Bill laurence original pickups

[Malcolm]

Ivor, got an idea, Ken is getting a new Mark Giles body for his Zum , he could donate the old body to you to try fitting those metal rods in body between end plates to see if your theory would work.You could also make up a light weight welded frame to mount undercarriage, again with some form of connection to end plates to increase resonance, also you could go with stainless cross shafts as per Gary Rittenberry.Bushing , as you said,could be brass as there would be little wear due limited travel but it might help with resonance.Thus the supersustain "Greenwood "would be born.

[Ken Byng]

Ivor
I would be happy to ship my old mica covered Zum body to you when it is devoid of all of its undercarriage. On the subject of mica, it gives a pronounced mid range and not an overall brighter tone. The mica has to be professionally adhered to the wood using very expensive pressing machinery that gives perfect contact at all points of the body. The reason that I am replacing the mica Zum body is that the mica is coming away in some small areas, and being the ever perfectionist, it drives me around the twist. The guitar was once owned by the famous Tom (T C) Furlong. Both he and Billy Murdoch had looked after the guitar really well.

I spoke to Mark Giles a couple of years ago about making me a new dark blue lacquer body, and he agreed to do it provided that Bruce Zumsteg would supply him with templates for the holes and cavities and everything for this particular version of the Zum D10. Bruce was happy to do so, but I had to take the guitar's endplates over to Mr Giles at the Dallas Show in March this year. One of the endplates contained the stamped serial number, which Bruce was concerned about. It also made sure that the new Giles body fit the endplates perfectly. After greasing the Giles hand with silver, I am now waiting for confirmation from Mark that he has completed the body.

One point of interest in the discussion about pedal steel guitar tone is this. I have played virtually all of the different makes available over the years. One particular guitar that I have tried is head and shoulders above nearly everything else in the sustain department. That guitar is the home grown Sheffield, made by my good friend Dave Wheelhouse. Dave's bodies are always lacquer over good quality maple. What I believe gives him that extraordinary sustain is the substantive block of aluminium that the changer is mounted on. The Sheffield is at least the equal of the MSA mechanically, and in some areas Dave has perhaps over-engineered it with a half stop on the A pedal for example and bearings everywhere. Still a great idea. Dave has designed the Sheffield more with an engineering eye rather than a musician's eye. He has used the Emmons push pull as the tonal template to aim for when building his guitars.

Back to Ivor Greenwood. Ivor has much of the machinery in his workshop required to make the bulk of the parts of a pedal steel, and I would be happy to discuss with Ivor the funding of a new design UK-built steel guitar prototype. He might like to have a chat with Dave Wheelhouse first for an exchange of ideas. I know one thing, when Dave posts pictures of his latest creations on the US steel forum, he has dozens of Yanks drooling over his guitars.

A challenge for any pedal steel manufacturer is keeping the overall weight of the guitar down. Replacing aluminium shafts and other components with stainless steel will dramatically add to the weight of the instrument. I am not a fan of heavyweight guitars, and my Show Pro is lovely and lightweight. Great for my old back.

[Ivor Greenwood]

Ken...Thanks for the pictures of the Sheffield....That's the first time I have ever seen one....I can clearly see the good engineering practise Dave has used in this guitar....I will have to get a close up view and hear it .......Yes you are right on the stainless steel cross shafts...more weight......I would suggest aluminium rails down the sides to pivot the shafts on ....Downside is the cross shafts have to be a different material...Stainless has a corrosion problem with aluminium.....My solution would be aluminium shafts and aluminium side rails. Press fit a very light hardened steel sleeve unto each end of the cross shafts and then mount the shaft on a needle roller bearing in the side rails ....That's the similar idea to the Mullen solution........I can see what you mean about the way Dave has his changer mounted...It looks like, it has a very good solid base in the excellent end plates....Notice they are one piece....Also the bar down the middle of the under body makes for more rigidity, and solid fixing points for the Cross shafts....Certainly looks like Mr Wheelhouse has done his home work....Ken do you have one of these guitars ?.....I would be very interested to see it.........Let me know

[Ken Byng]

I don't have one Ivor. They are custom built for every new order that comes in. Dave has managed to source exotic wood and inlays for his guitars, and much of the metal work is outsourced to a specialist engineer. He always has a potter around my guitars when he comes over, and likes to have a listen when I play them.

Dave even bought a Bradshaw Webb amp after listening to mine and comparing it to his own behemoth Peavey Session 500 in an A/B test.

If you look carefully, you will see what pickups Dave has on this blue guitar of his. I like to think I played some part in persuading him to go for the 705's.

[Ivor Greenwood]

Ken...I have just listened to Dave wheelhouse playing Mansion on the hill....I'm blown away by the tone of his guitar.. And he plays very nice too. Looks like a lot of steel players have missed the boat on this cat......That guitar has a beautiful sweet sound all thru the range ...It simply sings with a superb bell tone.....Very sweet sound...I would say its as close to a Push Pull as I have heard....Maybe, it even has a better bell tone all thru the range....I have to hear one in person......Hell Ken, why are you not playing one of these...I wonder how it compares on weight ,with other D 10's..........

Mr Hartley, if you are reading this post...Hit the road for Sheffield...That guitar sounds even better than your classic Rains or your Justice

[Malcolm]

Ivor the two Sheffield guitars that I know of are Derek Thurlby, who recently got his and Billy Lindsay in Ayr.

[Malcolm]

Ivor , this my favourite Sheffield.

[Ken Byng]

Ken...I have just listened to Dave wheelhouse playing Mansion on the hill....I'm blown away by the tone of his guitar...I would say its as close to a Push Pull as I have heard....Maybe, it even has a better bell tone all thru the range..

Dave W would be chuffed to bits to read your comments Ivor.

[Ivor Greenwood]

Malcolm ...Thanks for the picture...Looks good....I will have to have a close up look sometime....Ted told me about Derek buying one ,sometime ago....Ted bought his Carter ....You can see from the underside picture's, how ridged the changer is fixed to the end plate...That along with the bar right down the middle would certainly make for a good strong body....Maybe that's why it sounds so well...Ken says the thing will sustain for longer than any other guitars he has had....... I would love to hear Derek playing his....I have always been a big fan of Derek Thurlby and Dave Kirk too.......
Everyone has their own idea's on building guitars...some are way better than others....However its what pleases the guy paying the bill..........
Me...I have no money left...I bought a 40 KVA generator last week and that has broke the bank....I'm going to have to come up with a plan or con job, and persuade old money bags Ken , to finance a loan for Dallas...You never know what could be on sale there.....I hope you have already booked....What about the rest of the Scottish gang....Any interest from them....I can't believe Mr Adams passes up the opportunity to go....He would be in his element... He appreciates good quality...........Dallas will be on us before you know it........I better find Kens new number in a hurry....Keep well

[Malcolm]

Ivor, watch the Smith and Rodgers show on Thursday around 5 ish, Del Boy should be playing his with house band.There are also a few videos of him playing at BCMA awards on Facebook? No one from Scotland going to Dallas that I know of, including me, too many things on for me to go this year.