Looking at the photo of your guitar I canīt tell if it is a Remington or not.

On the PRO side:
1. The general appearance and the Cush Case.
2. The mechanism of the indirect levers (those moving to the right).
3. The hexagon aluminum cross shafts.
4. The way the pedal bar is attached to the front legs (short tubes screwed to the bar that slide into the front legs - I find that very convenient).
5. Pull rods are attached to the bell crank by a simple hook in the rod.
6. Pull rods are bent if there is not enough room to rod them in a straight line.

On the CON side:
1. The pedals look different.
2. The apron facing the player is not as wide as the front apron (cut out).
3. The bell cranks look a little different - mine look like a comb or two Eīs on top of each other, not a flat piece of metal with holes in them.
4. The third decal facing the player. Mine has two decals: in the middle of the front apron, and on the pedal bar. Both are clear plastic stickers.

Any of these differences could be due to model changes over the years. Bell cranks that I ordered after receiving the guitar look different than the "originals". Remington now uses square cross shafts instead of the hexagon ones on mine and yours.
If you want to make sure that it is indeed a Remington, mail those photos to Herb Remington, heīll know.

BTW, the knee levers are attached to the cranks with screws that have self-fixing nuts (a plastic bushing in the nut). If the middle lever "flops around", you can put it into a fixed position by fastening that nut.

The "stops" for the levers are simple L-shaped aluminum plates with a machine screw in the upper part of the L, against which the crank of the lever stops. If one is missing you can easily make one yourself (Iīve done it ).

Generally: Remingtons have a certain "hand-made" quality to them. Not all the parts in the undercarriage are exactly the same. They are modified by hand to make them fit into a crowded undercarriage. So if there are parts on your guitar that should be identical but arenīt - Iīd count that on the "PRO" side. But only Herb will know for sure, you really should ask him, everything else anybody says (including me) is only speculation.

If a Remington is set up right, it is one of the easiest playing and best sounding steels - bar none.

Best regards,
Rainer

------------------
Remington D 10 8/8, Sierra Crown D 10 gearless 8/8, Session 400 LTD

As this was not acceptable, I asked to deal with Mr Gruhn. This was refused. I then mentioned I would take the matter to the forum. Only then Mr Gruhn replied.

I explained that he was responsible for the shipping as it was his company who dumped an unplayable instrument in an unsuspecting third world country.

In addition I pointed out his misleading policy :"We strive to ensure your satisfaction with these Gruhn Guarantees: Expert inspection and repair -- including setup. Our staff of six full-time repairmen sees that every instrument arrives ready to play (except those sold "as is"). We go to great lengths to ensure that all instruments are properly restored and set up in optimum playing order."

His response:
"I am willing to pay reasonable repair costs or refund the purchase price if
you return the instrument, but that is all I can do."

I suggested to him that a legal battle lasting a couple of years could cost him more than the actual guitar.

His words:
"I am not in a position to offer more."

Now I received some messages telling me that the guitar may not be genuine.

This may prejudice Mr Gruhn's situation.

Everyone, Hang in there, I will keep you informed.

Peter

You draw your own conclusions.

I cannot believe Mr. Gruhn is not willing to accept to refund ALL your expenses, how stupid is this !!?

But then, from my own experience with this company I can imagine which policy stands behind it.

Not being from Tennesse,I am not sure what the law is there,but in Texas we have a small claims court where cases similar to yours can be filed. This court deals in cases below 5000 dollars.

For $55 you can file your case. Normally you would have to be present to present your case,but I can't believe that a judge would not allow you to present your complaint by mail,email or by phone since you do not live in the USA.

The defendent is required to show up for court or judgement is automatically made against him.

If you do get judgement and he refuses to pay,you can pay another $75 and a deputy is allowed to go to the defendents place of business and confiscate enough items to cover the cost of your losses,including court cost.You should in my opinion also get you shipping cost and any other expenses you have .The items are sold by the court and you get cash

In the State of Texas this activity occurs in a Justice of Peace court and the field work is handled by a constable.

[This message was edited by louie hallford on 07 January 2002 at 06:05 PM.]

I'd draft a FORMAL COMPLAINT....in a short, direct, one page cover letter. I would include with it, all details of the alleged transaction. I'd include photo's if at all possible in order to "show" the damage you've suffered. I'd stress WHAT it was exactly that I had purchased; and, in contrast, what was received and for how much money!!!

I would send this with RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED.....to (1) The Attorney General of said state; (2)Administrator of the Consumer Affairs Division of said state; (3) Approp-riate County District Attorney alleging criminal fraud and "theft by deceit"; (4) U.S. Postal Service alleging "theft" via the US Mails; (5) Fed. Communications Commission alleging fraud and theft by use of telephone lines;(6)Explore what Federal Laws/Agencies might be involved here for even a HEAVIER HAND in your favor; (7)if you lived stateside, your former state congressman, senators and representatives alike; (8) Musicians Union for stated town/state where it occurred; (9) do the same with the local Better Business Bureau; (10) do the same with the 3-largest credit reporting firms in the USA, being certain to include mention of your intent to file both civil and criminal charges against subject; (11)do the same with all of the leading steel guitar dealers in the country (new and used)....and, (12) I'd post in every steel guitar site you can find, all details of this rip-off.
CAUTION: DO NOT SAY ANYTHING that cannot be factually backed up in COURT regardless of how sincerely you might believe it and want to. Constraint is required at this stage.
Surely there must be a local Forumite that would be willing to make a few local telephone calls for you in order to acquire the correct names, spellings, titles, addresses and phone numbers of all key persons mentioned above....in the community where this crime occurred. If I lived there, I'd be happy to do it for you, but I live on the far LEFT COAST-USA.

I'd also send copies to the CONSUMER AFFAIRS REPORTER and/or EDITOR in CHIEF, of ALL of the local radio, television and newspapers for that city/state where this infraction occurred. Leave "YOU" out of all statements. Stress the "local person/firm" that did this criminal act against a poor person in a lowly third world nation. (REMEMBER! Journalists are bleeding heart liberals but occasionally one will rise to HELP THE UNDER-DOG.)

I'd draft the hardest hitting letter of less than one full page; put it aside for 24 hours; re-read it and make any corrections and/or alterations you might deem necessary after that first emotion packed writing. Have it proof read by an uninvolved second party so your letter looks 100% professional and doesn't look like some hateful, deranged individual threw it together during an uncontrollable fit of rage.

It might not win your case, but it just might cause someone in a position to do something about it, to look into it, if for no other reason, than to protect America's relationship with a small 3rd world country and all.

That's WHAT I'd do......but as Bobbe Seymour and a few others would likely tell you about me, I'm really a shy, introverted,
conservative, uncaring, non-communicative, humble old man, sorely lacking in proper social/communicational skills and/or self confidence.
I truly wish you the very best of luck and much success in this most frustrating
confrontation.

Mens sandals go with this Tweed Sport Coat"

"Pink Carnation" optional.

------------------
1985 Emmons push-pull, Session 500, Nashville400, 65 re-issue Fender Twin, Fender Tele

It just seems kind of odd.... My guess is that this is indeed a Remington, though may be an earlier model. It looks like you've got some Bill Lawrence pups. That is not standard on Remingtons at present. He uses George L pups...at least that is what is on each of the four guitars I have pictures of.

Regardless, you appear to have a nice pro level guitar. I'd guess that it will serve you well once it is set up.

------------------
Steve Stallings
Bremond, Texas

But I am not 100% sure what you are going to send.

99.5% of the repair list consists of moving back the existing materials to its original position as well as taking the gunge out of the changer by taking it off and cleaning it.

I found a repairman and he just told me, for instance, that pedal 8 should be taken off. This will give us the parts to fix pedal 1. Plus it will give us back the missing stop for RKL, which was in pedal 1. This is just one example. The list is longer.

We just have to spend a lot of time and money on labor, not parts.

When you say you will send changes at no charge, does it mean you will come to South Africa to do the long list of changes?

That would be great!
Peter

I am not going to set up the guitar to MY specifications. This will not be a custom job. I just need the guitar to be brought back to the normal Universal tuning. With everything working properly.

When we start the repairs, I will be contact you should we encounter any missing or broken parts.

Thanks again for your wonderful gesture!

With that caveat - it is my view that whenever dealing with "used", and "sight unseen", there is an ever-present danger of a mismatch between expectation, representation, and reality. "Reality" is a little on the subjective side as it is.

Note that all machines need a mechanic sooner or later. In your circumstance - more sooner than later - but in any case - eventually.
Consider that a steel guitar player has the unique opportunity to double as mechanic/musician. Consider the $250 offer as payment for a self-directed education in Pedal Steel Guitar Setup and Repair. You could purchase all the information and parts you need with that amount, and the forum advice comes free.

Your guitar (and case) appears very nice to me, (better than what I started with when I bought "used in excellent condition") although pictures don't always show the truth.

The guitar appears to be "clean" from the point of view that there appears to be no major damage to the finish. I understand that the changer is not "clean". It will never be that way anyway.(See "graphite" topic/post)

I admit I have a pet peeve about crooked rods and sloppy undercarriages. Plan out your copedant and contact some experts here on the forum for a rodding strategy to keep the undercarriage "clean" and the action right. You may need to buy some extra rods from your local aluminum retailer.

If you decide to take on the challenge of fixing your guitar yourself (and get paid US$250 for it), I am sure that you will look back and appreciate the experience. You will never need a mechanic again and you can take pride in the knowledge that you have gained.

There are thousands here on the forum to offer moral support and assistance as you need it.

We have moved all pedals and kneelevers to their original position. No problem. We have taken all the stiffness out of the cross shafts, so they move freely now with no resistance at all.

We want to take off the changer assembly as ONE UNIT and give it a good clean and rinse it out. Then we'll lubricate it again. We cannot do this whilst the changer is on the guitar because it will mess up the wood.

Now, we are not sure HOW to take the assembly out. (the strings are off already).
Could you please give us an EXACT SEQUENCE how to take the changer off? We do NOT want to disassemble the changer.
For instance : do we disconnect the springs first? (We do not want to screw off the springs. We want to keep the tensions as they are). Or must we remove the aluminium neck? How do we do that? We dont know where all the relevant screws are, so please give us an exact description if you dont mind. Or should we just take the whole endplate off including the changer?

Ed, there is also one incorrect roller nut on string 8. It is a lot smaller than the others, so it rattles when playing. Someone stuck a matchstick underneath to "fix" it. Do you have the CORRECT roller nut? Or must ALL rollers be replaced at once to maintain the same consistent hight?

And Ed, we are also short of one metal block that holds the nylon bush for the cross shaft. It is the block that sits underneath the armrest and is opposite the nylon bearing mounted on the front apron. Do you have a spare original block including the nylon bush?

In addition there are two GOTOH tuner keys on string 2 and 3 that are faulty and not working properly. Do you have any spare ones? Keep in mind that there are left and right versions of the tuner keys. These are for string 2 and 3. They must be identical GOTOH tuners, not another brand.

Do you have the original stop for the LKL lever? This stop also holds the nylon bush for the cross shaft. So we would need that bush as well. There are 2 versions of this stop: a left and a right one. This is for LKL. We can then remove the makeshift stop.

I hope I am not asking too much.

1-George Gruhn has paid $250 towards repairs.
2-I am still waiting for Ed Naylor to send me the parts he promised.
3-All pedals and levers have been moved back to their original position and work with a nice positive action.

Now I have some questions: I have cleaned the disconnected changer as much as possible. I find that the changer movements are very stiff. Is this normal, or do the changer fingers have to move freely without any resistance? Could it be that the changer is "packed" too tightly. Should I remove one teflon washer? I also find that string 10 and 11 are stiffer than the higher strings.
Any help is appreciated.

The pickup is a humbucker with 2 coils next to each other. The 24 polepieces are adjustable with grubscrews. It is a sidemount pickup with 4 screws. It has a centertap and a good sound. Does anyone know what brand this is?
Thanks again.
Peter den Hartogh
Cape Town SA

[This message was edited by Peter on 20 January 2002 at 02:01 PM.]