UK and European Pedal Steel Builders

[Dave Wiggins]

Well.........Then there was old Dave Wiggins.......Number one, an old oak table with 10 strings, a patent granted!
The first batch I built of twenty, with Birch Ply 3/4" bodies, all single tens. For people like, Jim Smith, Val Havers, Dave Gregory, Eric Fretten,,,,,,,,,,,,,Oh how the memory fails! Then, a small argument with a 3 1/2 pound hammer and a wonky knee, no job, decided to build full time. Designed what I called the series II, improving 11thou string life from 4320 stretches, to 8610 stretches. The first one went to Bob Merrideth in Fort Lauderdale Florida.
Whhhaaa, we are on our way! Wrong ! A pedal steel guitar needs an aura, capture the mind of the player. Even an excellant review by the great Dave Hayward, in International Musician; did not get the orders in. Number two was for a returning customer, Val Havers. The only guys that have managed to get that aura are the great Ronnie Bennett and for a while, the two Scottish guys with Springfield Guitars, in scotland. It does not just have to look good, play good; it must have MAGIC!

[Will C]

Wonder where all those steels are now, Dave. I have one of Bernie Curnow's steels.

[Ted Nesbitt]

How can we forget Cliff White from Little Driffield, builder of the "White" PSG.
They were available in many colours ....... Under-body tuning system on the k/levers!

[Dave Nutt]

As said before its an interesting post.
Its difficult not to leave anyone out, I would imagine our thoughts go immediately back to guys or steels we have come across,also a regional thing hence in my case there's a Kent connection (having lived and played there for 17/18 years).

Will raises an interesting point 'where are they all now' ? I often wonder about the hundreds if not thousands of steel guitar that must be out there somewhere, after all-its not the kind of thing that gets chucked/thrown out. I know JD has a house full and Ken Byng is not far behind I am always amazed at the ammount of guys that can list a couple or even more steels on thier profile pages.

I would love to know where some of my past 'babies' are now, hopefully being played and enjoyed.

[sheffield steel]

A Sheffield psg.
Dave.

[Tony Smart]

Don't forget Dave Wiggins - he built a few.

When I used to see him at a gig years ago, it was always " Hello Tone, can I have a look under your Emmons?

Just glad I wasn't wearing a kilt.....

He's a really nice chap though - always cheerful and ready for a laugh.

Edit: Missed Dave's own post - never mind.......

[JohnDavisStringsHere]

Two that are missing, Dave Seddon and Ron McLaren...... maybe not on a commercial scale but both have built great looking steels.

[Ken Byng]

Southampton's Dave Nash was one of the very first British steel players to design and make pedal steels in the 1960's. Mainly because he was left handed and pedal steels were just not built for left hookers at that time. His first Nash guitar needed 2 people to carry it in the case, but they got a little lighter over the years. Dave put a photo electric cell on one of his knee levers as a volume control. He was the first to put a humbucking pickup on a steel guitar over here, back in the 1970's. Dave is as good a steel player that the UK has ever produced, and is well known for his rapid single string runs and swingy style. He and I probably spurred each other on to improve just by living in the same town. Because he started playing before me, I initially had some catching up to do, but his playing was always slick and inspirational.

Unfortunately these day is more into rock climbing and keeping fit than playing steel. He now lives in contented retirement in the Isle Of Wight.

[Basil Henriques]

He was the first to put a humbucking pickup on a steel guitar over here, back in the 1970's.

Undoutedly a fine player and builder, BUT John Birch and myself put humbuckers on my Fender 1000 in 1965. I designed them along with John Birch. The pickups we jointly developed were used by : Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, Brian May of Queen, Dave Hill and Jim Lea of Slade, Gerry Shephard of The Glitter Band, and Roy Orbison, and many more.
See THIS
Or for those who don't wish to clink the linked text, this relevant extract from the Wikipedia article:

John Birch was born in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom in 1922. He became involved in guitar building as a young Royal Air Force officer based in the South Pacific Islands in World War II. Returning to England at the end of the war his interest musically was in collecting Hawaiian Records.

In 1963 he met Basil and Pat Henriques of the "Waikiki Islanders" group, a Hawaiian group formed by Pat's father Bill Cox and his brother Archie in 1937. Birch was, during the 60's, living at 33 Innage Road Northfield and working as a field service engineer for Ampex VTR's.

After a series of experiments with a few joint designs Basil Henriques and Birch (using Henriques' Fender 1000 pedal steel guitar as a test bed) came up with a new pickup design using multiple polepieces and a coil potted in baked epoxy resin. On subsequent BBC "Night Ride" broadcasts and later EMI Abbey Road recordings, the pickups on Basil's guitar proved to be a revolutionary design in both sustain and fidelity. EMI were so impressed with the Stereo sound of Basil's guitar that they offered Basil and the Waikiki Islanders a 10-year contract on their premier Stereo Label "Studio Two Stereo".

At Basil's instigation John gave up his "Day Job" and started making pickups for the guitarists in the local Birmingham beat group scene. Much later on in the late 80's John was again to use a pedal steel guitar as a "Test Bed", this time for a midi pickup system.

We had a variety of designs "Superflux, Hyperflux and Magnum" The Superflux being the first, using austenitic stainless steel case with cobalt steel magnets and epoxy encased coils. (we used both the special alloys of aluminium, nickel, cobalt and iron, known as Alnico, and of samarium and cobalt (samarium-cobalt magnet))

[Ken Byng]

I stand corrected Basil. It was in fact John Birch's pups that Dave Nash installed on one of his early guitars. He was pleased with the noise reduction. I always felt that the Birch pickup was an homage to the Gibson P90 pickup, but I didn't realise that you had played a part in its design. Those pickups must have given a lot more body to the Fender tone than the standard Fender pickups which were very clean bordering on thin especially through a Fender amp.

I am old enough to remember the Birch adverts in Beat International magazine