Author
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Topic: Steel guitar brands - updated list
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Ian McLatchie Member From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 09:38 AM
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Here's an updated version of the list of pedal and non-pedal steel guitar brands that I've posted a couple of times over the past two or three years. As before, I welcome any additions or corrections. I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow and will only have occasional access to a computer the next six weeks, but will check in whenever I get the chance.Unless otherwise indicated, country of manufacture is U.S. Where country of origin is unknown, this is indicated by (?). ABM - Germany Abbott - England Ace Academy Adkins Airline Alamo Alan - Ireland Alkire Aloha American Steel Amerloha Anapeg - Australia Artisan - China (?) Artist Artistcraft Asher Audiovox AVM - Sweden Avalon AWH - Sweden Baggett Bak - Scotland Barcley - Japan Barker BeJay Ben Jay Bennett - England Bethel Bigsby Blankenship & Wheeler Blanton Blue Star BMI Boen Bojorquez Bosco Bossan Bowman Bronson Bruno - Japan Canopus - Japan Capri Carson Wells Carter Carvin Chandler Chord King - Australia Clark CMI Cole Clark - Australia Concord - England Cougar Crafters Cromwell Danelectro Dekley Denley - England Derby Desert Rose DeVis Dickerson Dobro Domland Dunamis Dwight Dyson ToneMaster - Australia Earthwood Edge Electric Electromuse Electrotone - Canada EMCI EMI Emmons Endicott English Epiphone Epitome Ericson Ernie Ball Excel - Japan Fender Fessenden Flynn Foster - Australia Fouke Framus - Germany Franklin Fulawka - Canada Fullner Fuzzy - Japan Garritt GES Georgeboard GFI Gibson Goldtone Gourlay - Scotland Granada - Japan Gretsch Guild Guldan Guyatone - Japan Hager/House of Hager Hansen Harmony Harmos Hawthorne Hofner - Germany Hofseth - Norway Holiday Howard Hughey Industrial Aluminum J & J Jagard (?) Jagiella - Germany Janz - Canada Janzen - New Zealand JCH Jem - Australia Jennings K & F Kalamazoo Kamico Kay Kiesel Kline Lamar Lambert - Ireland Lapdancer Lapcaster Le Garritt Leilani Linkon - Canada Little Buddy Lollar Lone Star Loren Maestro Magnatone Malibu Indian Marlen Marlin - Japan Marrs Marvel (?) Mason - Canada Mastertone Matses Maui - Canada (?) Maxim - Australia McCurdy MCI McKinney Melobar Milburn Miller Milwaukeean Mogultone Mooney Morden/Gilbert - Canada Morrell Moserite MSA Mullen Multi-Kord Mustard - Scotland Nashville LTD National Neilson New Yorker Nichol Norwood Noso - Finland Oahu OCD Ooak Orpheum Payne Pedalmaster Pedasonic/Ped-a-sonic Pierce Perina Premier Rains Rayline Recording King RedNeck Regal Regent - Japan Remington Ren-Keizer Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker RKR - 24 - England Robbins Roberts Rogers Rodgers - Canada Rogers - Germany Roto Sound - England (?) Royal Aire Russler Sahara Savana (?) - Japan Selmer - England Seymour SGI Shawnee Sherwood Sho-Bro Sho-Bud Sierra Silvertone Simmons Singing Century Slingerland Slyde Smith's Sonica - China (?) S.S. Hawaiian Springfield Steelrider Stella Stringfellow Styles Sunshine Supro SurfCity Taylor Teisco - Japan Thomas Thunderlog Tim Kill - Australia Trade Wind Tri-State Trotmore Troubadour True Tone Twang - Canada (?) Tyyser - Finland Ulrich Vega Visser Vogel Vox Humana - Netherlands WBS - Germany We Need the Money West Coast Westwind Wheeler/Wheeler Ped-Al White Whitney Wilcox Williams Winsteel - Ireland Wright C Yanuziello - Canada ZB Zitnik Zumsteel [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 July 2004 at 09:46 AM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 July 2004 at 11:04 AM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 July 2004 at 11:05 AM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 July 2004 at 12:31 PM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 July 2004 at 02:48 PM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 11 July 2004 at 07:29 PM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 13 July 2004 at 09:50 AM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 14 July 2004 at 09:05 AM.] [This message was edited by Ian McLatchie on 16 July 2004 at 01:09 PM.] |
Buck Dilly Member From: Branchville, NJ, USA
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posted 11 July 2004 10:14 AM
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Only one left out: OCD |
Ron Bednar Member From: Rancho Cordova, California, USA
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posted 11 July 2004 10:34 AM
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Great list...lots of guitars there. Got a couple questions though. 1. Is the list for electric guitars only or do acoustic steels count too? If so, you missed a bunch of makes. 2. I see you have Lone Star on the list, is that the same Lone Star that is in business now? If so, I was unaware that they produced a steel style guitar. |
Ian McLatchie Member From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 11:03 AM
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Buck: Thanks, I've added OCD to the list.Ron: Lone Star was a name which someone else submitted, but I think it refers to an earlier manufacturer. No, the list doesn't include acoustic instruments. Compiling a list of acoustic steel brands would be a very daunting task. In the 1920s, '30s and '40s, virtually every guitar maker advertised Hawaiian models, but in many cases these were only Spanish instruments with a nut extension or raised nut. Even defining what, for the purposes of such a list, qualifies as a "Hawaiian" guitar is not easy (nut extension? fixed, raised nut? straight saddle? square neck? a combination of features?). Putting together a list of resophonic or hollow-neck Hawaiian makers would be much easier, but I'll leave that to someone else. |
Loni Specter Member From: West Hills, CA, USA
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posted 11 July 2004 11:03 AM
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Hi Ian, Wow, what a big list! BTW. Lapdancer and RedNeck are ONE WORD.Thanks, Loni WWW.LAPDANCERGUITARS>COM |
Loni Specter Member From: West Hills, CA, USA
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posted 11 July 2004 11:06 AM
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ooops. that's www.lapdancerguitars.com |
George Keoki Lake Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 11:48 AM
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Fantastic Ian ! There was a (lap) guitar produced in Winnipeg back in the forties and fifties. I still come across them as many were produced during that era. I'm referring to the JANZ guitars which were made by (the late) Bill Janz. Perhaps insignificant, however I did see an inquirie about a Janz guitar from someone in the US not too long ago on the Forum ... so I presume a few have found their way south of the 49th. They were a well made guitar and had a great sound. Canadian jazz steel guitarist, (the late) Jack Mooney owned probably the very first double-neck Janz produced back in 1945 |
Ian McLatchie Member From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 12:30 PM
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Oh yeah, thanks for the tip, Keoki. I remember seeing Janz instruments way back when I lived in Alberta, but I haven't heard the name in a long time. Added to the list. |
Roger Shackelton Member From: Everett, Wa.
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posted 11 July 2004 12:34 PM
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I think there was a Rogers PSG made in the U.S. in the 1960s. |
William Peters Member From: Effort, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 11 July 2004 01:30 PM
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I think you missed Wilcox.------------------ Bill http://www.wgpeters.com Cougar SD-10, PV-260, Tubefex, PV TNT-115, Gibson SG, Squier P-Bass, Berhinger V-amp Pro
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George Rout Member From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 01:50 PM
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Just slightly off the subject of guitar brand names but Keoki mentioned Janz from Winnipeg. I have 6 or 7 LP's by the Janzen Musical Strings, recorded in Winnipeg on the REC label (address shows the old postal code). Just wondering if anybody can shed any light on them, there are no names mentioned on the records. See the group picture at: http://ca.f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/.../m y_photos You can tell the date by the hair styles!!! Geo [This message was edited by b0b on 12 July 2004 at 03:47 PM.]
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George Rout Member From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 01:52 PM
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Sorry, I'll have to "share publically" my picture and post it again....Geo |
George Rout Member From: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 01:56 PM
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Okay, it looks like it's available to one and all. Geo |
George Keoki Lake Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 02:45 PM
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If you are including pedal guitars, Hank Rodgers in Vancouver built many pedal guitars under the "RODGERS" name...(note the "D" in his name) I noticed a used one in a local music store only last week. |
Jon Light Member From: Brooklyn, NY
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posted 11 July 2004 02:50 PM
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You will need to add these two newish PSGs that are getting some forum airplay--Rains and Desert Rose. Looks like you will have to cancel your vacation. Sorry. |
Ian McLatchie Member From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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posted 11 July 2004 02:50 PM
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I've added Wilcox and Rogers, and changed the spelling of the Canadian brand from "Rogers" to "Rodgers." Thanks, all. |
Ed Naylor Member From: portsmouth.ohio usa
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posted 12 July 2004 10:52 AM
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Ian- a couple corrections. PEDESONIC--- NASHVILLE should be NASHVILLE LTD, and also I build the SHAWNEE. ED Naylor Steel Guitar Works. |
Paul Arntson Member From: Bothell ,WA (just outside Seattle)
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posted 12 July 2004 11:17 AM
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I believe Janzen was a New Zealand brand. I looked at a stringmaster single 8 on ebay that was a NZ Janzen about a year ago. They still have a web presence, but they retail instead of manufacture. |
George Keoki Lake Member From: Edmonton, AB., Canada
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posted 12 July 2004 02:43 PM
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Paul...perhaps so, but not to be confused with Janz out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. |
Ricky Davis Moderator From: Austin, Texas
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posted 12 July 2004 02:53 PM
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Ok now from "Best to Worst"?? Start with the Georgeboard and just go on down from there and doesn't really matter what's second to a bazzillion; as long as you start with Georgeboard..ha. Ricky |
Bill Leff Member From: Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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posted 12 July 2004 03:26 PM
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I like "We Need The Money".Boy, is he in the WRONG business |
Tom Olson Member From: Spokane, WA
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posted 12 July 2004 08:20 PM
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RE: Lone Star -- this steel is currently built by Jim Flynn in Texas. If you go to the links section of the forum and look under "Manufacturers" you will find a link to the Lone Star website. |
Tom Olson Member From: Spokane, WA
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posted 12 July 2004 08:26 PM
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I'm probably wrong here, but didn't the Dopyera's build their resonator guitars under the "OMI" brand and/or the "Houndog" brand for a few years during a legal battle over the "Dobro" name? Maybe I'm getting mixed up about something else. --EDIT-- OOPs, I see now that the list does NOT include acoustics. [This message was edited by Tom Olson on 12 July 2004 at 08:27 PM.] |
basilh Member From: United Kingdom
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posted 13 July 2004 05:35 PM
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UK steel manufacturer "Concord", single and twin 6's and 8's. John Marsden and myself are compiling a history of UK steels, and the Concord is the one that's MOST elusive regarding pictures..SO... if anyone has pics.. please get in touch with me... Baz. In a couple of days, I'll post some of the pics we already have. ------------------ quote: Steel players do it without fretting
http://www.waikiki-islanders.com [This message was edited by basilh on 13 July 2004 at 05:36 PM.]
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Chris Langman Member From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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posted 15 July 2004 02:18 AM
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A friend of mine has a double neck 8 string Maton, made in Australia |
Dave Boothroyd Member From: The Malvern Hills
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posted 15 July 2004 04:57 AM
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In every music shop round here there are some new six string lap steels going under the name of "Jagard". You cannot throw a brick on Ebay without hitting a Jagard steel for sale- usually for more than the music shops sell for!------------------ Cheers! Dave
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John Bechtel Member From: Nashville, Tennessee,U.S.A.
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posted 15 July 2004 11:26 PM
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Hasn't anyone seen Bobby Bowman’s new product? ‘American Steel’ [O********O] Keyless, Raises on one end, and Lowers on the other. New Company. ------------------ “Big John” Bechtel Franklin PSG D–10 (9 & 8) Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom™ 15” click here click here |
Ed Naylor Member From: portsmouth.ohio usa
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posted 16 July 2004 05:53 AM
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There was a NORWOOD guitar built at one time. ED |
Chris Brooks Member From: Providence, Rhode Island
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posted 16 July 2004 01:44 PM
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Jan Visser's steel, I believe, is called the DeVis. It's built in Netherlands. Am I right, Rob, Marco, or Johan?Chris |
Hans Holzherr Member From: Ostermundigen, Switzerland
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posted 10 August 2004 06:14 AM
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Please add: Schild - Switzerland Wiesner - SwitzerlandAlso, see http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum5/HTML/004662.html Hans |
Benjamin Franz Member From: Hazelmere, Western Australia, Australia
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posted 10 August 2004 09:14 AM
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also Maton in Australia made them in the early 60's |