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Steel what?

Uffe

(som ninor speling erors ficsed!)

[This message was edited by Ulf Edlund on 11 June 2003 at 02:25 PM.]

I've had one for years. I fell in love with the tone back in the late 40's, and had the chance to purchase one about 15 years ago. Mine was made in 1938, and has all of the original equipment yet.....even down to the key for the case, and the small harmonica they used to use for tuning. I also have the original stand that was made for them. I still play it every day, and it was my main guitar when I played in my last band. All I can say is......they are great!

If you want to see pictures....E-Mail me.

quote:

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The giant magnets in the EHs

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Jason Lollar is re-introducing "authentic" Charlie Christian pickups . I make the big bar magnets for the EH steels and smaller bar magnets for the ES spanish guitars.

If you have never seen them:

Charlie Christian Bar Magnets

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Steel what?

I've got a late 30s EH-185 6-string with the Charlie Christian pickup. It's a bit different than the EH-150 I think, as it uses a one-piece metal body to which the wood parts are attached. So the sustain is probably greater.

This is the best guitar -- of any kind -- I've ever owned. Perfect string spacing. Very big sound, totally different than Fenders or Ricks. It's warm but not at all muddy, with big round treble notes and punchy bass sound at volume. I took it down to the blues jam a few weeks ago. Tuned to D, through an old Deluxe Reverb. Sounded like an organ onstage. Staked out the midrange for rhythm, with solo runs ringing out on top. I'm no great shakes, but that tone was really something.

I've had one of the EH$100-$150 model Gibsons for 30 years, ... can't remember the exact model ... gold plastic hand-rest pickup-cover and open soapbar pickup ... early '50's. I always liked it's very warm and full tone; And it raised cane as a boogie woogie slide for 20 years before I learned to play Steel on it. I took lessons from JB for a year at Harry's. When I sat down for my first lesson with that Gibson, Jerry took it to tune it up. After tuning it up and playing up and down the neck for about a minute, ...he turned his head and looked up at me and said "this guitar has a wonderful warm tone; You'd better keep this one." (as if I would somehow ever be able to part with it after he played on it once a week for a year!). He made similar remarks about the guitar several times during that year. Like others said here, I find the string spacing perfect, as well as the string-deck height. I have found though, that the strings have to either be kept very clean and covered with a very lightly oiled rag to keep them that way (which is the way I keep it in it's case) ... or the strings changed rather often, ... because as the strings get even mildly neglected, the guitar translates that to a noticebale muddiness to it's lower mid range tones along with a slight but noticeable loss of attack sustain. I can only account that to knowing the marvelous tone the guitar has with brand new strings wiped down with the "oily" rag .... and hearing that loss. Other people might pick it up and never notice. Maybe someone else has noticed this "muddiness" effect on theirs and might provide some comment / opinions. I've noticed it more on this Gibson than on many other steels I've had.

Aloha,
DT~

[This message was edited by Denny Turner on 13 June 2003 at 12:00 AM.]

I do the same as you....with the oily rag. It pays to keep the dirt and the moisture from your hands off your strings.

My rag is not dripping with oil. I take an old hankerchief, and tear, or cut it in half, and fold it over one time. Then I squirt oil on it and squeeze it into the rag, making sure that the whole rag is "treated" with oil. When I'm finished playing I wipe the strings with it, then it goes in the case, laying on the strings of the guitar. One rag lasts forever, and I do this with all my stringed instruments, except my fiddle.

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Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'

Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website

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Steel what?