Anyone seen any of these two?

[JayVeeGee]

Hi Danny ~ Yeah, "incredible" was what I thought when I spotted it on Facebook last night!
It was posted by James Wolf on the 'Pedal Steel Guitar Advice Tips and Tricks' page on Facebook.
I've only got about 3 or 4 photos of that steel (no digital cameras/phones back in the 1980s!) and I have no photos of the 'gubbins' of the guitar so I was very pleased to see 9 fairly detailed photos on the Craigslist ad. I've now saved all these photos.
I had forgotten how I had attached the pedals to the pedal bar until last night! Each pedal was 'hinged' into its own block of wood and each block of wood in turn was inserted inside the "U" shaped pedal bar. I had also used a very basic system for adjusting the length of the pedal rods (but it worked!) and that can also be seen in this photo >

[Danny Mitchell]

Jim, that's fantastic. You must've been one of those kids that could actually make things when you got a Meccano Set for Xmas. Mine's just got stoorie on top of the wardrobe.

[JayVeeGee]

.
Hey Danny ~ how did you know I had a Meccano set !!!

I've always been a bit of a tinkerer, everything from a basic Meccano set to a treehouse in my youth.

[Willie Gamble]

Hi Jim, I have just had a look at your creation, it looks great, did you machine all the bellcranks etc. was the changer imported or made by your own fair hand? I'll tell you what Jim, mechanically, it looks as though it could give some other manufacturers a good run for their money. Clever guy indeed.
I hope all the Gorries are safe and well.
Asleep at the steel

[JayVeeGee]

.
Hi Willie,

Everything you see on that guitar (with a few exceptions***) were, I'd like to say 'machined' by me but nothing was machined as I have no engineering machinery. Back then when I built that one it was done with the use of drill bits, a hacksaw, files and a tap & die set. . The only thing I had back then that was in any way related to 'machinery' was a vertical drill stand into which an electric drill could be clamped. I DID regard that as an essential piece of equipment as so many holes in a PSG HAVE to be true.
All 30 components of the changer were hand made (10 bridge fingers; 10 raising fingers & 10 lowering fingers) as were the bell cranks and knee levers. On close inspection, it's obvious that these parts didn't come out of a factory or a machine shop, but they're all perfectly functional.

I should also mention the nut rollers. They may be small parts, but trying to create them was one BIG job! Trying to make a hole in the exact centre of that brass rod without machinery is a very tricky job. I needed 10 rollers but there were many more than 10 rollers attempted before I got enough acceptable examples.

The only ***exceptions were the pickup, the fretboard and the machine heads. The legs were chromed wardrobe hanging rails from B & Q (or back then it may have been called 'Dodge City'?) and they each had a piece of threaded rod epoxied in, to screw into the humungous nuts I had welded onto the corners of the endplates. The endplates were 3/16" mild steel welded into shape -- but none of the welding was done by me . . . I got someone who knows about welding to do that! I got the endplates nickel plated to help keep them looking reasonable and fairly rust-free.

Right now, number 5 is about 80% complete and I still have no machinery except an inexpensive (I don't want to say "cheap"!) drill press from Aldi and a bandsaw in which I've fitted a metal cutting blade. I'm so happy to have a bandsaw as there is so much metal cutting to be done, and previously all of it had to be done with a hacksaw -- hard and tedious work!
(Oh . . . and I'm still struggling with them pesky nut rollers!)

[Danny Mitchell]

Jim, having read this excellent, detailed reply to Willie's post, two thoughts sprang into what's left of my mind....

It would seem there's a level of tenacity and skill, that the likes of me can only wonder at (but if you're wanting anything lifted, I'm your man). Develop that resourcefulness further, and you get a wee car driving about on Mars

The other thing being the mention of 'Dodge City'. This made me think that the owners of 'Dodge City ' and those of that other, now defunct company 'Texas', must've been, like me, raised on a Western diet of Davy Crockett, The Lone Ranger and Range Rider, to name but a few gems of those halcyon days.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your labours, the pragmatically named, No.5.

[JayVeeGee]

AH Danny! ~ "Number 5" . . . that sounds like a good name for it!
(In another thread, Richard Burton said "I built 7 pedal steel guitars, but then came to my senses" so, it looks like I've got a way to go!)

Once it's finished, and sometime after lockdown, I'll bring it along to Gartcosh as I'd like to hear what it sounds like being played by some real steel players.

Like you, I was also raised on The Lone Ranger, The Range Rider and that other one you didn't mention - The Cisco Kid played by an actor who had a Scottish-Mexican sounding name ~ Duncan Renaldo!

[Danny Mitchell]

Once it's finished, and sometime after lockdown, I'll bring it along to Gartcosh as I'd like to hear what it sounds like being played by some real steel players

That sounds like a really interesting idea, Jim, for a sort of 'Show & Tell' segment of Gartcosh meeting.

As for The Cisco Kid (superb, btw).....I'll call you, and raise you a Hopalong Cassidy and a Have Gun-Will Travel!

[JayVeeGee]

As for The Cisco Kid (superb, btw).....I'll call you, and raise you a Hopalong Cassidy and a Have Gun-Will Travel!

I didn't think you were that old, Danny!
Then there was "Cheyenne" but that was a bit later.

[Mcneilwaeasteel]

How'dy partners
When you two " Cowboys " stop reminiscing about your misspent youth and return back to the topic mentioned in the original post Jim can get back to work with newfound vigour.
Meanwhile I've just sent Jim a PM to get him back on " the road to Laramie " again!
Hi Ho Silver Away clip clop, clip clop!