marlen someday.... It would be cool to know how many might be out there.Lovin My Marlen!
-Grant |
Buck Dilly
Member From: Branchville, NJ, USA
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posted 03 October 2003 12:38 PM
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That's It! As nice as the nicest. The colors are magnificent! Great Job. |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 03 October 2003 12:51 PM
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Hey GRant; yes Leonards' Son Lenny does...but the records are with everything from the Shop when Mr. Stadler passed away and it closed down...and the family has all that locked away until they decide what to do with everything....>so finding that info right now is impossible.
They are out there...>but mainly in many players Closets; as they haven't played or messed with their Marlen in years as they DO NOT tune like anything we are used to; and the understanding of how they work is important to adjusting these ole single finger pull-release Marlens'. To have the patience and enthusiasm to learn and to adjust the Marlen properly is not the strong point in Many of us steel players; as we are used to EASY......But the payoff of the Marlen, when knowing how and taking the time to doing it.....>is Large; because they can be the most stable tuning instruments out there(they DO NOT float).
And these ole Marlens are the Best sounding STeel I've ever heard BAR NONE!!period end of story...> so it's a shame that because the mechanism actually takes a little effort....>these Steel players are not playing the Greatest sounding steel ever made and either have them in their closet or selling them....
Ricky |
Kenny Foy
Member From: Lynnville, KY, USA
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posted 03 October 2003 05:17 PM
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Ricky, Are the necks original color or were they the same as the body? Sure is beautiful. Would that color be turquoise? |
Winnie Winston
Member From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ
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posted 03 October 2003 06:47 PM
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Two comments:
First: It is usually polite to give credit for photos where one can be found. The photo posed of Speedy is found in my book "Pedal Steel Guitar" and was credited to Herb Wise. It was taken at a Smithsonian Folk Festival in, I think, 1974.Second: Concerning Howard's query about the long screws...
Certainly Ricky would know from having the guitar in front of him, but...
If you look at the pic of Speedy, you will see that row exists through the casting instead of above it by the neck level, AND there is an opening in the end casting for adjustments to be made.
The Marlen guitars I've worked on (only four ever came my way) all had a similar set-up.
They were a very simple single finger push/pull.
As in the Emmons, the highest note on the pulls stopped against the body and were tuned by the pegs.
The finger was then released and the open note was tuned via a nylon nut through the end casting which kept the finger "centered." The lowers were then tuned and the lower note was tuned via the screws mentioned that contacted the finger on its rearward travel.
Two of those I saw used those screws top tune the raises as well *IF there were no lowers on the same string*-- like an old permanent set-up Sho-Bud.
It was confusing to tune (some on one adjustment, some on another) and the changer looked as crooked as bad teeth when you turned it over, but if you understood how it worked, it was easy to adjust. JW |
Dale Bessant
Member From: Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
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posted 03 October 2003 07:33 PM
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Beautiful guitar.... yeah ...  [This message was edited by Dale Bessant on 03 October 2003 at 07:36 PM.] |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 03 October 2003 10:16 PM
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My Sincere Apologies to you Winnie, for not mentioning the details of the Photo(I corrected it above). Someone sent me that photo of Speedy; and I TOTALLY forgot that it came from your Book and I might add: "The Greatest Instructional Book Ever Written"....as it has been the start of soooo many steel players, including myself.
If I remember(and it's been a while since I possessed your Book)> Winnie; isn't there a picture of Barbara Mandrell playing a White Marlen in there??? And if so; do you know if she still has that Marlen or where it may be???
Refering to the tuning screws at the End plate....of course Mr. Winston is correct as most of these single finger Marlen's did have them on the Endplate where the fingers started from(exept the fingers that raise and lower the same string)...
But on some of these Marlens that actually had the Marlen plate and Speedy West plate on the front apron...had a different changer/finger mounting....>so the tuning screws were screwed directly into it, and came through the inside for the fingers to reside.
Ricky |
Damir Besic
Member From: La Vergne,TN
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posted 04 October 2003 08:29 AM
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that was my first book when I started learning how to play pedal steel.It came with the small record.Nice pictures too.I played some of the tunes from the book to some of my friends and they said "it is a west-coast style steel not a nashville style" I didn`t know the difference then but I didn`t give a dime anyway,it sounded great and I`m still and always will be thankful to Winnie for writing that book.I remember his pictures with one of his guitars with 12 pedals and I don`t know how many knee levers,amazing.
btw. guitar does look wonderful and I bet it sounds amazing too,good job Ricky,as always.
DB ------------------
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Winnie Winston
Member From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ
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posted 04 October 2003 02:48 PM
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The pic of Barbara Mandrell is with a Sho-Bud, not a Marlen...JW |
Rick McDuffie
Member From: Smithfield, North Carolina, USA
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posted 05 October 2003 03:56 PM
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And it ain't white, either! I'm thinking I've seen a photo of her playing a white Marlen somewhere along the way, too. |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 05 October 2003 05:49 PM
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Yep I've seen Barbara sittin' behind a White Marlen somewhere....now I can't think of where???ha.....It may of been in that Steel guitarist magazine with a young Paul Franklin on the cover?????Oh well...
Ricky |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 06 October 2003 03:52 PM
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Ok here's what The Single Finger Pull-release Underside looks like>; and this Baby is Perfect as I played on it for an hour just now and the Tuning did NOT budge on any string and I cannot even say that about many Brand new Modern guitars I've played....This thing is AWESOME!!!
Ricky |
Jack Anderson
Member From: Scarborough, ME
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posted 06 October 2003 06:02 PM
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Well, now, Ricky, you must set 'em up as good as you clean 'em up, because I'm sure not everyone would know what to do under there, or even want to try! How about some MP3s along with some pix of you and Red et al.? |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 06 October 2003 06:11 PM
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Thanks Jack; and I'll have to say, that the setting up is my Largest strong point of my whole job I do(yes that sounds over-confident..ha..)because I'm ALOT more picky about the mechanics than the look of the guitar....>so there ya have that.
As far as MP3..ha..If I recorded Redd and I playing together....>you don't have enough money to buy that tape from me..LOL..>but you can come hear for Free; just give me a buzz and I'll get ya on the guest list..
Ricky |
Paul Graupp
Member From: Macon Ga USA
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posted 06 October 2003 06:33 PM
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Time is once again clouding the story but it seems to me I recall Don Helms playing a Speedy West guitar years ago. We shared a Jett Williams gig one summer Sunday afternoon on the lake at the VFW club here in Macon and all I recall thinking about the guitar was; "Leonard Stadler." He showed me some of the chording on his 6th (13th ??) neck and it was very impressive to say the least. Perhaps there are some other people, Bobbe Seymour comes to mind first, who could tell us more about DH and Marlens....Regards, Paul |
Joe Henry
Member From: Ebersberg, Germany
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posted 07 October 2003 03:42 PM
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Wow, Ricky, thatīs too much... That guitar is so beautiful, itīs unreal.
Wish I could have come over a month later so I could have seen and heard you play on it! Looks like it has a sound "out of this world"...Joe |
Rick McDuffie
Member From: Smithfield, North Carolina, USA
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posted 07 October 2003 04:45 PM
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Got another Speedy on the way to you, Ricky. I guess I should say "Speedy Delivery To Ya!" Hey, what brand of seat is that that Speedy's sittin' on in the above photo? Oh, I see now- It's a Ludwig!
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Rick McDuffie
Marlen SD-10, Sho-Bud Professional S-10, Paul Reed Smith McCarty, Hofner New President, Fernandes LE2G
Rick's Music Photo Gallery
www.tarheelmusic.com
[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 07 October 2003 at 04:49 PM.]
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Bob Snelgrove
Member From: san jose, ca
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posted 08 October 2003 05:49 PM
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Ricky,Where are the "before" pics? bob |
Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 08 October 2003 11:29 PM
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Sorry Bob; I didn't/don't take any...>since the guys that send me their Steels, have them and so I have no use for them mainly because I hate seeing a steel in that/those conditions.
You can ask them for the before pics...as I'm sure they have plenty.
Also; there is NO way you can take a shot close enough to see the gunk/rust whatever..in the changers and/or pivots...so what's the use of that.?
Ricky |
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